Get the best from your winter riding and make sure that your bike survives with these essential tips to prepare your bike for wet and salty roads.
When the winds turn to chilly northerlies and darkness more swiftly overpowers daylight, you know it won’t be long until the arrival of more rain, possibly snow, and the colder temperatures which inevitably bring out the gritting lorries.
This is the time to make your bike winterproof, so we've gathered tried and true methods, with an old timer trick or two and a few more obvious procedures. For those of you prepared to go the extra mile in order to protect your bike, performing all of these steps can significantly prolong its life, but even adopting just one or two will help your enjoyment and safety.
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Most of these steps should be within reach of the confident DIY cyclist, and the tools required are pretty straightforward, but if you’re in doubt an experienced shop mechanic can work wonders with a seized bottom bracket or really close-fitting mudguards. Bring on the winter!
Tools required
- Bottom bracket removal: Shimano splined socket, lockring and pin spanner and crank extractor, or external cup splined type spanner depending on BB; 8mm or 14/15mm socket for crank arm bolts
- For fasteners and other components: 3, 4, 5, 6mm Allen keys and/or 8, 9 and 10mm standard spanners; Phillips or flat screwdriver, pliers, small hacksaw
- Frame Saver or similar
- Slime tubes, Jagwire cable wiper seals
- Mudguard flaps, rustless chains
- Car wax or other
- Stainless fasteners, Kevlar tyres and mudguards (all should be available from your local bike shop)
Eight ways to get your road bike ready for winter
1. Lubricate
Steel and even aluminium frames can corrode from the inside out, and oxidation can spread from scratched braze-ons and eyelets. One useful product is Frame Saver, available in a small can with a pipette with which you can treat approximately two frames; make sure to wear protective eyewear in case it blows back at you when spraying. You can also use 30wt oil or thick chain lube with a bit of WD40 to help spread it around.
2. Add mudguards
3. Prevent punctures
4. Look after leather parts
5. Seal cables
6. Use stainless steel
7. Add reflective aids
8. Apply car wax
You can read more at BikeRadar.com
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