Bike Forums - completely ditching the car.

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i am 100% car free and have been for about four years now i love it, yeah i live in idaho and winter can suck but i still make it around, the one thing i miss about driving is long trips. If your gonna go car free id say just do it for good just tough out the foul weather and after the first winter of riding it really doesnt bother you as much the next im sure others on here will tell you the same

just wanted to mention its been two weeks now. loving it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tsl (Post 10883871)

[derailleurs freeze up right?]Maybe they do for some people, but not in my experience. I get the impression (perhaps incorrectly) that the people who report troubles just find one gear and stick with it for miles and miles, and then are surprised it's stuck there by icy build-up.

Probably describes me. A small touch of WD-40 every couple of days helps this enormously. Get it right on the cable housing ends.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tsl (Post 10877150)

I'm just across the lake from you. I don't like MTBs. My primary commuter is essentially a cyclocross front end mated to a touring bike back end. I run Nokian Hakkapeliitta W106 tires in 35mm, under 45mm fenders. Three winters on this rig and I still can't see any reason to change it.

I've said it before, but anybody from Rochester NY (where I spent 8 friggin' years - although I do love the place, just not the winter!) who can go car-free year round is hard-core. Winter is long and bleak there.

I'm in Socal now, and it's ridiculously nice year-round. THe most depressing thing about it is that almost nobody bike-commutes here...

I'm not car free, however, I am car-lite, working on two years now.
I run a 11-34 8 speed cassette. I have ridden the last two winters, I never had any issues with my dérailleurs freezing up on me.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 91MF (Post 10882617)

since starting this thread im searching out a road frame that has canti mounts, will accept larger tires and fenders plus a rear rack. derailleurs freeze up right? im cool with single speed, even fixed gear actually. i dunno about IGH, never owned one.

I wouldn't overlook the viability of those little P clamp do dads allowing you to just mount a rack on the rig you've got.

That said, if you are pursuing a commuter-specific rig, lots going for the Surly Cross-Check. It does all that you're asking, has horizontal drops for the IGH option (though not necessity because derailleurs do work as has been said), plenty of room for all the snow tires you could want. It is very road like. Most others that are more proper road, or roadier, won't offer the tire clearance, horizontal drops, etc.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tsl (Post 10883871)

Maybe they do for some people, but not in my experience. I get the impression (perhaps incorrectly) that the people who report troubles just find one gear and stick with it for miles and miles, and then are surprised it's stuck there by icy build-up.

I run full fenders with mudflaps, which keeps a lot of crap out of the drivetrain to begin with. I also run close-ratio cassettes and shift frequently, due to the stop-and-go nature of my route. That keeps the cables and RD freed-up and minimizes build-up on the cassette.

But also remember that my commutes are short (about 5 miles, 8 km) and I park indoors at both ends. Maybe that helps too, I dunno.

Basically the same here. I have never had a derailer freeze up on me. My commute is 5 miles. I also park indoors. But, I don't shift much. West side of Cleveland is really flat, I typically only use 2 gears.

Going car free is pretty easy for me. Everything is somewhat close. If I need a motor vehicle, I just rent one. It's cheaper to rent a car for a day or two once a year than it is to own one, even if it just sits all year long.

Ive had a derailer freeze up once but it was sitting outside all day long in sleet, fixed it my spraying that red battery terminal stuff for anti corrision for some reason it works you just end up with red cables. I have also heard from a guy that lives in wyoming that diesel anti gelling fluid works too, i mean really its winter who cares if your bikes dirty or not.

I just went thru my third winter. Once you overcome the weather. Riding in snow isn't as bad as most would think. We went from a two car family to a one car family. And like most winter commuters. I've ridden thru it all. Snowstorms, Blizzards, Icestorms. The secret is getting good gear to stay comfortable. You learn that here on BF in the Winter Forum. My personal low is -14. To prevent the RD from freezing up I put a few drops of oil down the cable housing leading to the RD. Letting it work itself inside the housing. I've never had any problems shifting.