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Winter biking is really hard on components...

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Winter biking is really hard on components...

Old 01-12-20, 10:39 AM
  #26  
PaulH
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Originally Posted by Banzai
Budgeting cleanup time into every...single...ride is an enormous hassle, and the biggest disincentive to winter cycling.
And cleaning the bike outside, with water, when it’s 10F really sucks too.
I don't think I have ever cleaned my bike in 20 years of riding every workday. Hub gears, chainguard, fenders, drum brakes basically solve everything. I did go through one season with a derailleur bike, and it was like using a violin to drive nails. Salt is worse on cars than on bikes -- that's way I never drive my car on wet, salted roads.
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Old 01-12-20, 11:48 AM
  #27  
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Mudguards are essential for cycling in winter. I know, I was that soldier...

When I was working full-time I didn't commute by bicycle but I did go out on my road bike (a Giant Defy 2 without mudguards) for a quick 50-minute thrash before going to work. This kept me reasonably fit but with time being tight I'd just throw my bike into the shed with the promise of giving it some TLC when I had more time. Inevitably, during one bad winter, the road salt made a right mess of things including the Giant S-R2 wheels, both mechs and the seatpin no longer moves. Thankfully, the paintwork survived this abuse and my Defy still looks presentable. I still ride it on dry roads in the winter but, now that I commute, my commuter bike has full-length mudguards and gets a hosedown after every ride home followed by a spray of WD40 on the chain with a wipe down and gets a thicker lube dripped onto every link once a week.
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Old 01-12-20, 12:15 PM
  #28  
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This thread and the freakish 67F weather are inspiring me to wash down my commuter today. That and the nice opportunity to smoke a cigar in the warm sun.
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Old 01-12-20, 12:36 PM
  #29  
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Winnipegger here and 11 years Winter riding thus far. I prefer cold and dry. The drivetrain on the mule does take a beating. When it's time to put the bike away for the night, I'll take a watering can of very warm water and lie the bike on it's side so the wheels can spin freely, then give them a spin and wash off all the chocolate mousse from hell stuck on the tires and everyplace else (but without pouring onto the freehub area), then let the bike freeze dry for a while, then stick it in the garage unheated and have a fan blow evaporate the bike dry. It gets so dry up here in winter that water evaporates quickly. The brake path always needs a ragdown and the brake pads a quick hit with a wire brush to de-crud. It's an expedition travelling by bike in a Winter country and takes time to prep before and after.
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Old 01-13-20, 04:12 PM
  #30  
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PaulH

It's a fair enough description but to each his own. I ride derailleur bikes because I like them. I can bring my bike inside and wash it in a warm home using a bucket of hot water.
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Old 01-14-20, 01:22 PM
  #31  
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My commuter/winter bike is a B'Twin Triban 100 (alu with steel fork) bought as a flat bar but converted to drops with an old Tiagra 4600 groupset and Shimano BR-R451 57mm brakes (work OK but not fully compatible according to the Shimano website which show them only fully matching the Tourney brifters). The mudguard/fender stays were trimmed down before use and it now has a pair of unbranded 36-spoke winter wheels shod with Schwalbe Durano 25c tyres (one puncture since October). Overall, a nice bike but heavy!
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Old 01-15-20, 06:16 PM
  #32  
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On new year's eve I discovered my fat bike's freehub was shattered into 5 large pieces. It must have been like that for a while but the cassette was holding everything together. Still waiting on a replacement part. I wish the LBS did me the courtesy to tell me that the part was backordered until mid-late February when I ordered it, so I wouldn't have lost a week and half finding an alternate source. I managed to find a seller on ebay in the UK, I'd probably have it by now if I just ordered from them in the first place.

I guess a 20t chainring paired to a 36t cassette can generate a lot of torque at the rear wheel.
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