Continue with mudguards, winter tyres, and lights – it ain’t summer yet
The change of the clock may have instilled in many of us the feeling that winter has passed, but the longer days and lighter evenings mean little when the weather refuses to take the hint.
The temptation to tear off your mudguards, and treat your steed to slimmer, softer (faster) rubber can be hard to resist, particularly after such an interminable winter, but fight it you must. If you have a winter bike, continue to ride it. Now is not the time to break out your ‘best’ bike.
Mudguards will protect you and your bike from road spray, and there’s likely to be a lot of it about until the weather improves. We’ve already discussed the increased likelihood of punctures in heavy showers – still more so than in prolonged rain – and such conditions will quickly expose rubber that is too soft for the season.
Lighting too should remain in situ. While you’re unlikely to deploy the full beam demanded by winter riding on unlit roads, being able to signal your presence to motorists on a murky day is valuable, and will cost you nothing more than leaving the brackets in place, having already purchased the lights for winter.
