Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by mark stetson on October 27, 2011 at 5:05pm

If you're riding steel and you care anything about it, get some frame saver in it.  J.P. Weigle, Boeshield, there are others.  Make sure your seatpost (and stem, if quill type) are greased.  Once winter hits, if you've been in road salt try to wash the bike off asap.  Even a wipe down will help.  I'm lucky to have a basement with a floor drain, so mine come in and get hosed off, then wiped dry.  An oily rag on steel hardware will go a long way to prevent rust.  I like to use oil on a Q-tip for the internal hexes on bolts.  I would do the same to the spoke threads at each nipple, to keep corrosion from seizing them.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by A.K.A Paul on October 27, 2011 at 5:36pm

Welcome Austin...

 

First off I would recommend not using a bike that you would have to worry if you got road salt on it.

 

I'd clean and lube the chain once a week or at least once every two weeks at minimum.  It'll help your whole drive train last longer.

 

Something I started getting in the habit of doing last winter is at least twice over the winter I take apart all the brake assemblies and relube the bosses that are attached to the fork and seat stays.  The salt really dries those out and the metal will get pitted.  Eventually the brakes will seize up and rub against the rim perpetually.

 

It's easier if you ride now into the winter as apposed to starting later after it gets cold.  You'll learn how to cope with what mother nature throws at you as the weather turns. 

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on October 28, 2011 at 2:23am

For clothing, I've got one word to add to M.A.R.K.'s advice - layers.  Light and medium weight layers, with a breathable, wind- and moisture-resistant shell. I've got an old Gore Tex jacket that works great as a shell layer.  The good stuff is expensive, but it can last a long time if you take care of it.

Wool is definitely WAY better than cotton for those layers, because it stays warm even when it's wet.  Silk and synthetics work, too.  Just make sure that whatever you choose is breathable.  With synthetics, the magic word is "wicking," as in wicking moisture away from your body.

A lightweight mesh base layer is amazing.  I've got a couple of these, and they add an incredible amount of warmth on a cold day.  They trap thousands of tiny air pockets next to your skin, and your body heats them up.  That provides a nice layer of extra insulation.

For hands and feet, there are many different opinions, because some tend to have cold hands and feet no matter what, and others get by without extreme measures.  Many of us like hiking boots in colder weather.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Julie Aberman (Hochstadter) on October 28, 2011 at 2:31am

Austin- also check out other bike winter forum threads, like this one about commuting and bikewinter.org.  Good luck, you can do it!

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Steve Courtright on October 28, 2011 at 2:35am

"There is no bad weather, only bad clothes"  S.D.

 

Here is my clothing schedule: Tights below 60F; long sleeves below 50F; good gloves, wind vest, ear coverings below 45F; shoe coverings or boots below 40 F; serious layering, serious gloves, balaclava below 32F.   Below about 20F I like the train - a lot.

 

 

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Tiberculosis on October 28, 2011 at 2:56am

Welcome, Yeah...check the forums. Tons of info. Experiment with what you have before you go out and spend a ton on season tech clothes. I get by with a cheapo fleece jacket with a light weight windbreaker over it. Make the priority keeping your hands and feet warm. As far as riding goes, it's fun! City is pretty good about plowing and stuff (mostly), you're generally close enough to the road to see if it's icy.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by S.Presley☠ on October 28, 2011 at 3:19am

Start getting ready NOW...

I purchased, what I thought was, a good "weatherproof" jacket. But after one wash, it stopped being waterproof. I need to fix this soon.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Jamais716 on October 28, 2011 at 5:36am

I've never heard of frame saver before.  I've got an old Peugeot that I'd rather not destroy this winter. How do you use it?

mark stetson said:

If you're riding steel and you care anything about it, get some frame saver in it.  J.P. Weigle, Boeshield, there are others.  Make sure your seatpost (and stem, if quill type) are greased.  Once winter hits, if you've been in road salt try to wash the bike off asap.  Even a wipe down will help.  I'm lucky to have a basement with a floor drain, so mine come in and get hosed off, then wiped dry.  An oily rag on steel hardware will go a long way to prevent rust.  I like to use oil on a Q-tip for the internal hexes on bolts.  I would do the same to the spoke threads at each nipple, to keep corrosion from seizing them.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Kevin C Dormant on October 28, 2011 at 5:52am

Frame Saver is easier to apply to a frame only. (I suppose it's not impossible to apply to a built up bike, but I've never done it.) I applied to the inside of a steel touring frame when it was fresh back from a powder coating and prior to building it up. As I recall, frame saver smells kinda bad and comes out in a fairly watery consistency. As you spray it into the head tube, seat tube, bottom bracket, and rotate the frame around to ensure maximum internal coverage, the excess tends to leak out of drain holes, and the aforementioned bottom bracket, seat tube, head tube, etc. Let it dry. Repeat. Make sure no one from the EPA is watching. 

Jamais716 said:

I've never heard of frame saver before.  I've got an old Peugeot that I'd rather not destroy this winter. How do you use it?

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Juan 2-3 or more mi. on October 28, 2011 at 9:26am

I like to ride with my studded tires during those icy days. It's not great on bare pavement but it kept me safe during those moments of unexpected ice patches.

• ▶ Reply