Winter Bike

Cee-Jay-Cee

I am just back from a spin on my winter bike. It’s wet and windy here in Donegal today so I stuck to the back roads. The bike is absolutely caked in cow Shiite and dirt after a 30km spin. Also on the way back I was going over a rough patch and the front tyre obviously caught a loose stone and fired it up at the underside of the downtube as there was an almighty crack/noise that frightened the life out of me. If my bike had of been carbon I’d would have stopped immediately to check the frame wasn’t cracked but as the bike is aluminium I just rode on. I checked it when I got home and sure enough there is a dent where the paint has been chipped off and the metal exposed underneath but thankfully not broken.

Winter bikes tend to be alloy for the very reasons above. Maybe if you live in the city then there’s no need but country dwellers have different road types to contend with in winter and alloy is just tougher and will survive the crappy roads better IMO.

who_ru

buy a smart trainer and stay indoors for the winter?

i also have the defy advanced pro 1 2020 model and can attach full mud guards as per the picture posted earlier. i take off the carbon rims, put on mavic aluminum wheels (tubeless of course) and head out that way. But in general i do little cycling ove the winter, unless we get extended dry spells, and i don't see too many of them ahead. hope i'm wrong.

BTW, desperate to hear about the cyclist in dublin on monday night. hope they get the low lives that did it.

kenmm

Cee-Jay-Cee wrote: »

I am just back from a spin on my winter bike.

My new carbon bike just arrived this week after COVID delays.. feck it, will ride in the wet until the really muddy days come!

saccades

Cee-Jay-Cee wrote: »

I am just back from a spin on my winter bike. It’s wet and windy here in Donegal today so I stuck to the back roads. The bike is absolutely caked in cow Shiite and dirt after a 30km spin. Also on the way back I was going over a rough patch and the front tyre obviously caught a loose stone and fired it up at the underside of the downtube as there was an almighty crack/noise that frightened the life out of me. If my bike had of been carbon I’d would have stopped immediately to check the frame wasn’t cracked but as the bike is aluminium I just rode on. I checked it when I got home and sure enough there is a dent where the paint has been chipped off and the metal exposed underneath but thankfully not broken.

Winter bikes tend to be alloy for the very reasons above. Maybe if you live in the city then there’s no need but country dwellers have different road types to contend with in winter and alloy is just tougher and will survive the crappy roads better IMO.

What?

You're having a giraffe right?

Different roads my hairy posterior, because there are no stones in the town's and cities of Ireland? Paved with gold and swept everynight by the celestial host?

A winter bike should be something with the ability to stick mud guards on, and maybe wider tyres. Maybe something cheaper that you'll be less gutted about when the shine has truly gone. Frame material has nothing to do with it, nothing.

Trying to compare a one off isolated incident to make your point completely undermines the point. I bashed over a massive rock 12 months ago and gouged the bottom bracket... It still works without explosions.

So that cancels out, right?

Hell, I drilled a hole in the downtube of a carbon bike and have raced it for 24 hours over several seasons and it's still perfect. Wouldn't dream of doing that with an aluminium frame.

Alloy is not tougher, it's just lighter and stiffer than steel. Take a look back at the arguments when aluminium frames started to appear compared to steel and it's similar to the arguments against carbon. carbons problem, few bike shops can x-ray (or qualified) to determine structural damage or delamination Vs a whallop to the outer cosmetic layer.

When aluminium gets a damaging smack it's really visible. When carbon gets a damaging smack it's much more of an unknown, most times ok, other times it's not.

byrnem31

I cycle the nuts of my 2020 defy advanced 2.
I use it everyday to commute on crap Irish roads full of potholes and broken cycle paths.
On weekends ive even taken it off-road for example flying down from the hell fire Club at 50klm with stones flying off it.
The mudguards on it kept it from getting chipped. The bike is well able for it and it's full carbon. In fact, it has a defuse in seat and the front making it very comfortable on our harsh Irish terrain. Plus being carbon it dampens outs lot more road noise.

CantGetNoSleep

byrnem31 wrote: »

I cycle the nuts of my 2020 defy advanced 2.
I use it everyday to commute on crap Irish roads full of potholes and broken cycle paths.
On weekends ive even taken it off-road for example flying down from the hell fire Club at 50klm with stones flying off it.
The mudguards on it kept it from getting chipped. The bike is well able for it and it's full carbon. In fact, it has a defuse in seat and the front making it very comfortable on our harsh Irish terrain. Plus being carbon it dampens outs lot more road noise.

My winter bike is a carbon Cannondale Synapse - disc brakes, full mudguards, 105 groupset, tubeless tires. Does the job perfectly but i got it half RRP in a closing down sale and used it as my good bike for two years. If I had paid full price I'd probably subconsciously be worried about the carbon.

So for me it is as much the cost / value to me as the material - a winter bike for me should be much cheaper than the good bike which implies older. If buying from scratch I'd probably go with alu and whatever I can find cheapest with endurance geometry, hydraulic discs and wide tires/mudguard mounts.

Actually bought a Specialized Allez alu as my winter bike and it hasn't seen one single km of road, sits on the turbo permanently

kenmm

byrnem31 wrote: »

I cycle the nuts of my 2020 defy advanced 2.
I use it everyday to commute on crap Irish roads full of potholes and broken cycle paths.
On weekends ive even taken it off-road for example flying down from the hell fire Club at 50klm with stones flying off it.
The mudguards on it kept it from getting chipped. The bike is well able for it and it's full carbon. In fact, it has a defuse in seat and the front making it very comfortable on our harsh Irish terrain. Plus being carbon it dampens outs lot more road noise.

What mudguards do you use (sorry to ask, I should probably start a thread!) and is it rim or disc?

Nice bike, I almost bought last year's model in spring. Blinked and it got sold half an hour later!

byrnem31

kenmm wrote: »

What mudguards do you use (sorry to ask, I should probably start a thread!) and is it rim or disc?

Nice bike, I almost bought last year's model in spring. Blinked and it got sold half an hour later!

Mud catcher front, clip on on the rear seat post. They work great, just cycled in the rain there and I'm fine.

Cee-Jay-Cee

saccades wrote: »

What?

You're having a giraffe right?

Different roads my hairy posterior, because there are no stones in the town's and cities of Ireland? Paved with gold and swept everynight by the celestial host?

A winter bike should be something with the ability to stick mud guards on, and maybe wider tyres. Maybe something cheaper that you'll be less gutted about when the shine has truly gone. Frame material has nothing to do with it, nothing.

Trying to compare a one off isolated incident to make your point completely undermines the point. I bashed over a massive rock 12 months ago and gouged the bottom bracket... It still works without explosions.

So that cancels out, right?

Hell, I drilled a hole in the downtube of a carbon bike and have raced it for 24 hours over several seasons and it's still perfect. Wouldn't dream of doing that with an aluminium frame.

Alloy is not tougher, it's just lighter and stiffer than steel. Take a look back at the arguments when aluminium frames started to appear compared to steel and it's similar to the arguments against carbon. carbons problem, few bike shops can x-ray (or qualified) to determine structural damage or delamination Vs a whallop to the outer cosmetic layer.

When aluminium gets a damaging smack it's really visible. When carbon gets a damaging smack it's much more of an unknown, most times ok, other times it's not.

You really need to get over yourself, your getting offended and upset because people have a different opinion to you. :rolleyes:

kenmm

byrnem31 wrote: »

Mud catcher front, clip on on the rear seat post. They work great, just cycled in the rain there and I'm fine.

Ah cool. I thought you meant coverage within the rear triangle. Seems there isn't much to give coverage all the way round (unless you have rim brakes).

byrnem31

kenmm wrote: »

Ah cool. I thought you meant coverage within the rear triangle. Seems there isn't much to give coverage all the way round (unless you have rim brakes).

Yeah you can get full muds on it with disc like that one in the pic.

gaffmaster

The trouble is, there are so many different carbon fibre layups. One carbon frame might be perfect for the additional risks of winter riding, another might not. Similarly, there are lots of Aluminium alloys.

Also, generally speaking, the more complex the tube shape, or the further from round it is, the more opportunities for weaknesses.

Here's a video to illustrate the point (Festka make exceptional carbon tubing).

If a carbon frame is designed for off-road riding, the chances are they've beefed up the carbon. This is something Trek do in their OLCV Carbon MTBs around the bottom bracket, and they claim it's stronger than any commonly used bike frame alloy.

54and56

Tony04 wrote: »

Different finishing kit maybe, larger frame size weight its hard to know.

If your budget is 2000 lots of choice for 105 disc bikes
Just nipping in to a post i did recently that sums up your options

Thanks Tony,

Some very interesting options there. I like the Canyon Endurace but reviews say it's a bit racy/giddy and not as "endurance" as other options. Most are out of stock or don't have my (58cm) size. The Massi (https://www.bikeinn.com/bike/massi-bikes-team-disc-ultegra-disc/137556234/p?tqw=48) looks savage for the price but is a race rather than endurance focused bike I I'm definitely looking for something comfortable rather than fast.

The Alu Rose Ultegra (https://www.rosebikes.com/rose-pro-sl-disc-ultegra-2690677?product_shape=matt+silvergrey#framesize-dropdown) also looks really suited to my requirement, I just wish it had mudguard mounts.

I'm still thinking the Cube Attain GTC SL is the best option for my needs and in terms of value for money. If only I can source a 58cm frame one

byrnem31

54and56 wrote: »

Thanks Tony,

Some very interesting options there. I like the Canyon Endurace but reviews say it's a bit racy/giddy and not as "endurance" as other options. Most are out of stock or don't have my (58cm) size. The Massi (https://www.bikeinn.com/bike/massi-bikes-team-disc-ultegra-disc/137556234/p?tqw=48) looks savage for the price but is a race rather than endurance focused bike I I'm definitely looking for something comfortable rather than fast.

The Alu Rose Ultegra (https://www.rosebikes.com/rose-pro-sl-disc-ultegra-2690677?product_shape=matt+silvergrey#framesize-dropdown) also looks really suited to my requirement, I just wish it had mudguard mounts.

I'm still thinking the Cube Attain GTC SL is the best option for my needs and in terms of value for money. If only I can source a 58cm frame one

Penny farthing had one on the shelf last time I was in. Looked like a 58 too.

54and56

byrnem31 wrote: »

Penny farthing had one on the shelf last time I was in. Looked like a 58 too.

Popped into my LBS who are a Cube dealer and they said 2021 models are beginning to drip into them. They expect to have a 2021 Attain GTC SL in stock in the next 2-3 weeks which is perfect timing for me if it pans out.

Sept / Oct never too bad on rim brakes but November to March I'd like to have the benefit of Discs.

byrnem31

54and56 wrote: »

Popped into my LBS who are a Cube dealer and they said 2021 models are beginning to drip into them. They expect to have a 2021 Attain GTC SL in stock in the next 2-3 weeks which is perfect timing for me if it pans out.

Sept / Oct never too bad on rim brakes but November to March I'd like to have the benefit of Discs.

I'd never touch rims breaks again. I cycled in the rain this morning on the defy and had it up at 50klm at one stage. Breaking was no problem in the wet with the hydraulic discs.