PdalPowr

I am wondering if anyone has a winterising routine they would like to share. The obvious things and
other ways you thought of to keep damp,freezing cold,salty,snowy weather at bay.

prj71

There is no such thing as winterizing a fat bike.

Just keep the chain lubed up as you would normally do anytime of year.

PdalPowr

So there is no issue with salty water infiltrating the spoke holes?

prj71

Why are you riding a fat bike through salty water in winter?

PdalPowr

Because the roads here are covered with enough salt to kill a whole stable of bikes.
Even if it were possible to not go on the roads at all my bike chain still needs to get rinsed off with a spray lubricant.
I guess I was wrong thinking winter fat bikers would need to take extra care with maintenance.

Happy Feet

If I ride when the street has been sprayed for snow, either with salt, brine or calcium chloride, I rinse the bike off after a ride. Every so often I lube the chain.
I don't use my fat bike for winter commuting so much as my beater 26"mtb. The fat bike goes more off road and there isn't the same salt concern.

It doesn't take much fiddling but it's amazing what just a little rinsing and lubing will do to prolong chain/component life. I've never worried about the spoke holes as I don't ride in salt water but I would be just as or more worried about the frame ventilation holes and/or BB and wheel/cassette bearings if I did.

rumrunn6

I agree that winter riding benefits from additional maintenance but it’s self evident meaning like any messy weather or conditions we can see and feel the effects and know what to do I.e. cleaning and lubing. But This winter I’d like to also try furniture polish on my frame

prj71

The majority of winter fat bikers ride groomed trail where salt isn't an issue.

Why anyone would ride an expensive bike on salted roads is beyond me. If one wants to ride a fat bike on salted roads it would be cheaper to buy a $500 Bikes Direct fat bike and then discard it when trashed from all the road salt.

PdalPowr

And treating bicycles as disposable is just wrong.

I am not so lucky or willing to drive my bike to trails on my car.
It has to ride on roads.

PdalPowr

Now that is what I am talking about.
I am speaking from a fatbike rider newbies perspective.
It is often the things we do seem so commonplace we can't think a newbie wouldn't know it.
Things like running a thinner lube or "stay the heck away from that lube" are just examples.
Wax furniture polish sounds interesting. Protecting the paint job is a must for me.

PdalPowr

All good advice.
To get to off road trails I have to ride on roads.
Also I would be doing errands after,before or during off road rides.
In fact the off road green belt here passes by the shops.
I would also like to use it to get to hunting spots.
But my advancing age is fast making that a dream.🤗
It is hard to describe how much salt they use here.
I do know the ashfalt composition here leads to a lot of black ice.
Maybe that is the issue.

prj71

Let me put it this way. I have a $3000 carbon fat bike. If I trashed the SRAM groupset on the bike from road salt it would cost me ~$500 to replace it. That doesn't include the cost of corrosion to the spokes, rotors, brake pads and bolts etc. that will prematurely happen from the road salt exposure. So no...not going to use it on salted roads. And living in the upper midwest I know all about the road salt.

For $400-$500 I could purchase a cheap Bike Direct Fat bike for riding on salted roads and discard it when it trashed or I suppose I could replace components on the cheap and keep it going.

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And why aren't you willing to haul your fat bike to a trail?

rumrunn6

one thing I'm doing this year is avoiding mudholes, anything tom keep the chainring & chain cleaner. I don't have a fatbike just a 29er MTB but I think we share similar concerns

PdalPowr

For one thing I moved to a small town to avoid driving a car.
Why do you demand I live my life according to your narrow viewpoint.

Listen I would just prefer you didn't respond to my threads.
It is evident we have different values. You claim to speak for everyone here saying no-one winterises fatbikes. And yet I have received several good tips for just that. With more than one poster admitting to similar concerns.Are you a moderator of this forum? Then really you should be more moderate. Again I ask that you don't respond to my threads. Show some class not just a poor attitude. Go ride your bike. Be careful you don't fall off.🙄

prj71

Yeah. Mud wreaks havoc on bike components as well.

prj71

I really don't know anyone that winterizes their fat bike. And the friends of mine that do ride their fat bike on salted roads etc. during winter...they bought a beater fat bike to do that...a cheap bikes direct bike or a Framed Bike.

rumrunn6

with my older MTB especially, have to keep the drivetrain clean. I think I need a new front chain ring. when it gets muddy, with a certain kind of sticky mud, I get chain suck & have to stop & clean it with brushes & water. the loose, thin, watery mud is OK, just not this stuff



plus it's better for the trails to avoid it as well

Darth Lefty 

Not everyone is floating around snow drifts with 5" tires. That's why Surly sells both the Ice Cream Truck and the Wednesday, for instance, and why there are multiple standards for hub and BB width.

@Tundra_Man lately got himself a fat bike for winter commuting and previously was using a beater MTB with spiky tires. He might have some thoughts on the topic.

prj71

I've seen mud destroy disc brakes, derailleurs and chains. Plus it's not good to be riding the trails if they are muddy.

prj71

I'm not sure what this has to do with the topic of winterizing your bike.

The ice cream truck is sold with 4.8" tires and the Wednesday is sold with 3.8" tires with clearance for 4.6" tires.

And what does hub and BB width have to do with winterizing a bike?

prj71

The actual word is "winterizing" no "s".

Google may be of help to you.

https://lmgtfy.com/?q=how+to+winterize+a+bicycle

Banzai

The single best thing you can do to winterize a bike is full coverage fenders, because salty road spray wrecks equipment. However, there aren’t really any full coverage fenders for fat bikes.

So it’s a bit of a conundrum. Especially when you consider the volume of muck and spray a fat tire can kick up.

That means there’s a narrow window in winter where I actually ride my fat bike. Fresh snow and even ice, before it’s been salted into salt slush. After that, it’s 35mm studded tires on a utility bike with fenders and an IGH.

StanSeven

PdalPowr and Prj71,

Enough with the bickering. If you can’t stop, the thread gets closed. Also if you two can’t get along, place each other on Ignore. That way you don’t see posts from the other person.

I’m cleaning up the thread so no more antagonistic comments please.

PdalPowr

Fair enough. I apologise to the uninvolved members who felt my language unwarranted.

PdalPowr

Conumdrums are my stock in trade. Without strife at times we cannot strive to be better.😉
Very interesting and exactly the kind of thing I wanted to know about winterising my fatbike.😀

Fenders don't fit? I will try making my own.😉

Thanks. 😀