Originally Posted by
wilfried
On the down side, I tried two different "new" bikes, and neither had a third gear (as is too often the case). Does the gear shift mechanism get mucked up by snow, or were the gear hubs simply not working, as on so many of them?
I have noticed that the new hubs to not handle foul weather conditions well. It does seem that since that last big snowfall, a lot of the new model bikes don't go into third gear anymore... or they take a bit of warm-up (maybe 5-10 minutes of riding) at which point third gear will kick in...always at a surprising moment.
I was very happy with the new Sturmey Archer hubs and gearing at first, but they don't seem as robust as the old model.
I also agree with you wholeheartedly about the value of Citibike in crap weather saving your own bike from water and salt damage. I ride them almost exclusively in the winter to protect my own dear bicycles from harm.