Bicycle Mechanics - 3 Speed Hub in the Winter

I am going to be riding my old Murray bike thru the winter here in Metro Detroit, and it has a 3 speed Shimano 3S hub. Based on my experience with the petroleum based shock oil I had to replace in my mountain bike fork 2 winters ago so the thing would compress and rebound below 30f, I expect problems with the hub on my current bike at cold temps. Down as low as 0f. Colder than that and screw it, I'm driving or just not going!

What do I do to replace whatever lube is in there now with a synthetic lube that will stay a consistent viscosity? What is the intended lube? Where can I find service instructions for this hub?

I know this hub isn't the best, and reliability is a know problem, and I know that Murray isn't exactly know for high end bikes, but it's what I have for now so I have to make it functional down to 0f.

Thanks
Keith

about 3ml of light machine oil even '3 in one oil' should be fine.. [not WD40 thats mostly solvents]
PM's ... do it every once in a while
a 3 speed remains engaged, only the who is the driver and who is the driven gear changes..

I just took my old Sturmey AW3 hub partially apart, but only as far as the axle cones , to put fresh grease on the bearings then put it back together , I use Phil Tenacious oil, squirt a little in the end of the axle and put the shifting chain back in.

synthetic lube Is still Petroleum, its just distilled from Natural Gas rather than refined liquid crude.

Archive thread about the same issue:
http://www.bikeforums.net/archive/index.php/t-463064.html

After reading it seams that hubs are unaffected, the must be well lubed. I think the most important thing is to lube the cables.

Thanks Tentacle. I searched first, for "3 speed hub winter" and didnt find that thread. Guess I need to start calling it by its common name, IGH, huh?

That pretty much answers it for me. Man am I not gonna miss frozen derailers and shifters! lol

Thanks

Thanks from me also Tenacle. I too want to use a IGH bike for the winter and have been researching for as much info as I can find. Still sorting out what exactly I can afford to get.

Just use a thinner oil like ATF or one of the 0w or 5w's.

I used a grease-lubed 3-speed Nexus in the winter. While it was pretty stiff, it didn't cease to function. It's not the end of the world.

If there's a few traces of old oil left, it won't make everything go thick. It should just get diluted by whatever you put in there.