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Winter Bike Set Up !!!!

Hi well itys appears what summer we had has now gone so i was gonna get my bike ready for winter as i cant afford a second winter steed.



Could anyone recommend any good winter tyre choices should i stay with Slicks or do i go for some of the all weather tyre with a tread pattern. is it worth changing the wheels ?

Is there anything else i should do to protect my bike through winter?



all help appreciated cheers

Comments

  • learnerlearner Posts: 100
    Are you diss'ing our beautiful weather?

    the summer was great August 23rd i think it was.

    Sorry, to be semi serious, in the winter I go with a set of (forgive the spelling) Specialized Armadilo's 23c. run the pressure at about 90-100psi. only had one little spill last year but that was my fault not the tyres.

    As for care of the bike, GT85 spray on the chain after every wash, and wash after every outing, bit of a drag but there you go. As an aside (always wanted to use that phrase) I have just gone for a compact chainset to ease the pressure of fighting against headwinds, Wow what a difference, very little loss of speed but can control my heart rate and cadence so much better in this S##t weather. Sorry slightly inclement weather we appear to be experiencing at the moment.

    There are some fantastic deals around at the moment too if you know what i mean wiggle wiggle..pbk..

    Good luck and happy pedaling.

  • I have continental contact tyres, 700x28. Rigid bead and so far after 4700miles only one p**ture, which i think was my fault. Rear tyre starting to wear a bit so will be swapped to the front soon.



    They are heavy, but i love them. I was going to put slick tyres on for the summer but kept to these. I have done high pace training sessions on these and can keep up with people.



    Mudguards is what my next investment will be, but the treaded tyres dont appear to get your arse as wet as slicks do in the wet.



    Just plenty of lube during the winter, keep clean (especially braking surfaces.) But sometimes the weather cant be helped. In the floods the start of the year i instantly killed my rear wheel bearing....£180 wheels....£7 for bearing though.
  • treefrogtreefrog Posts: 1,242
    Strong tyres (I use continentals but all the other reccommendations are good), always a rear red light, mud-guards (race blades), computer with odometer, wipe clean handlebar tape, new barke blocks. Check wheel rims very regularly, keep your saddle bag topped up with spares, wash down with clean water after each cycle (gets rid of salt).

    I have found that you'll get two (hard) Winters out of a bike. After the second Winter I found it was easier and more exciting to buy a new bike than to replace the worn out parts which were obselete. I put the old bike out to the turbo trainer

  • treefrogtreefrog Posts: 1,242
    oh... and set your Winter bike up as close as possible to your race bike
  • Treefrogs "circle of life"[:D]



    My hack/winter bike has done all of its miles on the orignal chain, block, brakes, tyres. I would lover to measure my old chain against a new one!! I think you can see how stretched it is by looking[8D]



    I will definatly go for a fixed bike next as my workhorse.
  • I just went out for a lovely ride in the pouring rain, I especially loved the extra wobbles over the white lines! I think I may have screwed the bearings on the rear wheel, which does not bode well for my race in 2 weeks, if only I was froggy and had a selection of bikes!

    Not nxt year though, I will be getting my cervelo built for me in about 3/4 weeks!
  • I love riding in the rain, very fast. I just dont like it when it comes to the end of the day and i have to put all the wet clothing back on to cycle home.



    When my rear bearing went it caused my chain to flip off everytime i stopped pedalling.....of course took a while to notice as i dont freewheel very often....[;)]
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