[Closed] Bit Roadie specific this one.........

why is there a “tradition” of riding shitty bikes over the winter period?

Its something ive never done, though I do know loads who have winter specific bikes.

I've never understood this too. It makes much more sense to me to have a wet weather and dry weather bike..one with full mudguards and wet weather tyres and one without with slicks or semi-slicks, but use them both through the year. If there is salt on the road just wash the bike after the ride.

I guess that, traditionally, frames were made of steel and shifters/mechs etc were all mechanical. plus the mudguard thing. Like many traditions it doesn't reflect today's reality.

It's road stop questioning things and just do it.

Di2 hasn’t got any cables

mine has 🤓

I suppose it's traditional, mostly*; road bikes may last almost forever and so you might have wanted your beautiful steel vintage classic to stay nice with no wear or rust spots.  Carbon?  Meh

*that and mudguard mounts

Depends on the conditions for me. If bikes are kept out in a cold building, any mud/water stays wet for a long time. I dont have the time to clean and dry a bike after every ride so keep a single speed that cost about £200 for very muddy conditions.

I dont have the time to clean and dry a bike after every ride so keep a single speed that cost about £200 for very muddy conditions.

You ride muddy roads?

Lots of reasons why for me at least.....

Mudguards are a faff, carbon aero bike has no mounts.

Dura Ace cassette, chain and chainrings are lots more expensive than 105 or lower.

My aero bike looks naff with shallow rim wheels. I don’t want my expensive 60mm carbon rims being ground down.

modern day reason, disc brake bike takes 32mm tyres. Better to have wider tyres, mud guards and disc brakes for my winter bike. It’s also supposed to be good for training on a heavier bike....I don’t notice this last one though, I’m still just as slow every summer.

Winter bikes tend to be older bikes that have mudguard eyes. If you ever ridden behind someone on a wet shitty road you'll know what a PIA no guards are.
Plus you'll get a nice skiddy up your back.
And winter bikes just get more crap on them. It's easy to just hose them down but that doesn't get them properly clean.
There's just more attrition so riding a bike that you don't need to look after as much makes sense.
Besides..You don't get brownie points at the caff for turning up on a £4000 carbon fibre jobbie. Just the opposite - you'll get ridiculed as a show off!!!

It's more of a group/club thing as above.

Many noobs don't get it as they don't have the knowledge from group or club riding.

i do it because i commute a fair bit and cba washing my bike after every ride, and training on heavy bike in the winter helps build form, automatic gains when you jump on the summer bike after riding some 2.5kg heavier all winter

The bit I don't get is people who will not ride their "best bike" in the wet/winter, but then throw water all over it when they give it a clean!

I have one road bike, which is carbon, DI2, disc brakes, carbon rims and full mud guard mounts.

I ride it all year, with mud guards on over winter, and off over summer. Easy.

Winter ruins bikes, No getting round it. The mud, salt and general road grime that covers the bike in winter wears everything faster and when you have dura-ace it gets expensive quickly. No way would I ruin my 8k bike when i can buy something for 2k and dedicate it to winter with mudguards and bigger tyres. The low spec parts like 105 are arguably more durable too meaning stuff will last longer. I suppose if you don't do many winter miles then you could get away with it but i do almost the same amount of miles over winter as i do the rest of the year.

That's a pretty strong late bid for Least Humble Humblebrag of The Year right there. Bravo.

That’s a pretty strong late bid for Least Humble Humblebrag of The Year right there. Bravo.

Nah that is over on the birthday thread 😉

You ride muddy roads?

Round here you can't not ride muddy roads, unless you want to stick to riding up and down the main commuter route or dual carriageway.

The bit I don’t get is people who will not ride their “best bike” in the wet/winter, but then throw water all over it when they give it a clean!

There's a big difference between a bit of nice clean water and careful wiping compared to hours of riding through rainwater, mixed with road salt, miscellaneous detritus, mud, and grit for hours on end.

Winter grime, salt and grit eats components etc. My winter bike needed a full strip down and start again after last winter. Wear on my summer bike is minimal in comparison with similar miles. Must admit I only wash and lub once a week which doesn’t help. Don’t fancy washing my bike on a dark evening in the freezing cold.
There’s nothing quite like getting the nice summer bike out in March. Feels so much faster and livelier.

Not convinced it's much different from the folk who want ride full-sus over winter, except that road grime and salt is far more shit to clean up

I dont have the time to clean and dry a bike after every ride

I've never understood this. I can have my bike like a new pin in 15 minutes.

Not everyone has discs and Di2. It's mainly about having clearance for full length mudguards and to avoid salt corrosion to expensive parts. Besides, that feeling in the spring when you get back on your summer bike for the first time makes it worth it.

I don't believe road salt eats bike components - it's not my experience at all. We don't worry about our cars and bikes are made from similar materials. I don't clean my bikes after every ride either and the road crud doesn't seem to have dissolved them. My commuter gets use all year round..not every day, but through the winter on cruddy roads and I've not washed that for years and its still fine...not touched it or serviced it over all that time and still shifts sweetly and bearings still work fine etc. Looks a right tatty mess, but if I showed it a bucket of soapy water i'm sure it would clean up nicely. I think the build up of oil and grease has created a nice protective layer so I daren't wash it.

We don’t worry about our cars and bikes are made from similar materials.

Your cars galvanised. You dont have to go far back to find cars that rusted at the mere sight of a puddle

I’ve not washed that for years and its still fine…not touched it or serviced it over all that time and still shifts sweetly and bearings still work fine etc

Nah

I don’t believe road salt eats bike components – it’s not my experience at all. We don’t worry about our cars and bikes are made from similar materials.

But most of the bits of cars that you see aren't particularly susceptible, and most moving parts are shielded in some way. It does corrode bits that you can't see, which is one of the reasons Japanese imports can be in surprisingly good condition for their age: most regions don't salt their roads.

I've seen a mate's bike after he transported it on the back of his car one winter and then left it in a garage for a few months without washing it. It wasn't pretty, to say the least, and it needed a lot of parts replaced.

Fundamentally it's a bit like a ball always heading towards the floor when you drop it. It doesn't matter whether you believe gravity affects balls, it happens anyway 🙂

Parts that I’ve replaced through winter rock salt attacks: front mech, rear mech, cables inners and outers, lower headset bearing, bottom bracket, rear wheel free hub, front light bracket. Also touch up paint required on frame where clip on guards attach. Obviously chain and cassette but that’s just miles related.

Those new to the sport might not appreciate that riding on the road was about racing. Riding in the winter was about getting the miles in to make you faster in the next race season. Your race bike was your pride and joy, cared for to help you be as fast as possible on race day. Your hack bike was the bike that could take some abuse and you didn't care. You could ride yourself into the ground until it was dark and put it away filthy and not care too much. It might have had gears, it might have been fixed wheel (none of this 'fixie' nonsense if you please). It had full guards so you met the rules of the club and didn't piss off your mates when on a 6hr winter ride in the rain. It had tough as hell tyres that would not puncture every 5 mins whilst your race bike had gossamer thin tubs. You actively enjoyed it being a bit heavy so that when you got back on your race bike you felt like a king.

Road biking was also a working man's sport. Your race bike was proper money and needed protecting as you'd struggle to replace it (or it's components). It makes economic sense to have a sacrificial bike to keep the race bike the best it can be on race day.

Parts to repair on my summer bike after similar mileage chain, cassette & new cables.

and the fact that a quick wash over and re-lube will remove the detritus from your frame, wheels and drivetrain, whats the point?

If it's a big ride or a one off, I'm absolutely happy to take the summer bike out, I've managed to bodge mudguards on it.

BUUUUT... Daily/commuting? Not a chance, I want something I can just chuck in the garage covered in salty water, absolutely no chance I'm cleaning the bike every night after I ride to and from the office.

Also, my summer bike is now my turbo bike, taking it on and off, swapping tyres etc. is just another minor hassle I'd rather do without, my time is limited at the moment, the less time I spend looking after the bike pre and post ride, the more time I can spend riding it!

Winter rides for me are about steady miles, probably wrapped up in waterproofs and thermal layers, so I don't need my fast bike, in fact I'd rather something weighty and robust that I can just smash through potholes etc.

My good bike is still mechanical with canti brakes and £1100 wheels, and no room for mudgaurds. This is my winter bike after a short wet ride. The grunge is a mixture of brake blocks and wheel alloy, it would break my heart to do that to my good bike 😥

Those new to the sport might not appreciate that riding on the road was about racing. Riding in the winter was about getting the miles in to make you faster in the next race season. Your race bike was your pride and joy, cared for to help you be as fast as possible on race day. Your hack bike was the bike that could take some abuse and you didn’t care. You could ride yourself into the ground until it was dark and put it away filthy and not care too much. It might have had gears, it might have been fixed wheel (none of this ‘fixie’ nonsense if you please). It had guards so you met the rules of the club and didn’t piss off your mates when on a 6hr winter ride in the rain. It had tough as hell tyres that would not puncture every 5 mins whilst your race bike had gossamer thin tubs. You actively enjoyed it being a bit heavy so that when you got back on your race bike you felt like a king.

Road biking was also a working man’s sport. Your race bike was proper money and needed protecting. It makes economic sense to have a sacrificial bike to keep the race bike the best it can be on race day.

This.
Spot on.

I've ridden my good bike through the last couple of winters with no issues, just put my training wheels in and keep on top of the admin.

Club rides tend to be of the quicker training variety where no-one cares for mudguards (may as well get used to the soaking since you can't race with them) and the steadier rides aren't all that well attended if the weather's that hideous anyway...at which point I just jump on the turbo.

Convert exactly. Plus my race bike was crashed to death at the end of the season / handed down in the club, and the sponsors didn't provide new frames until early spring #humblebragwin

It’s not like your carbon uber bike is going to rot from exposure to a bit of salt

You've clearly not worked in a bike shop.

Do roads get salted down south?

TBF I've invested in my commuter/winter bike to make it reasonable to ride and low maintenance.

I did occasionally ride my summer bike in the winter, the seatpost seized 🙁

No way would I ruin my 8k bike when i can buy something for 2k and dedicate it to winter with mudguards and bigger tyres. The low spec parts like 105 are arguably more durable too meaning stuff will last longer.

Your £8000 bike as opposed to a £2000 winter bike?!? Flippin' hell! Are you a gazillionaire? Or a sponsored pro? Accident excepted, I ride every single day, and the only bike(s) I have ever had that exceeded £2000 in value were purchased 2nd hand.

Basically, I'm not sure if I should admit to jealousy, or remain bewildered.

Do roads get salted down south?

No, we cover them with organic parmesan shavings, and that tends to fend off the worst of the winter conditions, making the roads safe even when the mercury dips to 15 degrees Celsius.

Do roads get salted down south?

Hampshire CC gritted the roads three nights durin* the heatwave in the summer..

I ain’t jokin, I is serious.

26C and the gritters we’re out three nights in succession..

Mental.

No way would I ruin my 8k bike when i can buy something for 2k and dedicate it to winter with mudguards and bigger tyres. The low spec parts like 105 are arguably more durable too meaning stuff will last longer.

Your £8000 bike as opposed to a £2000 winter bike?!? Flippin’ hell! Are you a gazillionaire? Or a sponsored pro? Accident excepted, I ride every single day, and the only bike(s) I have ever had that exceeded £2000 in value were purchased 2nd hand.

Basically, I’m not sure if I should admit to jealousy, or remain bewildered.

Big watts lives in a different time space continuum to the rest of us. He seems obsessed with spending the max possible on everything. Read his posts; don't think I earn that much in a year as he talks about spending!!!
£8k on a bike??
£2k on a winter bike????
Wish I had his income.

Convert sums it up perfectly. I have race bikes and I race them. Even in winter. But I don’t train on them. I also have a beat bike for long summer days and a TT bike (season is closed). For training I have a fixed wheel road bike with full mudguards and a cross bike with old 10 speed Dura Ace 7700 road group and also full mudguards. The fixed wheel is about £1500 with custom parts, but my favourite biketo just go riding on. The other winter bike is fastfor club riding, has race geometry (Boardman didn’t know what cross geometry was) and was a lot cheaper to put together!

Why would I want to crack an expensive carbon wheel on a bad road on a night ride in the filth? Jet-wash myself with gritty slop, Or watch the nice finish on a dura ace rear derailleur corrode away? And yes I tend to rinse the bikes down after every decent ride in the rain and mud. Not this morning though.

What convert said. In fact if you could extend it slightly that would make a great short article.....

You relegate your old bike to winter duties as an excuse to get a new race bike.

My winter roadie is my old CX bike. Get the miles in on cheap components. Save the Ultegra/dura ace for when it matters.

I’ve never understood this. I can have my bike like a new pin in 15 minutes.

But that’s 15 less minutes riding. Or you have no kids and don’t understand.

You relegate your old bike to winter duties as an excuse to get a new race bike.

But an old race bike is not the same as a winter bike. Guards, clearances, disks.

Why are people trying to apply logic to roadies!!

A few years ago I looked at my Strava and saw that my winter mudguards hack bike had done the most miles. It was a pretty horrible old ALu frame so I ditched it and got a very nice winter carbon mudguards bike which rides great and makes getting out in the cold a bit easier. I wash the bike after wet winter rides and the components seem to have lasted as well as any of my other bikes.

When I return from a road ride in the winter my bike is covered in grime, and a quick hose down ain't going to shift it. Nor can I be assed cleaning the drive Train after every ride, something I don't feel the urge to do with cheap parts that cost less than half of what is on the nice bike

Plus as others have said, if you train on a cheap bike over the winter, when you eventually get to take out the nice bike when the weather turns it feels like a real treat!

Also..and most importantly..it's an excuse to have another bike..

My rule is I never use wet lube on the good bike, horrible stuff that makes my drive Train look like it's covered in tar after 10 miles. If the conditions call for it I know it's time for the winter roadie to come out.

I think what this highlights is the difference between people who ride and people who ride 😉 Everyone has different priorities and different objectives

These threads roll round from time to time and there is always a crowd that just won't get it.
Fair enough, but as convert explained if you have ever had a race bike that you cared about and more importantly you hoped to race well on, then there is no way you would risk destroying it over the winter months. As aberdeenlune also said, when they get the salt/grit/toxic waste mix ratio wrong up here in the grim north, it will indeed eat through all the parts mentioned, plus the joy of that first spring ride on the ‘good’ bike is most excellent.

Yes, defo a roadie thing; "All of this versatility has made the 3 Plus an underground hit with ...riders who either want a versatile spare bike for winter use...." STW reviews section, Arkose rigid mtb.

When I were nobbut than a nipper... About 50 years ago, we all rode the same kind of bikes on our winter club runs. An old hack with a 66" fixed gear, one front brake, clips & straps (pedals) and mudguards.
The idea was that "twiddling" - pedalling quickly in a low gear for 60 miles - would improve technique and suppleness. It also meant we were all equally matched when sprinting for signs.

I still have the same sort of bike as my pub/shopping bike. It's nice to be able to leave it anywhere with no fear of it getting nicked.

£4000 carbon fibre jobbie

What have you been eating?

It's funny that it's reffered to as a 'tradition'. During the war.....well the seventies, I think we only had one bike, plus a set of special day sprints. Those bikes for most of the club riders were used for commuting, racing and sunday rides. And just simply looked after.
But I did go one to then keep a bike in absolute tip top condition for racing, and another for everything else.
Still ride the race bike i bought in 82.....I think we just like having stuff.

Regardless of tradition, I ride in one of the oldest clubs in the country (1893) and I’m one of only a few with a winter full mudguard bike and the ONLY rider who trains on a fixed wheel. I rode fixed before I joined the club. It’s just nicer. And you will spin like a God in the cold cold months. (Or grind and curse into a headwind on the wrong gear).

I pretty new to this roadie stuff and you have me worrying. I'm commuting about 40 miles a week at the moment on a very much steel framed 80's Dawes Super Galaxy. Is it going to rust away beneath me one morning?

I’m one of only a few with a winter full mudguard bike

The majority if not all the clubs I’ve ridden with would make it clear that you weren’t welcome without full length mudguards with flaps on days when the road is wet. It's not a tradition thing it’s a respect for everyone else in the group thing.

The winter bike was also a train heavy race light thing (together with the satisfaction of giving someone on a £2000+ bike a good kicking riding a complete clunker. A Czech guy who used to turn up on an ancient MTB with slicks to do just that to the majority of the Cat 1 riders). I guess it’s the difference between a social group ride and a racing focused club.

In the winter (and the majority of the summer) you also want to sit inside the cafe without worrying that your bike is the most attractive target to the thieves outside.

You could of course just have one bike and use it all year and then just replace the expensive parts when they wear out. Whether this is cheaper than buying and maintaining a second bike is debatable and you would need to work out the costings to see which way to go. Be nice if first option was actually cheaper as then you would be riding the nicest bike at all times.

For me, I bought a fairly cheap road bike a few years ago on the Cycle To Work scheme so that I could use it on my commute, on the road rather than my more usual canal towpath.
I quite liked it.
Roll on a few years, decided I would quite like a posher bike, spent a few more quid on nice carbon framed, carbon wheeled, disk braked machine.
Had become quite attached to the old one however and couldn't bear to sell it for the couple of hundred quids that it would now be worth, would rather keep it.
So, why wouldn't I use that in the winter rather than the nicer bike ?
It doesn't have eyelets for mudguards, but those SKS Raceblades fit just fine.
So right now, the old Bianchi is in the conservatory covered in crap from my last few commutes.
The nice Cannondale is in the garage looking pristine.

Why wouldn't you ?
It's not like I went out and bought a second bike just to use in the winter. I already had it.

Oh, I have though ended up in the slightly strange situation that my nice posh 'summer' bike has the disk brakes and the crappy winter hack has the cantis still.
Haven't quite justified that one to myself yet, but I'm working on it.
And I'm looking at some cheap carbon forks for the Bianchi becasue the join between the carbon bits and the alu bits on my old forks is looking a bit corroded. I wonder why ?

No one has yet covered the fact that with the roads being covered in water, sludge, clart the chances of coming off are higher so far better to risk a cheaper set of shifters and derailleur than something expensive.
Mudguards are a necessity because no one likes getting a face full of salty, dirty road spray.

As above. Plus, back in the day, people were probably less concerned if their steel or alu frame took a whack from a fall than I would be with my carbon bike now. Unless, you have access to an x-ray machine, to check the frame out. There is also less tolerance in modern indexed 11 speed drive trains now compared to the 6-7 speed blocks and friction shifters of yesteryear.

Still, it's your bike, do what you like with it.

I didn't get this until last year when I rode my nice XC bike and only road bike all through the winter (about 10 hours per week) to train for the Fred.

I killed every bearing on both bikes and wore out cassettes/chains/multiple sets of jockey wheels.

Was very expensive- it made me understand the single speed movement for winter

I do about 60% of my cycling miles on a "winter"-type road bike... which is why it's also my joint best / most expensive (with my MTB). Obviously this goes against the general trend, so I thought it was worth mentioning.

The bike itself is a custom steel number, with relaxed "all road" geometry. It wears Ultegra stop / go, light disc wheels, 28c tyres and tasty finishing kit. Oh - and, of course, full length mudguards! I mainly use it for commuting c.80 miles per week, but also spec'd it with my favourite sort of road riding in mind: light touring and mixed-weather rides along lost lanes.

I also run an Emonda with older Ultegra, caliper brakes, very light wheels and 25c tyres. Albeit this is second-hand and therefore c.1/3rd of the cost. I use this for faster, dry weather rides. I find this a scary prospect in wet weathers and it therefore gets less use, although it's much faster uphill than the Shand (-2kg and racier geometry).

I won't try to convince you that my choice is best for you, but I reasoned that I should do most riding on a great bike.

Obviously I end up doing a lot of cleaning and maintenance, but I am a pretty thorough maintainer of bikes anyway.

The idea of actually buying a brand new 'winter bike' has always baffled me. The thought of paying £1500 on a bike just to ride in the winter is frightening.

Unless you're a fair weather rider, or you laboriously slave over the cleaning the moment you get home (I don't), winter miles kill your bike pretty quickly. A freshly tuned bike can feel 10 years old within a week. And it's definitely not something I subject my best bike to.

My good bike mainly gets used in the dry, regardless of time of year. It's 2 years old and never seen a hose. And it still rides like a new bike, which is the way I'd like to keep it.

The other bikes are caked in filth, gnarled like veterans of war, and they rattle and grind. They bear scars and come with baggage, but we have memories. They get used year round and do the most miles of all.

Was very expensive- it made me understand the single speed movement for winter

That is different though (and you need to ride fixed as that is even cheaper). Riding a cheaper geared bike still has gears, cassettes etc,. that will be wearing out and while being cheaper to replace they still need to be replaced. If I was in a position where I needed more than 1 bike I would just simply add up the differences and then try and square that with any difference in enjoyment riding the nicer bike. I will never be in that position though as I don't race, don't do cafe stops etc,..

One thing I will add..I'm always on the 'You don't need disks on a road bike 'side of the argument whenever one raises it's head. As such when I bought my winter roadie this year I just went with a cheap allez with rim brakes.

It's a great bike, but having done a few longer rides in the wet, something I have previously avoided, it's clear that I've made a mistake. Rim brakes stop you fine even in the wet, the issue is the grinding of the rims. I'd be surprised if they make it through the winter.

I've now bought a set of road wheels for the caad x, and will be using that when it's pissing down. So technically I now have a good road bike, a spring road bike, and a winter road bike..

@tpbiker - that's my big bugbear with rim brakes, I've replaced whole wheelsets because it's as cheap to do so as buy rims, spokes and build up new wheels on the perfectly good hubs. There's also the fact that a broken spoke can lead to the rim going out of true which then messes up your brakes, either you have to loosen them so there's no effective braking or leave them as is and get that periodic grind, grind, grind every wheel revolution.

I've been out today on my disk braked singlespeed. I hadn't ridden it for nearly three months but it was just a case of pump up the tyres, check the brakes and go. Got home, left it outside in a couple of showers to clean it down a bit 😇

You ride muddy roads?

My legs after last night's roady spin... Sorry...

@verses, all that hair must have cut down on your times somewhat. Or does the insulating factor in winter make up for it? 😉

Come to think of it: what were you doing riding at this time of year in shorts?!?

I like how he thinks that's muddy

That is way too even a coverage to be real. #fakebake

Rinsing off salt after a winter ride can make a real difference, takes a minute.

Shorts in December WTF?

@verses
How many cats do you have?

all that hair must have cut down on your times somewhat

I can barely be arsed to shave my face, the idea that I'm going to have the patience to groom elsewhere is madness...

Shorts in December WTF

Yorkshireman living in the south...

How many cats do you have?

Me=none, wife and child=too many

that’s my big bugbear with rim brakes, I’ve replaced whole wheelsets because it’s as cheap to do so as buy rims, spokes and build up new wheels on the perfectly good hubs

Depends what you use as to how much of an issue it is for you... I use Open Sports or Chrinas on my winter wheels ~£18-£22 a rim, and normally get 2+ winters out of a front and 1.5-2 out of a rear at least, a rim swap is only a 30min job if you know what you're doing, so the cost is peanuts really.

And I always have a pair of wheels with new rims ready to go so when it's time to replace rims I chuck on the new wheels, and then rebuild the others at my leisure.

Same approach with drivetrain, £13 8speed cassettes and £8-10 chain, replace when shafted, it often works out cheaper than just swapping a decent 10 or 11speed chain alone.

The bike is nice enough, just uses cheaper consumable whirly bits as Devon seems to be a particularly filthy county and I would rather ride in bad weather than retreat to the turbo.

The thing about cheap wheels is that even on a winter road bike they suck the joy out of a ride imo. Even if it's cold and wet I still want to have some enjoyment. Cheap gears and slightly heavy frame make no difference, but heavy wheels and tyres are definitely noticeable. Even on the winter bike im running a set of sub 1600 gms wheels. Which weren't exactly what it call cheap.

The thing about cheap wheels is that even on a winter road bike they suck the joy out of a ride imo. Even if it’s cold and wet I still want to have some enjoyment. Cheap gears and slightly heavy frame make no difference, but heavy wheels and tyres are definitely noticeable. Even on the winter bike im running a set of sub 1600 gms wheels. Which weren’t exactly what it call cheap.

Actual "thing" is we're all different. Sub 1600g wheels just wouldn't be reliable for me on the roads I ride my road bike on (a lot of that being by bikelights after dark)... where's the enjoyment in having to constantly true wheels or worse still break/buckle a rim 30 miles from home? Whereas you deem 1600g wheels the cut off point for an enjoyable ride I choose to ride slightly heavier wheels, a nice carbon bike and reasonably light, cheap to replace and durable 10spd Ultegra/105 mix meaning I have a "nice to ride" roadbike all year round. 2 minutes with a brush, hot water hose & bucket of hot soapy water after every ride while the kettle's boiling for a brew stops anything being ruined by the calender date I happen to have ridden on.

Same approach with drivetrain, £13 8speed cassettes and £8-10 chain, replace when shafted, it often works out cheaper than just swapping a decent 10 or 11speed chain alone.

Not hugely.
If you're savy decent 10 speed chains can regualrly be picked up for a tenner, a 105 cassettes; £20 so about a fiver more. How many complete drivetrains would you need to get through to save the money to buy those "essential winter bike" sub 1600g wheels of yours?

I can normally get the £13 cassette and £8 chain to last ~3000 miles so it’s definitely cheaper for me than replacing 10/11 speed chains every 1000-1500miles or less which is what i was getting out of 10/11 speed.

And I wasn’t the one going on about 1600gm wheels (that was tpbiker), but FWIW chrinas/open sports* are about 480-490g a rim so don’t have to build overly heavy wheels when mated to decent hubs and spokes... I never even mentioned cheap or heavy tyres, I run the same rubber all year round.

I don't get any joy from riding posh wheels through winter slop and giving them a pothole battering considering the teeny tiny benefit they might confer. If my winter wheels are good enough for the chaingang they're good enough for me.

*other options are available, and if you want wide rims instead Kinlin ADHN's are only 20g heavier and £25 each so no need to be precious about them.

Sub 1600g wheels just wouldn’t be reliable for me on the roads I ride my road bike on

You are using the wrong 1600g wheels, either that or you are not good at riding which can't be true as you keep telling us how awesome you are.
1600g is not light and the weight of my wheels (using DT R460 DB rims at 450g each) with a heavy fixed hub at rear is 1600g. I certainly don't consider them light and I ride them all year round on and off road with them never going out of true.

The idea of actually buying a brand new ‘winter bike’ has always baffled me. The thought of paying £1500 on a bike just to ride in the winter is frightening.

Not everybody thinks like that.
‘Winter’ bike is a nice Italian custom steel frame, decent group set/finishing kit/wheels and PDW guards
The summer bike is a very nice Italian custom steel frame HED wheels, campagnolo etc.
Life is too short for 105 and 2kg wheelsets.

Life is too short for 105

Indeed! Imagine...the horror!