Living Car Free - First Car Free Winter Ahead - Gears, Single Speed, or Fixed?

I just bought an old steel mountain bike for my first car free winter. I know a lot of people strip off their gears for winter riding and do SS or FG. Right now my bike has Shimano 200GS friction shift gears. Should these be fine? I can see how single speed would be less to get jammed up with ice and snow. I ride a fixed gear that I like quite a bit and can see how it could provide extra control on ice without locking up the wheels. Open to any and all suggestions. Thanks!

PS It's hot as hell as I'm typing this, but I like to prepare in advance.

I just bought an old steel mountain bike for my first car free winter. I know a lot of people strip off their gears for winter riding and do SS or FG. Right now my bike has Shimano 200GS friction shift gears. Should these be fine? I can see how single speed would be less to get jammed up with ice and snow. I ride a fixed gear that I like quite a bit and can see how it could provide extra control on ice without locking up the wheels. Open to any and all suggestions. Thanks!

PS It's hot as hell as I'm typing this, but I like to prepare in advance.

I like the internal gear hubs. They don't seem to get iced up as easily in the snow and cold as the dérailleur style but you get to have the gears. My last bike with dérailleur had the shimano STI system I think they called it 105. It wouldn't work in the cold and snow. Your cold and snow is worse. I've had the sram 7 speed and shimano 7 and 8 speed internal gear hubs in ice and snow with no problems. The worst problem with those systems is they had/have the grip shift twist type system and in the hot weather they get slippery from the sweat and sunscreen. The manufacturers could improve the system with a grippier grip shift, with a knobbier surface.

Fixed gear worked for me last winter - never wiped out, even running drop bars. The main thing though is studded tires to avoid slipping on ice - read the numerous threads on this in the Winter Cycling forum.

Icing of derailleurs is a non-issue, IMO.

I've used about every type of derailleur made in about 7 years of 365 day Michigan riding. I have had a problem with gears getting iced up at the most twice, and then it was a simple matter of thwacking it with my hand to knock the ice off.

Make sure your gear and brake cables are in good shape going into the winter, and you'll probably need to replace them in the spring.

No troubles running gears, here. My current bike has a pretty resilient system: friction shifters, sealed housing with teflon coated cables, and older Deore LX with boots on, but no troubles using more mundane systems either. I ran with a basic Deore drivetrain with standard cables and trigger shifters for quite a while without issue, as well.

And, I do live in an icy area. Icy, slushy, snowy.

I believe it comes down to whether or not you will miss your gears, and you feel maintaining them will be too much hassle.

My personal experience is that I clean and lubricate the drivetrain more often, but its not unmanageable at all.

Thanks for all the good advice. I think I will end up keeping the gears on. I was planning to change all the cables as they are rusty right now (but work). Is it worth it to use stainless cables, or will they still be shot at the end of the season?

Fixed gear worked for me last winter - never wiped out, even running drop bars. The main thing though is studded tires to avoid slipping on ice - read the numerous threads on this in the Winter Cycling forum.

There seems to be a variety of opinions on equipment options. Some like FG/SS. Others like beefy triples. However, as you point out, almost everyone agrees about studded tires. Clothing is another part of the equipment that the OP should focus on. It's essential to not over or under dress.

Get thee to the Winter Cycling subforum.

My winter bike is a stock 1X7 cheapo gripshift setup. It worked perfectly all through the winter.

Tires are much more important IMO. I ended up getting semi slick marathon winter 700X35. If I had a do over, I'd get something with more aggressive tread for snow/slush. These tires work great for ice, but can really suck in chewed up snow.

Get the tires that will suit you best, be it icy or snowy (or both) roads you face come winter time.

Thanks for all the good advice. I think I will end up keeping the gears on. I was planning to change all the cables as they are rusty right now (but work). Is it worth it to use stainless cables, or will they still be shot at the end of the season?

Teflon cables are nice because they don't need much maitenence. Cheap steel cables will work OK. Just remember to shoot a little grease down there once in a while.

In my 12 years of Winter cycling in Quebec-Ontario-Yukon, I've always used all my MTB gears and never owned a single pair of studded tires. Actually I usually ride on hybrid tires, as my life isn't focused on trails solely. I fell only a couple of times, but had many more near falls, prevented by putting my foot down (I have good one leg balance from skating).

My absolute limit for cycling is -41C. At this point, the handle bars become difficult to steer due to hardening of the plastic cables. I guess I could find specialty cables somewhere, or is it the cables themselves that stiffen beyond use, I'm not sure.

My main strategy was well greased cables and never bringing the bicycle indoors. As for clothing, I like to keep it light (but I am naturally padded), it's chamois plus lycras til -25C, then additional windbreaker pants, I always wear cheap gloves and light windbreak mits, almost in any weather, never a hat or helmet, but I use a wide warm head/ear band (sensitive ears) I sweat a lot, especially on hilly streets and need to let the heat escape a little before I get too sweaty, and finally a cozy fleece scarf beyond -20C. So really, the scarf and chamois are the only technical gear other than my high vis windbreak/rain cycle vest, which I usually leave open :)

Winter cycling is the best!

Winter cycling is the best!

+1!

Most people who try winter cycling will be pleasantly surprised.

I'm going with an IGH this year. Too many rainy 32 degree days last winter. Really drives me nuts when I can only use one gear because the chain skips in the other ones.

I went to the Winter Forum per gerv's advise and forgot to come back here! I think I'm somewhat prepared now. Does anybody else leave their bike outside like tallard does?

I went to the Winter Forum per gerv's advise and forgot to come back here! I think I'm somewhat prepared now. Does anybody else leave their bike outside like tallard does?

I bring mine in most nights, but I used to leave bikes outside all the time. They theoretically rust less in the colder temps, since cold temps slow down oxidation.

Does anybody else leave their bike outside like tallard does?

I keep mine in the garage... it isn't heated. I wonder what effect bringing a salted bicycle into a warm,humid house would have on the frame.. However, I do know that leaving it out where rain and snow can hit seems to have a quickly deleterious effect. My son used to leave his old Schwinn Varsity out on a rack (at university...) and it started showing signs of rust,

Another thought might be to get an aluminum bike!

I keep mine in the garage... it isn't heated. I wonder what effect bringing a salted bicycle into a warm,humid house would have on the frame.. However, I do know that leaving it out where rain and snow can hit seems to have a quickly deleterious effect. My son used to leave his old Schwinn Varsity out on a rack (at university...) and it started showing signs of rust,...

Rain can be a problem yes, as the gravity relentlessly pulls the water down across your nicely oiled parts, exposing bare metal. However, cold, and snow, unless it's melting, have no rusting effect at all.

As for rust, never had any rust on any bike of mine, other than a smidgeon where the spokes cross, and in the crevasses of low grade screws and bolts. Quick to rust steel is a sure sign of low grade metal, no matter how much you paid for the bike ;)

Your enemy is Winter is melt, no melt, no rust.

From personal experience, the best advice I have in regard to winter cycling is to do it in Palm Springs. ;)

+1!

Most people who try winter cycling will be pleasantly surprised.

With both the cycling itself as well as the "YOU BIKED IN THIS!" when you get to work.

My bike stayed out side--unheated sunporch. I rode all but about 14 days last winter.
My winter prep will consist of:
Tri-Flow on the cables
full length cable casing on the rear brake, I had freezing issues last winter, only with the rear brake though.
derailleur boots on both derailleurs
studded tires
weekly oiling of the chain
suitable clothing

I agree with Roody and GodsBassist:
Originally Posted by Roody http://www.bikeforums.net/images/buttons/viewpost.gif (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?p=9496890#post9496890) +1!

Most people who try winter cycling will be pleasantly surprised.


With both the cycling itself as well as the "YOU BIKED IN THIS!" when you get to work

I would like to mention that freehubs can "lock out" at about -15 to -20C and below. Doesn't always happen, but sometimes the grease gets too thick and the pawls hang up. If you can get into the freehub, you can flush out the grease and replace with lighter oil, Morningstar tools has a device that makes this easier.

Tire choice is dependent on the your particular conditions.

Honestly freezing isn't much of an issue unless you are storing your bike outside all winter. As long as you either bring your bike indoors or keep it nicely covered and don't forget to lube up then you'll be fine all winter.

Also as you start hitting winter thaws, I'd probably wash the bike down, with a quick rinse, to get rid of the salt residue. that stuff can really corrode the parts.

I like the internal gear hubs. They don't seem to get iced up as easily in the snow and cold as the dérailleur style but you get to have the gears.

+1

IGH are perfect for wintertime. Gears are great if you get stuck in heavy snow or icy roads where you really need to slow down.

I've gone three winters now through Anchorage and I see no advantage to reducing or eliminating your gear choices. I need them and use them a lot more in the ice and snow. I've also never had the external gears ice up.

Especially if you have a lot of groceries or you are commuting with a big bag, gears certainly can be useful. I just can't imagine how my ancient legs would make it up the few hills I have to climb in winter... perhaps if I was 25 years old, I'd be riding a SS or FG.

I've also never had the external gears ice up.

I've had it happen a lot, usually after a heavy snowfall.The RD gets all clogged up with snow, and if you leave your bike outside during your working hours when you go to ride home the RD has iced up. It's a PITA, especially if you need to shift or the cage isn't moving properly and producing chain tension. I couldn't be happier with my IGH for winter use; I'll never go back to a RD.

It may be a result of the differences in snow type. I was expecting iced gears to be a major problem when I started winter riding, but it never materialized. I store my bike inside, though, and locally the temps usually stay well below freezing. This may be more of a problem if you store your bike outside and temps are warmer. I've also noticed the fatbikes for off-road winter racing all seem to have external gears.

I rode a Schwinn Continental all last winter (and hopefully this winter) and had no problems with derailleur, though I did get a lot of rust. I kept the bike in my unheated garage. It gets cold here, but never that bad -- I think my coldest day was -30F including windchill.