Tanking temperatures forced the issue late on Wednesday night (30th) Time to fit the Schwalbe Winter to Ursula and my fixed gear winter trainer, especially since I would be resuming night rides come the first week in January. Thursday morning came and by 9am, it was struggling to reach minus 3 degrees, so my initiative paid off.
Now, it's worth noting that my fixed gear winter trainer only has enough room for a 35mm slick in the rear triangle, hence, I stick with the standard 32/35mm road rubber, especially since of the two, it’ better to have spikes up front (assuming you can’t fit a pair, obviously). The Winter plus differ from their winter siblings in terms of spikes-number and location.
I can usually bowl along quite nicely, to around 17mph on icy stretches, running the budget winter, but the winter plus have palpably more bite when things turn mean and snowy. Since we’re on the subject, look closely at Ursula (my Univega) and you’ll note I’m running a Marathon Winter Plus up front and the base Winter TESTED: SCHWALBE WINTER SPIKED TYRES (sevendaycyclist.com) behind.
This boiled down to being unable to locate both Winter Plus, so the next best thing. Here in the UK, it’s rare that we get long spells of snowy/icy conditions, so the Winter’s slightly worn Tungsten Carbide studs shouldn’t present any problems. 1.75 width also frees up a bit of clearance, so mudguards are also less likely to get fouled, or clogged with snow, should that materialise here. Main thing is, I can relax, enjoy the ride and stand a sporting chance of remaining rubber up. Reliability trumps speed.
Well-prepped winter bikes greatly reduce mechanicals-the last thing you want when it's bitterly cold and you’re miles from home.After The Gritters Went Home | Seven Day Cyclist Especially if you’re introducing children or a significant other, to the joys of winter on two wheels.
Pack hubs, headsets, and fit bottom brackets /seat posts etc with stiff stay put greases. Keep the bike clean and periodically apply a good quality paste wax to make this process easier, while also repelling UV light, road salt, and other caustic nasties.
I’d been toying with the idea of fitting some SKS Speed Rocker to the fixed since these would subvert clearance issues with 35mm tyres, and of course, the Gusset Headlock system.
However, if you are going the clip-on route, apply some helicopter tape around the fork blades and stays, where the guards attach (even the high-end models), to prevent gritty stuff from getting behind and potentially marking the bike’s finish. Prevention is always easier and usually cheaper than cure-especially on a carbon composite frameset.
Thankfully, the cold snap dried things up a little but I was surprised by the effect freezing temperatures have had upon the Apeman A80APEMAN A80 ACTION CAMERA | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com), which has been powering down after 40 seconds of footage, whereas the now seemingly obsolete Geonaute G-Eye-2 Escape will keep rolling, even when it’s -3.
The Kinekt 2.1 Suspension Seat postKINEKT 2.1 SUSPENSION SEAT POST | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) finally succumbed to the same squeak as their stem. Once again, I applied a little Green Oil SlipGREEN OIL SLIP ECO LUBRICANT (sevendaycyclist.com) to the moving parts, and it became progressively silent over the course of 15miles. It remains pleasingly so. A silicone-based spray, such as Muc-Off Silicon Shine MUC OFF SILICON SHINE POLISH | cycling-not-racing (sevendaycyclist.com) might’ve been the fastest cure, but I have a suspicion these might not be so durable, at least during a very cold, wet spell.
