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Roadie newbie - winter wheels etc

by Simon
Fri, Oct 17, 2008 12:59
7

Ok whats the deal with you roadie fellas having winter wheels, bikes etc. I'm new to this stuff but been mountainbiking from so long ago i try not to think about it (makes me realise how old i am now !!) As a mountainbiker, I ride the same bikes all year round - no matter what the weather with no problems - just clean & re-lube. I've only got one road bike (quite a nice one-imo)- are my wheels so crap that i shouldn't use them in wet weather (fulcrum 3's btw) Is my campy centaur going to disintergrate when it gets a bit dirty.
Go on shed some light on this - educate me
TA- Simon

If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.

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7 comments

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Blackhound | 16 years ago
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My second bike is a Cotic Roadrat. Flatbarred as I rarely use the drops with mostly nearly new s/hand 105 on it.

Wheels are either Easton Vista's which cost me £100 over on www.veloriders.co.uk last winter or some cheaper Ksyriums someone was going to throw out. I use them as a spare!

Don't go to cheap - look for quality second hand is my advice.

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cactuscat | 16 years ago
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for mtbers to have another bike for the really bad conditions. i have: a rigid singlespeed that gets pulled out if it's too gloopy, cause it's easier to clean and doesn't go wrong. I only use my 'good' bike in winter if i'm going to somewhere like cwmcarn where i know the trails'll be okay. lots of winter trainers are fixies too for pretty much the same reason, plus you get a really good workout riding one gear.

road bikes can be expensive and the salt on british roads in the winter can ruin them surprisingly quickly - salt's the real killer. say you've got Dura-Ace and your drivetrain only lasts for two winters, you could buy a whole winter bike for the cost of replacing it...

your fulcrum 3s aren't going to fall apart though, don't worry!

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the-daily-ripper replied to cactuscat | 16 years ago
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I have a full on BMC pro-machine which I can use in the winter, with the proviso that the carbon wheels will get swapped out for some easton alloy ones. When all the road shit and grime gets on the rims / brakes / drivetrain it wears it all out, and I don't really fancy shelling out for replacing all those unnecessarily. Plus, with some of the ultralite race bikes, should they be crashed they're as good as written off frame wise, and given the general conditions in winter make this more likely, I don't fancy that (albeit my bike's are insured for crash damage!)

So, I have a planet-x pro carbon thing, with ultegra and bontrager racelite wheels for winter, which I don't really care if it gets trashed, as there's nothing on there that's not in the realms of easily replaceable for reasonable cash. It's also a bit heavier which adds training benefits too.

For the winter I do exactly the same with my mountain bikes, with the full sussers only coming out on dry (ground) days, and a ti hardtail for everything else. Admittedly, the gears on it will get killed over the course of a winter, but that's not too bad.

What I don't understand is having a total ratbike to use over the winter, as if it's not that nice to ride, then what's the point?

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Simon replied to the-daily-ripper | 16 years ago
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'tis part of my thinking - i like to ride - i like nice bikes - why ride a crap one!!

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the-daily-ripper replied to Simon | 16 years ago
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have two nice ones, just one a little less nice than the other!

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thebikeboy replied to the-daily-ripper | 16 years ago
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Seems to me you two are basically agreeing with each other - you don't like riding crap bikes. Me, I quite like some crap bikes… they have their own charm (sometimes) and they make you appreciate riding a good one.

Anyway, as Cactuscat says your Fulcrums should be fine and if you follow the same cleaning regime with your road bike as you do with your mountain bikes you won't have much to worry about.

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Simon replied to thebikeboy | 16 years ago
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Thanks guys, will continue to ride in the wet without worrying too much - Anyway the boss would kill me if i got another bike this year - no matter what it cost - gotta be a bit sensible occasionally.

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