outdoor winter cycling

jjpptt2
jjpptt2 Posts: 5,650 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
For those of you that ride (on the roads) during the winter... do you do anything preventative to your bikes to address the poor conditions? I live in New York, which uses a mixture of rock salt and sand to keep the roads clear, but once the snow melts, the remaining grit gets EVERYWHERE, and is REALLY hard on bike parts.
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Replies

  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,249 Member
    That's why you ride a beater in winter.

    My bike used to get showered regularly (I was never hardcore enough to ride all year round but our early spring conditions sound pretty similar.....slushy with salt & grit) when it was still too cold outside to hose it down and the drive-train diligently lubricated.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,876 Member
    I would never ride my road bike in that kind of stuff...I'd opt for my CX bike which is tougher in general and it's older and not my primary ride...
  • icemom011
    icemom011 Posts: 999 Member
    I don't even like to take mine out in the rain, so another vote for an alternative bike that you don't care to destroy
  • jjpptt2
    jjpptt2 Posts: 5,650 Member
    I don't have one of those. I have my road bike and my tri bike (as far as on-road options go). Maybe I'll go dig through craigslist, not like I have any actual work to do this afternoon...
  • pgray007
    pgray007 Posts: 47 Member
    I was dead against indoor riding, but have really started to enjoy it with all the "smart trainer" options. I strap my roadie onto a Wahoo KICKR (there are a bunch of others) and use Zwift, Sufferfest, or TrainerRoad. You get a GREAT workout since all the conditions are controlled and you can really kick your butt with some workouts, you don't have the overhead of putting on all the winter gear, AND you're not out riding when people might not expect cyclists (aside from not slathering your equipment with grit and road salt).
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    My carbon hibernates in winter, and I use the CX or Hardtail.

    I do my own maintenance, so it's a spring service, if not before.
  • jjpptt2
    jjpptt2 Posts: 5,650 Member
    edited January 2018
    pgray007 wrote: »
    I was dead against indoor riding, but have really started to enjoy it with all the "smart trainer" options. I strap my roadie onto a Wahoo KICKR (there are a bunch of others) and use Zwift, Sufferfest, or TrainerRoad. You get a GREAT workout since all the conditions are controlled and you can really kick your butt with some workouts, you don't have the overhead of putting on all the winter gear, AND you're not out riding when people might not expect cyclists (aside from not slathering your equipment with grit and road salt).

    I've got an old "dumb" trainer that works well enough. I'll zone out while watching a game or movie, or I've got some cadence-based workouts from Endurance Films if I want an actual purposeful workout. I can't do live/streaming/internet-based workouts at home (data/bandwith limits).

    But when the random 45-degree pops up in the middle of January, it's hard to get excited about indoor.
  • jjpptt2
    jjpptt2 Posts: 5,650 Member
    edited January 2018
    MeanderingMammal wrote: »
    My carbon hibernates in winter, and I use the CX or Hardtail.

    Because it's a nicer bike, or because it's carbon? I would think carbon would be less susceptible to the elements than would steel or alu?
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,876 Member
    edited January 2018
    jjpptt2 wrote: »
    MeanderingMammal wrote: »
    My carbon hibernates in winter, and I use the CX or Hardtail.

    Because it's a nicer bike, or because it's carbon? I would think carbon would be less susceptible to the elements than would steel or alu?

    I do the same with my carbon...one because it's a nicer bike and my primary ride, but it also has higher end, expensive components that I don't want getting jacked. My CX bike was an entry level and not overly expensive and just built much tougher to handle the rigors of cyclocross...unfortunately, I feel like I'm riding a tank when I get on that thing...

    Like @pgray007 , I ultimately embraced indoor cycling on my trainer (though it's not my favorite thing in the world)...just too many days of, "yeah...I'm not going out in that"...plus, it's typically already dark at the times I can ride during the week. I do try to get in a weekend road ride if conditions permit.
  • gobonas99
    gobonas99 Posts: 1,049 Member
    If I ride outside in the winter, I ride my fatbike - on or off road. :smile: my roadie and my tri bike don't see pavement until spring after all the snow has melted, and we've had enough rain to wash ALL the salt and crap off the road (well...to be fair, I just got my tri bike at the end of October, so she hasn't actually seen pavement yet, just the trainer LOL). I have my old hybrid commuter that I'll break out in the early spring if I want to get a road ride in before everything is clear.
  • jjpptt2
    jjpptt2 Posts: 5,650 Member
    OK, so maybe I stick with what I've been doing... bikes in the basement, and random nice days = running.

    *sigh* running...
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,876 Member
    jjpptt2 wrote: »
    OK, so maybe I stick with what I've been doing... bikes in the basement, and random nice days = running.

    *sigh* running...

    Do you have any interest in rock climbing. My wife and I really got into it last spring when we signed up at a climbing gym and were going about once or twice per month...I had intended to make it my primary exercise this winter as it is indoors, great exercise, and hella fun...alas, we bought a new house, but still have the 1st mortgage to contend with so had to cut costs...maybe next winter.

    It's much more fun than running...or the indoor trainer...
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    jjpptt2 wrote: »
    MeanderingMammal wrote: »
    My carbon hibernates in winter, and I use the CX or Hardtail.

    Because it's a nicer bike, or because it's carbon? I would think carbon would be less susceptible to the elements than would steel or alu?

    Nice bike, and a less forgiving ride than the CX. I'm more concerned about throwing it down the road than anything else.
  • jjpptt2
    jjpptt2 Posts: 5,650 Member
    edited January 2018
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    jjpptt2 wrote: »
    OK, so maybe I stick with what I've been doing... bikes in the basement, and random nice days = running.

    *sigh* running...

    Do you have any interest in rock climbing. My wife and I really got into it last spring when we signed up at a climbing gym and were going about once or twice per month...I had intended to make it my primary exercise this winter as it is indoors, great exercise, and hella fun...alas, we bought a new house, but still have the 1st mortgage to contend with so had to cut costs...maybe next winter.

    It's much more fun than running...or the indoor trainer...

    Interest? Yes. But it's just not practical right now, at least not during the winter.

    My friend/neighbor has his own climbing wall, but it's outdoors, and, well... winter.
    The nearest indoor facility is about an hour away.

    And come summer, the last thing my kids/wife are going to want to hear is that I have another hobby that requires a full day to do. But outside the scope/context of this thread... yes - I would love to get into climbing.
  • UmmSqueaky
    UmmSqueaky Posts: 715 Member
    I ride year round in Minnesota and there's no way in heck my spring/summer/fall bikes are out in the winter. Beater bike all the way. I ride an old 90s mountain bike with studded tires. It's a different kind of riding than on my regular commuter or my road bike, but it's challenging and exciting. Plus, it's an excuse to get another bike, so yay!
  • _mr_b
    _mr_b Posts: 302 Member
    Don’t let weather stop you! I have a set of ‘winter’ wheels but that’s mainly because I had them spare and couldn’t be bothered to be swapping tyres when it was wet!
    The occasional wash and lube has done me ok so far, possibly a bit more wear on a few components but I’d rather be outside than in.
  • scorpio516
    scorpio516 Posts: 955 Member
    I used to ride my hardtail to the train station. Wash it and keep the chain lubed and clean! Grit is bad for lots of stuff, but the drivetrain is the most in danger
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,182 Member
    My only bike is 37 years old, and the inner tubes are 20 years old. I don't ride much in winter, but protecting the bike is not the reason for that.
  • ronocnikral
    ronocnikral Posts: 176 Member
    I bought a bikes direct hardtail for like $300 bucks. I did some upgrades, shimergo conversion, dirt drop bars, nokian studded tires, cr18 rims with generator hub (I build my own wheels). I lock out the shock for the roads. It's a workhorse, but I also maintain my own bikes. I used to commute every day here in Denver and in Salt Lake. Some fenders, pogies, ski goggles and warm boots go a long ways.
  • Motorsheen
    Motorsheen Posts: 20,492 Member
    I just moved to Arizona.

    *shrug

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