winter proofing your ride

[clodhoppa]

any bodgers/inventors tips for winter proofing your bikes?

i'm only on a cheapish hardtail, but i can hear my components grinding themselves away when i get out in the good, british mud. anything you peeps know of to help your bike last a winter?

[edwarj123]

ride it, rinse it, lube it - repeat as many times as wife will let you...

[MTBLeague]

Many, headset protector is a must all year round.

So is this:-


Cleaned up MK2 version:-



Stops the mud from getting flung into the delicate bits, wont stop you from getting muddy but then you dont wear away and get jammed up and rough with it, cost next to nowt, used some old plastic packaging 2 zip ties and a little tape to stop the finish getting ruined, has worked well for over 3 years now.

[steve_sordy]

I ride a lot at Sherwood Pines which has a nasty combination of fine grit and leaf mould. It sticks like sh1t to a blanket and is very abrasive. The manager of my LBS used to race weekly and train daily there and he used to go through gears and chains like they were sweeties. He swore by hosing down (not presssure wash) after every ride and then lubing. The lube of choice is FinishLine Dry when its dry, F/L Wet when its not.

I followed his advice and I have avoided the sweetie problem.

[clodhoppa]

yeah, i hose down after every ride in winter and re-lube. but it's mighty mucky up in the lancs/yorks hinterland, and a couple of hours into a ride i'm wincing! or dumping (carefully placing) it in a river/canal to clean it mid ride! i would stop being so precious but it's expensive to replace things.

[jonomc]

Don't immerse your bike in water. That will knacker it!

[steve_sordy]

Remove your bottom bracket and repack with waterproof grease. Yes, I know grease and water don't mix very well anyway, but the special waterproof stuff holds together better instead of becoming an emulsion.

[Kevolution]

I use marine grade grease on the bb, headset and pedals. Lube the chain with chainsaw oil because it simply works better andI've made a custom fender to cut down on crud getting onto the fork seals. It's a bit like a mucky nutt one, but tailored to fit my fork I also swap out the cassette and rings for steel basic Deore spec and fit a PC 951 chain as they're cheaper to sacrifice, but don't wear as quickly anyway. I just pick them up through the year when I've got the cash to spare and usually get a couple of seasons out of them. If you don't run full length gear outer on your bike, it's worth doing in winter. Use Shimano SP41 cable with SP40 sealed ends andba good quality stainless inner to keep your shifts crisp and light.

[mikethebike]

cover the bottom of your seat tube and your seat clamp with a piece of old innertube this will keep the water out. I wash and lube my bike after every ride, get into the habit of doing this and your bike will roll on.

[SteveMTB]

great excuse to buy a new bike for the summer and use the other other as a winter hack thats what I did lol even the house boss agreed with me

remember the number of bikes owned is n+1 Where n is the number of bikes owned.