BobbyG

I used to commute in the teens, but then my minimum crept up to 21F until 5 years ago when I pushed it down to 10F and then down to the single digits two years ago. None of my 3 bikes has suffered from a frozen hub, but only one bike gets ridden on the snow, my 1997 Nishiki Blazer 21-speed. I had the hub apart 10 years ago by accident, so I cleaned and regreased it. Never had an issue with the hub...but that is probably a combination of good luck and our dry climate.

Having commuted on snow and ice regularly for 4 winters now, I don't know how I'd handle a fixed gear. There are a lot of hills here in Colorado Springs, and aside from not having low enough gears for the uphills with a fixed gear, I need to coast on the slick downhills. I have studded snow tires and on slick downhills I will put my left foot out for stability and lean slightly left with my right foot in the right toe clip as I feather the brakes. This may be bad form, but it's what I do.

That being said, I don't think my 58-year old knees are up to fixed gear riding anyways, so the point is mute. But since this is an internet forum, rinternational law dictates I must offer an opinion even if it is ill-informed, non-germane or adversarial.