gravyface

Does anyone do anything extra in the winter as far as keeping the salt from damaging the metal components? Thinking undercoating or some sort of protective grease.

I wish I could just hose it all off and let it air dry inside, but when it drops below freezing, we don't leave the garden hose connected over the winter for fear of freezing the pipes.

Take it in the tub with the shower head?

Ferrouscious 

Steel? frame protectant spray comes to mind... (progold, jp weigle frame saver, etc.)
aluminum? don't worry too much...
assorted bits? grease threads, oil chain, use a spray bottle of warm water and soap. You have a garage? clean it there. wear a jacket!

wolfchild

Keep everything well lubed and don't worry about it. Wash and clean your bike in the Spring after all the snow and road salt is gone.

gravyface

Thanks fellas.
Any tips for gravel bikes?

wolfchild

Put some full fenders on your gravel bike...Full fenders will protect your clothing from getting messed up with road spray and they also offer some protection for the bike frame and components such as a headset and bottom bracket. Knobby aggressive tires do a good job in snow but if you plan on riding on any type of ice I recommend studded tires.

parkbrav

I've got fenders this year. For the ubiquitous "how do I clean my bike" thread, on Labor Day I did a thorough cleaning. I dusted the bike, I hosed it down with a gardening hose and then lubed up the chain. It looks GREAT and rides better as a result

Pugs2xLove

Belt drive bike anyone?

hsuBM

Single speed, aluminum fenders, collection of chains to swap and clean once a week.

The bike comes into the warm onto what is just a plastic shower curtain with a rectangular pvc tubing fence underneath creating a sorta bike troth. It’s usually completely dry on Monday morning.

Gresp15C

Admittedly, I've given up and now have a dedicated winter bike that takes all of the abuse so the rest of the fleet can stay nice.

yamsyamsyams

Put some helicopter tape on your downtube or any tube that gets a lot of grime. Easy 1 second wipe off when you get home, if the road crud even sticks at all to it.

_ForceD_

At the finish of sloppy winter (and summer) rides with my road bike...I rinse it down with a bucket or two of hot water. You might need some spray cleaner to get the grease from the chain off the frame parts. Once it's throughly rinsed, I bounce it, and wipe off as much excess water as possible. If it's sunny and dry I'll leave it to dry in the open air. Other wise I leave it in the garage. I always park it in a different position to dry (upside down, on its side, front/rear wheel elevated, etc.) so that water doesn't always collect in the same low spots in/on the frame, and cable housings. Chain re-lube usually necessary after this treatment.

Dan

prairiepedaler

Use a dedicated winter bike if possible and trick it out for winter riding. Whenever my winter ride gets caked with the chocolate mousse from hell ™, I lay the bike on it's side so the wheels spin freely then fill a watering can full of quite warm water and rinse it down, avoiding the chain if possible. You know when the rear wheel gets coated in rim brake compound? Yuk. The bike then drip dries in the unheated garage with a fan on it. This is done at end of the days' riding. It gets cold up here so many times ice forms on the bike before you can get it dry. That ice is gone by morning.

preyj

Agree - need to sacrifice one to keep the rest looking good.

CleanClassics

As someone from the rust belt, whose dealt with automotive rust my whole life. Undercoating doesn't do squat. It actually can be worse than just leaving the paint as is. If the undercoat has any failure point of coverage, moisture will get trapped and it'll rot from behind it. If that happens the rot will happen faster than just letting the paint be exposed and cleaning it. Back in the 1980s most dealers would sell some undercoat and sealant to new car buyers in the midwest. Pretty much all dealers have stopped because the automotive car companies refused to honor any rust warranties on undercoated cars because the defect rates were so high.

alias5000

Have been experimenting a few winters with different methods now. Have arrived at the following being the minimum routine to keep the very most of my components rust-free:
- replace bolts with stainless steel versions (ebay is a cheap source)
- Get a hand pump garden sprayer and spray down bike 2-3 times a week and/or after a particularly salty ride
- store inside

For steel, coating might be a good idea, though I've moved to aluminum components, where possible.