Winter Cycling: Gauntlet Thrown

[Peanut Butter]

This was my water bottle after a 40 minute ride home in December. It was room temperature and liquid when I started out.

I want to see your photos chronicling your bad ass winter bicycle adventures!

[fodder69]

Ouch! I don't have any good pictures unfortunately although I have had my share of being stuck in one gear because the ice and snow has clogged the rear derailleur so bad I can't shift. I really wish I had a picture of the hawk I rescued while mtbing in the snow and riding the 4 miles to the vets with it inside my jacket!

[GuitarStv]

No point bringing my water bottle for the commutes teh past few weeks . . . at -30 you never take off your face mask to drink from it.  Here are some pics when I was biking around the day after Toronto's ice storm:

[Peanut Butter]

I have had my share of being stuck in one gear because the ice and snow has clogged the rear derailleur so bad I can't shift. I really wish I had a picture of the hawk I rescued while mtbing in the snow and riding the 4 miles to the vets with it inside my jacket!

My commuter has an internal hub. Though my commute is so flat, I kind of thought about buying one of those single speed fatbikes from Walmart for the week and a half we had snow here.

Keeping a hawk next to your tender underbelly?! You are braver than I am. :O

[Ottawa]

Very 'cool' idea!  Damn, I was fixing a flat tire with numb fingers on the way in this morning at -15C.  Even with numb hands I would have taken a picture for this thread...hopefully there isn't a next opportunity to do so.  It sucked.

[BlueMR2]

I think it's time for new gears on mine.  Had to really crank on the pedals to power through some snow drifts the other day and I had the chain jump (with a really loud bang) a tooth a couple times.  Could be the derailleur not tensioning properly anymore too I suppose.

[Ottawa]

I think it's time for new gears on mine.  Had to really crank on the pedals to power through some snow drifts the other day and I had the chain jump (with a really loud bang) a tooth a couple times.  Could be the derailleur not tensioning properly anymore too I suppose.

Yeah, my 1984 winter bike is naffed.  The crank, the derailleur etc.  But, I keep it going by repairing it.  I'm thinking about converting it to a singlespeed to reduce the amount of transmission related problems that pop up with winter cycling. 

I find ice and other road shite builds up on the jockey wheels, cables and between the cogs on the cassette.  This induces the symptoms you are experiencing.  To fix: I take the whole bike into a warm environment when I start getting these symptoms let it melt, then blow out the transmission with compressed air...followed up with WD-40 to drive out any water...followed by a coating of lubrication. 

[Russ]

I think it's time for new gears on mine.  Had to really crank on the pedals to power through some snow drifts the other day and I had the chain jump (with a really loud bang) a tooth a couple times. Could be the derailleur not tensioning properly anymore too I suppose.

that's not what derailleur tension is for. I'd guess everything was jammed up with snow/ice

[FunkyStickman]

I've been wanting to get back into commuting (I've been off the bike for a while, for some very good reasons) and eventually my bike will need a complete overhaul. I'm seriously considering an internal gear hub (IGH), and I think anybody who spends a lot of time in the ice and snow should consider it, too.

I think the coldest it gets here is about +20°F, I've ridden to work a few times in it. Had a water bottle with frozen slush in it.

Peanut Butter, which hub does your bike have? Since IGH wheels are expensive, I guess what I need to do is look at an entire drivetrain overhaul, and compare it to a decent IGH. My bike has drop bars, so I'd have to make sure to get one with a bar-end shifter. Lots to choose from, but you as a Mustachian, I want to get the most bang for my buck.

I have a Sturmey-Archer XFD-8, but I'm not sure I want to convert my touring bike to drum brakes just yet.

[BlueMR2]

I think it's time for new gears on mine.  Had to really crank on the pedals to power through some snow drifts the other day and I had the chain jump (with a really loud bang) a tooth a couple times. Could be the derailleur not tensioning properly anymore too I suppose.

that's not what derailleur tension is for. I'd guess everything was jammed up with snow/ice

Could be I suppose.  My road bike does it occasionally though in the Summer too.  If I'm in a really big gear and cranking hard every once in a while it'll jump a tooth.  A little disconcerting when out of the saddle and pushing hard.

[fodder69]

The skipping during the winter is most likely ice and snow on the cassette. The skipping on the road bike could be either the derailleur misadjusted but more likely it's chain stretch and/or cassette wear which means new cassette and chain.

[GuitarStv]

I've always been interested in those internal geared hubs, but they seem expensive as hell.  I get by replacing my chain after each winter cycling (20$), my cassette every two chains (25$).  As long as you melt the salt off the bike after every ride and keep stuff lubed up, derailleurs work reasonably well in the ice and snow.

I noticed that the derailleur tension needs to be changed depending on temperature.  At -30 the rear shift cable will pull a lot tighter and cause chain skipping if you don't loosen it.  My bike would shift perfectly in a warm garage, then shift like crap in the cold until I figured this out.

[FunkyStickman]

I've always been interested in those internal geared hubs, but they seem expensive as hell.  I get by replacing my chain after each winter cycling (20$), my cassette every two chains (25$).  As long as you melt the salt off the bike after every ride and keep stuff lubed up, derailleurs work reasonably well in the ice and snow.

I noticed that the derailleur tension needs to be changed depending on temperature.  At -30 the rear shift cable will pull a lot tighter and cause chain skipping if you don't loosen it.  My bike would shift perfectly in a warm garage, then shift like crap in the cold until I figured this out.

An IGH seems expensive, until you factor in the cost of replacing an entire drivetrain. If your bike already has a gear setup, it wouldn't save you money by replacing it with an IGH.

However, if you price even a base level Shimano groupset, they run $600-$800 easily if you include cranks. You can get a wide range IGH for $300-$400 with everything included except the cranks.

Best bet, money-wise, is to buy a quality single-speed bike, and use an IGH to make it more usable. It will still be cheaper than buying a base model bike with low-end derailleur setups.

[little stache]

I got a face mask finally and did the "cold" winter ride. 17 degrees. saved 5 bucks from the metro. i don't do the snow days on my busy streets. It is a balmy 34 on Friday!

[FunkyStickman]

I got a face mask finally and did the "cold" winter ride. 17 degrees. saved 5 bucks from the metro. i don't do the snow days on my busy streets. It is a balmy 34 on Friday!

Awesome! Feels good, doesn't it?

Somewhere around 30 degrees with a nasty headwind:

[GuitarStv]

I've always been interested in those internal geared hubs, but they seem expensive as hell.  I get by replacing my chain after each winter cycling (20$), my cassette every two chains (25$).  As long as you melt the salt off the bike after every ride and keep stuff lubed up, derailleurs work reasonably well in the ice and snow.

I noticed that the derailleur tension needs to be changed depending on temperature.  At -30 the rear shift cable will pull a lot tighter and cause chain skipping if you don't loosen it.  My bike would shift perfectly in a warm garage, then shift like crap in the cold until I figured this out.

An IGH seems expensive, until you factor in the cost of replacing an entire drivetrain. If your bike already has a gear setup, it wouldn't save you money by replacing it with an IGH.

However, if you price even a base level Shimano groupset, they run $600-$800 easily if you include cranks. You can get a wide range IGH for $300-$400 with everything included except the cranks.

Best bet, money-wise, is to buy a quality single-speed bike, and use an IGH to make it more usable. It will still be cheaper than buying a base model bike with low-end derailleur setups.

600 - 800$?  That seems high . . .

Shifters - 32$ http://www.amazon.com/Shimano-SL-M410-Alivio-8-Speed-Shift/dp/B0009Q2AA8/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1391175499&sr=8-2&keywords=shimano+8+speed+shifter
Cassette - 14.80$ http://www.amazon.com/Shimano-HG51-8-Speed-Cassette-11-30T/dp/B005DTWRLI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1391175439&sr=8-1&keywords=8+speed+cassette
Chain - 11$ http://www.amazon.com/KMC-7-8sp-chain-Silver-Brown/dp/B001CN6QA2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1391175454&sr=8-1&keywords=8+speed+chain
Rear derailleur - 31$ http://www.amazon.com/Shimano-RD-M410-Alivio-Derailleur-8-Speed/dp/B00113HAYO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1391175470&sr=8-1&keywords=shimano+8+speed+rear+derailleur
Front derailleur - 13$ http://www.amazon.com/SHIMANO-ALIVIO-FD-M412-Derailleur-31-8mm/dp/B009H94164/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1391176273&sr=8-4&keywords=shimano+alivio+8-speed
 . . . and lets say 20$ on cabelling.

That's 121.80$ for a full shimano drivetrain without the cranks.  About three or four times cheaper than the IGH without cranks that you were quoting.

[FunkyStickman]

Yeah, the Alivio stuff isn't bad, I've actually got an Alivio rear derailleur on my bike. It does get the job done, though it probably won't last as long as the Deore group.

If you have a drop-bar road bike, the shifters are considerably more expensive. I ended up getting downtube shifters because they were so much cheaper than the integrated brifters (and I needed long-pull brakes anyway).

I guess I should say, if you get the baseline road group, external bottom bracket, brifters, etc. it will run multiple hundreds of dollars. There's always cheaper ways to do it.

Also, there are cheaper IGH options, too. Sturmey Archer makes an 8-speed hub for less than $200, I've seen them for as little as $160, with shifter. There are always cheaper options. Apples to oranges, the price difference still isn't that great.

[FunkyStickman]

So, it got me thinking... price ranges for IGH vs. derailleur setups. Not trying to prove anything, I'm just curious. Strictly informational.

Top-end:
Rohoff IGH: $1500+ (no brakes, no crank)
SRAM Red groupset: $1400
Shimano Dura-Ace: $1600+
Shimano XTR groupset: $1500

High-end:
Shimano Alfine 11 IGH: $650 (includes shifter, no brakes, no crank)
SRAM Force groupset: $900
Shimano 105 Groupset: $600
Shimano Deore XT groupset: $600

Enthusiast:
Shimano Alfine 8-speed IGH: $300 (with shifter, no brakes or cranks)
Shimano SLX groupset: $450
Shimano Tiagra groupset: $400

Bargain:
Sturmey-Archer 8-speed: $160 (with shifter and brake, no cranks)
Shimano Alivio groupset: $180
Shimano Altus groupset: $160

There are, of course, mixes you can do with parts. But this will give you an idea. The price range isn't that different, really. Depends on your budget, your needs, and your expertise level in taking care of the bike.

[GuitarStv]

So, how to you get the hub into a wheel?  Do you have to hand build a wheel for it?

[FunkyStickman]

So, how to you get the hub into a wheel?  Do you have to hand build a wheel for it?

That's what I usually do, yeah. Costs about $10 in spokes and an hour in the shop.

[ginastarke]

My winter commute this year has been not bad-ass at all. The coldest it's been was maybe teens? With dry roads no less.  If you're looking  for a internally geared bike, watch craigslist for a vintage one- I spent $200 on purchasing/fixing mine up and it's a joy to ride. I think it also appeals to Boomer drivers with  some kind of nostalgia, because they far more than average  smile, relax,  and let me go where I need to go.

[YK-Phil]

I've been biking in Yellowknife (NWT) every day this winter. The temperature on the coldest day this winter was -46 C just before Christmas (without windchill) but it was surprisingly fine to bike. Luckily my commute is only about 2 miles, which is still a tough ride whenever the temperature goes below -20 C. Above -20 C, it feels like a stroll in a park. The most painful ride was two weeks when we had high winds and -35 C. I couldn't take it anymore after 10 minutes and had to stop at the local pub to warm up with a beer.