Frame and fork
Frame and fork
The most important part of a winter bike naturally is the chassis. Winter bikes are typically made from metal – heavier but cheaper and hard-wearing.
Traditionally that has meant steel, though aluminium and titanium are now also popular.
Mudguard eyelets, clearance, long drop brakes
If mudguards are the defining feature of a winter bike, mudguard eyelets are an essential feature of its frame. While clip-on ‘guards provide decent coverage for racing bikes without the necessary fittings, a true winter bike should have full-length mudguards, which in turn offer more protection.
As well as eyelets, a winter frame must have the necessary clearance to accept full mudguards. Eyelets and clearance typically come hand in hand.
Why do you need mudguards? They will protect your rear end from water, mud, grime and everything else that kicks up off your tyres on a country lane, and will also go some way to keeping the same muck off your components. Your riding pals will thank you for it, too.
Most winter framesets will be designed for long drop (47-57mm) brakes, required to fit over mudguards and provide additional clearance for wider tyres.
Steel
There was a time when all bicycle frames were made from steel and it remains a popular choice for winter, audax and touring frames, thanks to its strength, durability and springy ride quality.
It is also affordable but typically heavier than aluminium and titanium. The Genesis Equilibrium is a popular option and one made from either Reynolds 520 or 725, depending on the model, or Reynolds 631 in this new-for-2014 disc-equipped machine.
Aluminium
Aluminium is an increasingly popular option for a winter frame. Advances in aluminium manufacture mean it is now both stiffer and lighter than of old, without, in our experience with machines including the Kinesis Racelight 4S and Cube Peloton Race, the bone-rattling ride quality.
Titanium
Titanium can offer a unique ride quality: (relatively) light, stiff and comfortable, it seemingly offers the best of all worlds but it’s an expensive and difficult material to build with, and that’s normally reflected in the price tag.
That said, a titanium bike is often dubbed a ‘bike for life’ and the Kinesis GF_Ti V2 – updated for MY2014 with a new tapered headtube, long drop brakes and clearance for full guards and 28mm tyres – will form the basis of the forthcoming RCUK winter bike build.
Carbon?
A carbon winter bike? Surely that’s an oxymoron? Well, yes, we think so – at least a dedicated winter specialist should really be metal rather than carbon fibre.
However, a handful of manufacturers offer carbon frames ready to tackle winter and it’s a slowly emerging trend. Pearson’s ‘I’ll Get Me Coat’ carbon frame has mudguard eyelets and room for big tyres, while the new Orbea Avant we spotted at Eurobike – dubbed ‘the most versatile bike ever’ – has the same, as well as disc brake build options. Is this the future?