Winter Commuting

Just finished servicing my commute ready for winter. New cables, wheel and headset bearing cleaned and lubed, entire bike meticulously cleaned, and the protective inner tube sections replaced on the cranks, fork legs and cross bar. Aside from heavy snow I'll be commuting by bike all Winter.

Anyone else man or woman enough to be doing the same? If so, what are your bike prep, kit and riding tips for the most interesting commuting season?

Chopper1192":2k0amehk said:

Just finished servicing my commute ready for winter. New cables, wheel and headset bearing cleaned and lubed, entire bike meticulously cleaned, and the protective inner tube sections replaced on the cranks, fork legs and cross bar. Aside from heavy snow I'll be commuting by bike all Winter.

Anyone else man or woman enough to be doing the same? If so, what are your bike prep, kit and riding tips for the most interesting commuting season?

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I'm intrigued by the "protective inner tube sections". Mine is simply as standard with a strip, clean and re-grease and the addition of mudguards. Intrigued by what else you do...

I ride all year round when I can, I change all my cables, grease the bearings/replace where needed, might seem abit strange to some but I wrap my frame with old innertubes so if I come off I wont scratch it and it wont rust, I clean the bike after every ride, run the tyres 10 p.s.i less than I normally do.
I carry a chain tool, pump, allen keys, two adjustable wrenches, a innertube, gaffa tape, puncture kit and some gt-85. might also be ott but a small first aid kit (came in handy twice)
I wear my high vis bomber jacket and trousers (really warm) aswell as my motorbike face mask and i double up on gloves (not bike gloves the wool ones i get from poundland haha).
riding style changes dramatically - i take it really slow, leave plenty of time for braking and try not to lean too much into corners this is when i slide more.

Ah, not my idea so I can't claim credit. Lengths cut from an old 700c tube are slipped over the crank arms and upper fork legs. Another section is split length ways, slipped over the rear half of the cross bar and cable tied in position. These are all parts of my bike that seem to get knocked about in the bike rack at work and this is a cheap and highly effective means of protecting the finish/paint.

I clean my commuter every week, but my other steeds after every ride.

I'm guessing a bit of the old wrap and tape around stuff you don't want scratched or bashed. I guess you're more likely to come off during the winter months and/or be a bit more careless about locking up/putting away so you can get out of the foul weather quicker.

Plus some of the stuff flung up from the roads (and off road) during the winter may even scratch your pride and joy too.

I don't bother so much now I ride an inconspicuous but titanium framed bike. But I used to when I lived in London.

Edit: beaten to it.

This will be my first winter (since being a grommet working in a bike shop) spent entirely commuting by bike, aside from some slightly warmer clothing my only change in equipment is to a pair of Conti Gatorskin tyres. Depending on how bad the weather gets I may tough it out in shorts, back when I raced DH I could never get on with trousers and now I still find lightweight leggings restrictive. The steed will get a weekly instead of fortnightly wash down, otherwise it'll get it's monthly service as usual unless anything becomes apparent.

My trusty Courier Comp is going to get a pair of Marathon Winters with steel studs. Other than that, it is just going to get normal service bits (new cables, block and chain, and a regrease). This is where having proper full-length mudguards comes into its own; saves a LOT of maintenance.

i rode all last winter, including the snow. a nice vicious home made snow tyre on the front saw me vertical for the whole exercise

I wouldn't say that I do "commuting" but I definitely ride in winter barring heavy snow and temps below -10C. Duration of rides is often limited to hours of sunlight and temperature, shortest being about 3 hrs around the winter solstice. Last winter seemed to go on forever - 6 months of hats and gloves - unlike the usual 4 to 5 months. Anyhow, to cut a long story short with these conditions I've been constantly searching the kit up to the job that is reliable without heavy maintenance and cleaning (as I simply can't be arsed).

It basically comes down to:
- titanium where you can
- thick black anodized alloy components
- lashings of waterproof grease literally everywhere except the freehub and chain
- good quality chain that will not rust
- studded tyres (I use two types for ploughed roads and unploughed off-road)

Lastly, I try to build the bikes as light as possible without penalties on reliability. It can be such a slog so it's best to ride on something that is really enjoyable and fun - I would go crazy being indoors on a Turbo trainer. Fortunately, winters tend to be dry here rather than damp.

Chopper, putting rubber tubes around things is just asking for trouble in my opinion if (when) water / ice / condensation get's underneath it.

Oh, and another point. I skip the bottle cage as the drinks freeze in them.....I'll leave you guessing the solution to hydration while riding ;-)

The rubber inner tube pieces get rolled back, cleaned, dried, and rolled inside out and then replaced each clean. Sounds a palaver but takes only a few seconds apiece. Much less risk of damage than a gouge down to the alloy frame or carbon forks.