How to Prepare My Bicycle for Winter Riding?

Why winter is tougher on your bike?

The competitor articles keep circling the same points. Keep it clean, sort your tyres, watch the brakes, maybe buy some mudguards and lights. All true, but they miss the main thing:

Winter riding turns small problems into big ones very quickly.

Cold, wet conditions mean:

• road salt speeds up rust and corrosion
• grit gets dragged into chains, cassettes and bearings
• braking distances get longer
• tyres cut more easily and puncture more often

So winter prep is not about making the bike look tidy. It is about making sure it is safe, predictable and not quietly eating itself.

At the bare minimum you want:

• a bike that stops properly
• tyres that grip and resist punctures
• a drivetrain that shifts cleanly
• parts that are protected from salt and water

If you are riding through winter, not just parking the bike until spring, it is worth taking this seriously.

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Step 1: Start with a basic safety and wear check

Before you copy any long checklist, do the simple stuff properly. Most riders skip this then complain when things fail.

Work through this in order:

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Frame and contact points

• Wipe the frame down so you can actually see it.
• Look for cracks, dents or flaking paint around welds and high-stress areas.
• Check bars, stem and saddle clamp bolts are snug, not loose.

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Wheels and tyres

• Spin each wheel. It should run fairly straight without big wobbles.
• Check for play in the hubs by rocking the wheel side to side at the rim.
• Look at the tyres for cuts, squared-off tread and anything stuck in them.

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Brakes

• Squeeze each brake hard. Levers should not pull to the bar.
• Look at the pads: if there is barely any material left, they need changing.
• For disc brakes, make sure the rotor is not blue or deeply scored.
• For rim brakes, check the rim braking surface is not worn into a sharp edge.

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Drivetrain

• Shift through every gear on a stand or while gently pedalling.
• Listen for crunching, skipping or noisy grinding.
• Check the chain is not brown and dry or black and caked in paste.

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If you fail any of those checks and do not have the tools or confidence to fix it, this is where a proper service beats guessing.

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At White Horse Cycleworks, a Bronze Service (£45) covers a full safety check and key adjustments. A Silver Service (£85) goes deeper, with drivetrain removal and cleaning, wheel truing and a more detailed inspection. And if your bike needs a proper reset before the worst of winter hits, the Gold Service (£140) is the full overhaul. It includes everything in Bronze and Silver, plus brake bleeding, hub servicing, and a full strip, clean and regrease of the headset and bottom bracket. It is the closest you can get to a fresh start without buying a new bike.

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Step 2: Tyres, grip and puncture resistance

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All three competitor articles talk about tyres and pressure because this is one of the biggest wins in winter.

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Pick sensible winter tyres

You want tyres that:

• are wide enough for comfort and grip
• have enough tread for wet, dirty roads or light off road
• are tough enough to resist cuts and punctures

If you are on very light, slick summer tyres, winter is the time to switch to something:

• a bit wider
• with a more pronounced tread
• built with a tougher casing

If you are not sure what will actually fit your frame and rims, ask rather than guess. For some bikes there is very little room to play with.

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Set your pressures for winter, not summer

Common mistakes:

• riding winter on rock hard pressures because “that is what it says on the sidewall”
• going so soft you are smashing your rims on every pothole

You want:

• enough pressure to avoid pinch flats
• low enough pressure that you get grip on wet, broken surfaces

Run slightly lower pressures in winter than you do in summer and check them more often. Colder air and sitting time both drop pressure faster than you think.

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If you are sick of fixing punctures at the roadside, tubeless is worth considering. Setting it up cleanly is fiddly if you have never done it. It is the kind of job we often wrap into a Silver Service or handle as general servicing at £40 per hour, so you get a neat install without sealant all over the floor.

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Step 3: Make sure you can actually stop

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The big sites talk about brakes in passing. You cannot afford to treat it like an afterthought.

Winter braking needs:

• fresh pads with enough material
• clean braking surfaces
• cables and hoses that are not full of water and grit

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Rim brakes

You are dealing with:

• grit acting as sandpaper between pad and rim
• water lengthening stopping distances

You should:

• inspect pads for embedded metal and grit, and pick it out or replace them
• check the rim is not worn into a concave, knife-like shape
• clean rims and pads regularly, not once at Christmas

Disc brakes

You get better performance in the wet, but:

• pads can still wear faster in winter
• contamination from careless cleaning is common

You should:

• check pad thickness and replace them before they are down to the backing plate
• use proper bike-safe cleaners, not random sprays that can contaminate the pads

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If your brakes feel spongy, howl constantly or pull to the bar, that is service territory. Bleeding brakes or chasing contamination without the right kit is a great way to waste an evening and still end up with poor stopping.

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Braking problems are something we expect to see in winter checks. They sit well inside a Silver Service or as standalone work at £40 per hour, depending on what needs doing.

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Step 4: Clean, protect and lube to fight salt and grit

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All three competitor pages bang on about cleaning. They are right, but they usually stop too early or gloss over the bit that matters: how salt, water and grit actually ruin your parts.

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Quick clean routine after winter rides

You are not detailing a show bike. You are just trying to stop corrosion.

• Rinse off heavy grime with a gentle hose or bucket, not a pressure washer.
• Use a bike cleaner and soft brush to go over frame, wheels and drivetrain.
• Pay attention to brakes and the area around the bottom bracket and chainstays.
• Rinse, then dry the bike with a cloth.

Chain and drivetrain

This is where people make the biggest mess.

• Do not just keep adding lube on top of old grit.
• Degrease the chain and cassette, wipe them dry, then add fresh lube.
• In winter use a wet or “all weather” lube with better staying power.
• Wipe off the excess. A shiny, dripping chain is not “well lubed”, it is a grit magnet.
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If you hate cleaning drivetrains, that is a solid reason to book a Silver Service before winter. We remove and clean the drivetrain properly so you start the bad months with a clean slate.

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You can also use a light bike-specific protectant spray on the frame and some metal parts to help repel water. Do not spray it on braking surfaces.

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Step 5: Storage, lights and small habits that make a big difference?

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The Cycling UK and Canyon articles both push indoor storage and lights. They are not wrong.

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Storage

• If you can store the bike indoors or in a dry shed or garage, do it.
• Avoid leaving it outside in winter if you can help it.
• If it has to live outside, at least use a proper cover and keep on top of cleaning and lube.

Constant wet and frost will get into bearings, cables and exposed metal. You end up paying for that sooner or later.

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Lights and visibility

Short days and filthy spray mean:

• run lights far more often than you think you need to
• check they are charged and mounted securely
• add reflectors if your bike does not already have them

You do not need to look like a Christmas tree, but you should be clearly visible from front, rear and side. A small outlay here is cheaper than relying on drivers spotting a dark bike in the rain.

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Step 6: When a home check is not enough?

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The other guides all have a quiet line that says “if you are not sure, take it to a shop”. Then they go back to generic tips.

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Here is the truth. You should stop guessing and book a service when:

• the bike has not had a proper service in a year or more
• you can feel play in the headset, bottom bracket or hubs
• your gears skip under load even after basic cleaning
• your brakes feel weak, noisy or inconsistent
• you are planning to ride through winter rather than park the bike
• you have started to see rust on the chain, bolts or exposed metal

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At White Horse Cycleworks, every bike that comes in gets:

• a free assessment
• two clear quotes
  • one for the minimum to make the bike safe
  • one for recommended work to keep it running well through winter and into spring

You also get free collection and delivery within ten miles, covering Marlborough, Calne, Devizes, Pewsey and Wroughton, so you do not have to drag a filthy bike into the car.

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Get your bike winter ready with White Horse Cycleworks

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Winter will always be harder on bikes. You cannot change that, but you can choose whether you go into it on a tired, half-working bike or one that has been checked properly.

If you want to ride through the colder months without worrying about hidden problems, you have two options:

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• follow the checks in this guide and keep on top of cleaning and lube, or
• hand the hard work to a mechanic and start winter with a full service and clear plan

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If you prefer the second option, we can:

• carry out a Bronze or Silver Service, depending on what your bike needs
• advise on sensible winter tyres and setup
• check brakes, bearings, drivetrain and, if relevant, suspension
• return the bike ready for wet, salty roads, not just a sunny summer spin

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Book your free collection and winter bike assessment with White Horse Cycleworks and give yourself one less thing to worry about when the weather turns.