Originally Posted by
alaska joe
It happens to me at about minus 5 degrees Fahrenheit. The pawls inside the freehub on my bike don't catch, or don't catch reliably. Hence the freehub just spins and spins and I can't pedal.
So far, I've been able to make due by pounding the wheel on the ground to loosen the pawls and spinning the cranks fast to generate a bit of friction heat. Then they catch and I can proceed, but the same thing can just happen again at the next stoplight. What I need to do is overhaul the freehub with a low temperature grease. I just haven't gotten around to it yet. Fortunately we only hit minus 5 F here once or twice a winter.
Yes , this has happened to me with one freehub at somewhat less extreme temperatures, about -15C. It was made worse by the fact the bike had been outside all night. The grease becomes too thick and holds the freehub pawls out of engagement. What temperature this happens at varies from hub to hub. You can stop it by replacing the grease with an oil or light, low temperature grease. it is a little tricky to service freehubs, Morningstar makes a tool that makes it a bit easier.