Winter Bike Care: Protecting Your Bike From Salt and Grit

Winter riding puts a bike through more than just cold and wet. Road salt, spread to clear ice, is genuinely corrosive, and combined with grit thrown up by tyres, it accelerates rust and wear on a bike far faster than rain alone.

The single most effective habit is a quick rinse after every wet or gritted ride — even just a bucket of water and a sponge over the frame, wheels and drivetrain removes most of the salt before it has a chance to sit and corrode overnight.

The chain deserves special attention. Salt and grit strip away lubrication fast, so a chain that's fine one week can be dry and squeaking the next. Wipe it down and re-lube after every wet ride, rather than sticking to a fixed weekly schedule.

Finally, keep an eye on anything steel that isn't painted or coated — bolt heads, chain, cassette and exposed spring mechanisms are the first places rust takes hold. A light coat of protective spray on these areas before winter sets in makes the whole season considerably less painful.