Originally Posted by
CharlieFree
Did not work well:
- Shimano indexed shifting. Thinking conversion to single-speed for next winter seeing as how winter and wear will require replacement of BB and entire drive train anyway. Any comments on this idea, by the way?
I wrecked my BB on my first winter commuting. I didn't know anything about bike maintenance, just kept spraying the chain with WD-40 when it got noisy enough to be heard over the studs. After replacement by the LBS, they explained the importance of regular drivetrain care. If you keep it running smooth, you shouldn't have to replace the BB every winter.
I've ridden with Shimano indexed shifting for the entirety of my commuting life. In the winter I found that to keep it shifting reliably, I had to be hyper-anal about keeping the cable housings cleaned and lubed. For the last few seasons I've taken to leaving a daub of grease over the hole opposite the derailleur on the bottom stretch of housing, and seems to go a long way in keeping grit out. But I switched to friction shifting this year and now don't worry so much about housing cleaning, plus I can dump gears fast when I hit variable density snow. I wouldn't entertain the idea of single-speeding though, just because I don't want to give up the ability to shift gears for snow of inconsistent density (it's fluff! now it's plow chunder! now it's fluff again!) and steep, icy hills.
If you're look for less maintenance but don't want to lose variable gears, maybe an internal geared hub would be worth looking into?