Essential winter maintenance for bicycles

Winter cycling is a bunch tougher on your bike, and on you, than cycling in summer. So, what can you do to help ensure your bike is in as good a shape throughout winter? Here are some relatively straightforward tips that are sure to improve your winter cycling.

Cleanliness

Winter road much punishes your bike, especially the drive train. In addition to debris, grit-salt can cause components to corrode, to it’s essential to keep your bike as clean as you reasonably can.

Top tip: After washing down and drying your bike, spray some furniture polish onto a soft, dry cloth, and rub your bike down with that. Obviously, if you have rim brakes, don’t do the rims, and if you have disk brakes, don’t do the disks! Keep polish away from brakes. The polish will help protect your bike, and will make it harder for dirt to stick to your bike.

Lube up!

Winter is wet, and wet weather washes lubricant off your drive train. Be sure to regularly re-lubricate your drive train, especially the chain.

Top tip: Remember to wipe excess lubricant off, as it could otherwise cause grit and grime to stick to the chain.

Shelter

If you can, keep your bike indoors. If you cannot do so, try and keep it as sheltered from the elements as possible.

Top tip: If needs be, get one of those plastic bicycle covers, and cover it up.

Rims

If you use rim brakes, check your rims regularly! Winter grime can form a sort of grinding paste when trapped by the brake blocks, and that can wear your rims through very quickly. I once wore through a set of road rims in just 5 months. Remember, winter commutes are usually in darkness, with reduced visibility, so you’re likely to use the brakes more.

Stop!

Check your brakes at least once per week, ideally more often. Your life may literally depend on being able to stop in time.

Cables

Check your gear and brake cables regularly, and consider replacing cables at the start of winter. Always carry a spare of each, and learn how to replace it by the roadside.

Top tip: Use silicon grease to lubricate your cables when you fit them. The hydrophobic qualities of silicon grease will make the cables last longer.

Carry spare tubes

Especially if your bike uses inner tubes, carry at least one spare, and learn how to replace it by the roadside. The last thing you want to do is try and patch a puncture in the dark, while it’s sleeting.

Top tip: Don’t throw away your plastic valve caps, but fit them to the valves. They can help prevent corrosion from causing your valves to seize up.

Avoid rooster tail

If you can, fit mudguards. They will help prevent road muck being splattered all over you, and can help prevent you splattering the rider behind, too.

Check your tyres

Obviously, check the tyre pressure, but it doesn’t stop there. Make a habit of regularly inspect your bike’s tyres for embedded objects. These can vary from shard of glass, to flint, or even bits of metal. Remove those from the tyres before they penetrate and cause punctures.

Light

Especially on dark rides, consider carrying a head-torch. It can function as an emergency light, should your main light fail. In addition, if you had to do roadside maintenance in the dark, it will make life easier.

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