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I have a nice carbon road bike, and a Croix De Fer, with the latter also being my 'winter road bike', albeit it stays in 35c crossspeed tyre mode all the time.
Wondering when folk 'winterise' their summer ones, what you do, other than a clean and lube etc, and when ?
Usually towards the end of this month - when the forecast predicts the next long stretch of wet weather.
Usually the summer bike just gets cleaned, and put away into the bike box. This year I will also be stripping and refitting all cables and new BB ready.
My summer bike often comes out to play on those cold, crisp winter days so I guess there is no real swap over point
Surely half the point of having two bikes is that you can swap at will? If it's wet, "winter" bike, if it's not, "summer" bike.
I don't really, I still take the summer bike out on those rare clear, cold days in December. I guess it tends to get a strip down around Xmas but it never gets properly put away.
My winter bike is used all year round when the weather is foul. Equally I love a blast out on a dry chilly sunny morning on one of my nice bikes. Equally I have a wet race bike and use it for not chucking it down winter days. They all just get looked after as we go along. Would seem a bit odd putting 'winter bike day' in my diary and just hop onto one bike.
The second any grit/salt goes down summer rig goes into hibernation
Just done it [url= http://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/lets-see-those-winter-road-bikes-have-i-gone-too-early ](here)[/url].
For me it's when most of my rides are in darkness. So lights and reflective bits, and beefier wheels for the inevitable missed pot holes. Don't bother with winter rubber as they feel rubbish, just run GP4000's and latex tubes. Then decent full length guards for crappy road spray. That's about it really. Oh and different brake pads.
Summer bike will probably move into fixed position on the turbo around 1st week in October.
Surely half the point of having two bikes is that you can swap at will? If it's wet, "winter" bike, if it's not, "summer" bike.
This - if its wet then the guarded winter bike comes out (regardless if its August or February). The only time it doesn't come into effect is when the summer or winter bike is having a leisurely clean and lube stripdown.
Riding buddy is a one-biker - guards coming on at the end of the month. And I think some slightly more robust tyres.
I just put guards on my summer bike when rainy days turn from being warm but wet, to shivery.
I've got the tourer for crappy weather and commuting, then the summer bike (with guards) for the 90% of the time when the weather it actually pretty nice.
Any day now...The nice Defy will be going away. It comes out if the sun's out, but when there is salt on the roads it stays inside.
The Kona is ridden all year in all weathers.
The nice race bike stays out all winter and gets rinsed down after every ride. Still have four road races and a couple of circuit races before the end of the season.
When the winter gear goes on, out comes the winter bike..
I don't have a date switch over. If it's a wet summer day I ride my "winter" bike purely because it has mudguards. As above my summer bike gets used on those crisp winter days.
Surely half the point of having two bikes is that you can swap at will? If it's wet, "winter" bike, if it's not, "summer" bike.
This is the way I play it. "Winter bike" gets used year round depending on the weather and what I feel like riding. Had the summer bike a year and a half maybe now and it's never once needed a clean yet. Chain's never been lubed. It's still like new. But it's barely seen a wet road, never mind pissing rain.
I suspect though, the summer bike will be retired once the hill climb season is over, then it'll sit on the turbo (mostly unused!) until next year.
When the roads are wet when I leave the house or the roads have been salted. No exact dates