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Winter Cycling - another bike needed?

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  1. Beano
    Member

    I only have one bike (Penny); got her in the summer on a C2W scheme and, having not cycled in 15 years, i'm fair enjoying it.

    Now we are coming into the winter cycling season, and the gritted paths/roads are not far away, should I just stick with the one bike (obviously get some winter tyres) and potentially watch Penny deteriorate over the winter months as the salt eats away at it? (I do clean/lube/maintain once a week).

    I could probably stretch to buying a cheap-ish (£200) 2nd hand bike to take the brunt of the cold/salt during winter. Is Gumtree the answer? What should I look out for if buying from gumtree (apart from the obvious theft risk? i'm not really technical enough to probably spot a duff bike from a good bike that someone has bought then not bothered to ride.

    thanks :-)

    Posted 9 years ago #

  2. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    @Beano

    My bike has done fifteen winters. The only bit that salt really eats are the cheapo suspension forks that hybrids used to be fitted with. I'm on my third pair.

    That said, if you want n+1 bicycles then you should have n+1 bicycles. That is the LAW.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  3. Beano
    Member

    @IWRATS

    I guess if you look after it and maintain it then it should be fine.

    The trouble with the n+1 bicycle theory is that the missus makes the LAWs in our house haha

    Posted 9 years ago #

  4. HankChief
    Member

    Beano - technically the bike would stay in the shed/garage so doesn't come under 'house' jurisdiction ;).

    Posted 9 years ago #

  5. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    Then tell Ms Beano that she now has n bicycles and that you will ride it for her this winter.

    If you buy decent quality robust components and service the bike four times a year it will survive Scottish winters. Fancy racing tackle might well be another story.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  6. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    @Beano

    Do not listen to HankChief. No house is big enough to accommodate his bike.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  7. chdot
    Admin

    "the bike would stay in the shed/garage"

    If you have one...

    Posted 9 years ago #

  8. chdot
    Admin

    "

    A secondhand bike is often better value that a very cheap new one.

    "

    http://edinburghcycleshops.wordpress.com/secondhand

    Posted 9 years ago #

  9. kaputnik
    Moderator

    I created a winter-specific bike last year, with hub gears, drum brakes, clearance for wide spiky tyres, etc. It got used about twice on days with a light dusting of frost, and hardly has been since. Most of the time my normal commuting bike would have been fine.

    Of course, I'll be laughing if/when winter really comes along, but don't expect you'll "need" a winter bike to cycle through winter.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  10. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    Surely our sheds will die of shame if we don't all furnish them with one of these;

    http://www.icetrikes.co/community/ice-blog/ice-full-fat-26fs

    Posted 9 years ago #

  11. chdot
    Admin

    Previously -

    http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/search.php?search=Winter&advanced=1&exact=1&posts=1&highlight=1&users=0&located=3&forums%5B%5D=0&maxcount=9999999&age=999999&direction=0&sort=date&order=0

    Posted 9 years ago #

  12. Instography
    Member

    I'll second Kaputnik's story with a fine pair of 700c spiky tyres that are completely unused because of inadequate snowing.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  13. wingpig
    Member

    As my larger-mudguard-clearanced secondary bicycle looked to have a slow puncture on the rear the last time I had to de-shed it to store things behind it I might stick the spikey tyres I never used last winter on it when I get round to addressing the puncture (and possibly also the knocking noise it makes at reasonable speeds, which I'm assuming to be something bearing-related).

    Posted 9 years ago #

  14. geordiefatbloke
    Member

    I use the same bike through winter and summer (MTB set up with hybrid tyres). winter 12/13 I didn't bother much looking after it and needed rear cassette replacement and new chain come spring due to wear and tear, principally from the grit/salt. During winter 13/14 I degreased, cleaned and oiled the bike every weekend, come spring needed rear cassette replacement and new chain :). Not sure what the moral of the story here is, other than possibly mileage alone causes stuff to need replacing ... I'm sure there will be people who have never replaced a component in years despite cycling 1000s of miles but that doesn't happen for me :(

    Posted 9 years ago #

  15. crowriver
    Member

    @Beano, if you have enough clearance for reasonably chunky tyres (and mudguards) then a second, spiky-tyres wheel set may be the answer. I have a set of QR wheels I picked up second hand. They are fitted with spiky tyres, so if real snow and ice comes around, I just swap the wheels on my hybrid and away I pedal.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  16. SRD
    Moderator

    we only put spiky tyre on front. seem to manage fine. nowadays most of the paths we cycle are gritted, do not really an issue. worth it if we get enough snow that side roads don't get cleared though.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  17. Mandopicker101
    Member

    Having read the praise for studded tyres, I did a Google search...and found a DIY guide to making your own. I like the snow chains solution, but sadly I ride with cantis

    http://www.wikihow.com/Convert-Bicycle-Tires-Into-Studded-Snow-Tires

    Posted 9 years ago #

  18. Beano
    Member

    thanks all for the advice.

    I bought an Arkose 3 from Evans and it came with Kenda Small Block 8 35C cross tyres which are quite chunky. I didn't fancy them for the commute so bought some 28" conti gatorskins, put them on, and they have been great.

    would the Kenda chunky tyres be grippy enough for the winter?

    I may need to get separate mudguards though as I bought the SKS narrow ones which probably wont do a 35mm tyre.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  19. kaputnik
    Moderator

    would the Kenda chunky tyres be grippy enough for the winter?

    Depends what you're cycling on. Soft, unpacked snow, muddy unsurfaced path or leaf mulch - they might be.

    They wouldn't offer much more than a regular tyre on packed snow and ice, or black ice, in my most humble of opinions.

    I was told once at Bikeworks that knobbly tyres have less rubber in contact with the road than an equivalent width slick tyre and therefore can be just as slidy, if not more, under certain conditions on flat surfaces.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  20. Mandopicker101
    Member

    Beano - I ride an EBC Revolution Cross, not overly dissimilar to your Arkose 3.

    While I source something better, I swapped out the 28mm road slicks (Vittoria Rubinos) for a pair of lightly knobbled CX tyres I had in the shed. As well as being wider (and more stable), they give a lot more grip on the leaves and general detritus on the roads/paths I use. I agree that they're probably not going to be ace on ice...

    I doubt my CX tyres (Specialized Houffalize) will last the entire winter as a daily driver, but as an interim measure they're doing very well.

    As a bonus I can nip down rougher paths on the way home and liven things up a little.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  21. Mandopicker101
    Member

    I note that Planet X have reductions on studded winter tyres (Schwalbes). With a handy discount code, these suddenly become quite affordable.

    Maybe a daft question, but is it worth having a pair of studded tyres, or just one on the front?

    Posted 9 years ago #

  22. SRD
    Moderator

    We've only ever had one, but the paths we normally use are usually gritted. One exception being the canal path, which we avoid if it's really bad. Suppose it depends on your route and how much flexibility you have.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  23. Ed1
    Member

    So the winter tyre goes on the front not the back?

    Posted 9 years ago #

  24. Roibeard
    Member

    @Ed1 - a single winter tyre would be fitted on the front. The reasoning is that a front wheel skid will result in a fall, whereas a rear wheel skid is (usually/often) recoverable.

    The front wheel provides control, the rear one provides forward motion, which is nice too, but if you can't gain traction to move, some may argue that you are unwise to cycle...

    I'd go for a pair myself, if I did enough slippy cycling to merit it, but I can also see that changing just the front tyre is easier.

    Robert

    Posted 9 years ago #

  25. Greenroofer
    Member

    To build on Roibeard's point: if you just want to avoid a fall, then you could perhaps just put studs on the front. However, if you want to make progress on the ice then you'll also need one on the back.

    To keep riding all year round you'll need a pair. That's what I have, and I think they're great. I normally fit them on 1 December each year, but this year so far that doesn't seem necessary.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  26. condor2378
    Member

    I have just bought for the princely sum of £25 an AXN DX single speed beater bike for the winter. Seems very robust and has mountain bike tyres so hopefully will adapt to any bad weather we get. And if not, then it's a good workout anyway.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  27. Beano
    Member

    I suppose I should comment on what I did in the end having started the thread :-)

    Decided not to buy a winter bike when Mrs beano nearly hit the roof. Given 6 months persuasion I think I could get a summer racer that i'd enjoy rather than a winter bike that I wont.

    Fitted two new Marathon Plus' that I got for £20 (gumtree) at the weekend and they seem great (so far). Will ride them until winter really kicks in then decide on the studded tyre or Scotrail option for my commute.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  28. SRD
    Moderator

    Beano - that sounds like a good solution, and i totally agree that an new fun bike is a much better idea :)

    Posted 9 years ago #

  29. Instography
    Member

    If you decide to go studded (ooh err) give me a shout and I'll do you a good deal on two unused 700c Schwalbe winter things that are gathering dust in my garage. Bought them and then realised that if it was snowy enough for winter tyres it was snowy enough to have a day working from home.

    Posted 9 years ago #

  30. Darkerside
    Member

    Ahem. What would you be after for aforementioned studlies?

    Posted 9 years ago #

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