Road salt in winter: blessing or curse?
Road salt in winter: blessing or curse?
February 4, 2025
Winter is here for a few more weeks and promises snow, ice and sub-zero temperatures. Hardened cyclists are of course not deterred by this. However, they have to take special account of one unseen component, because every year up to 4 tons of road salt are spread on German roads. We have summarised here what the road salt means for cyclists and what it brings to winter cyclists:
What are the benefits of road salt for cyclists?
Some cyclists will raise their eyebrows when we write here that road salt is good for cyclists. In fact, the salt only has one advantage for micromobiles. But this advantage is extremely important:
The salt lowers the freezing point of water, which means that snow and ice melt. Since more and more people want to cycle in the winter months, this function of road salt is worth its weight in gold. Because ice, snow and wetness are dangerous. A recent study has shown that cycling accidents are particularly serious in the winter months. You can find out more about this in our article » This is how many accidents happen to bicycles every year
Road salt can therefore prevent instability and thus avoid falls.
But what negative effects does road salt have on bicycles?
Prevents instability and avoids falls
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Consequences of road salt for bicycles
Maintain, use, clean. Road salt means (directly and indirectly) that you have to clean your bike more often than in summer. The main culprits are rust, mud and dirt. But you can counteract these with a few simple steps.
rust and moisture
The road salt not only attacks ice and snow to break them down, but also eats into steel. In fact, the salt facilitates the formation of rust, which in turn attacks the bicycle chain, the frame and all other steel and iron parts. The constant presence of moisture intensifies the entire effect even further.
Rust is particularly dangerous on the brake cables. These should be treated with a drop of oil every now and then in winter to keep moisture away.
In addition to the brakes, the chain should also be cleaned regularly and ideally before
mud and dirt
Road salt makes things wet, and wetness makes mud and sludge. Mud and sludge, in turn, keep the moisture where it causes rust: on the bike frame, the chain and the sprockets.
The brakes also suffer from the dirt: if the rim or the brake disc is dirty, the brake shoes wear out faster.
What you can do about road salt
Ideally, you should have greased and cared for the most important elements such as brake cables, chain and the bearings in the bottom bracket and handlebars before the first grit application in winter.
If you've been out in the winter, you should remove mud and dirt from the chain and frame as quickly as possible. The chain should also be oiled more often so that it is protected every time you set off again.
All this cleaning and oiling will only provide maximum protection against rust if you store your bike in a protected place. If you can, use the bike cellar or garage. Once it has been cleaned and oiled, you can possibly take the bike into your home. A bike cover will also help to keep snow and rain away. You should especially make sure that the bike is dry after washing, as the water cannot escape easily under the cover.