It's been an unusually cold and snowy winter. But we're expecting a sunny day in the low 60s and it was already 23 and bright this morning. So after months of neglect I decided to take the 2006 Felt F65 this morning.

There is a known issue with the grease that Felt used in the Shimano Ultegra integrated shifters. After so many years it tends to gum up in cold weather. I found this out the first winter I had the bike. I found some graphite infused spray lubricant from 3 in 1 that is made specifically not the harm plastic parts. That seemed to do the trick and for the last couple of winters if the bike was reluctant to shift it would clear up after 5 minutes.

However, as I said it's been unusually cold this winter and the bike has sat for at least 3 months. The bike did not shift for the first 4 miles of my 6 mile commute. I was stuck in the lowest gear of high range and was spinning out at 12 miles an hour. But the first half of my commute is generally downhill and this being my lightest most free rolling bike I was generally coasting at 14 or 15 miles an hour with a couple of stretches at 19.

Finally 2 miles from work the rear derailer let me click up a couple of gears just in time for the generally uphill portion of my ride. Rather than down shift I just left it where it was.

When I arrived in my office I used 3 in 1 oil and immediately I could hear the springs in the integrated shifters snap to attention. The bike then shifted perfectly up-and-down though the gears front and back.

So I am really looking forward to the ride home.

But because the bike had behaved so badly I made it stand in the corner.