Cold affects on a bike?
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Cold affects on a bike?
Hey, I am going to be storing my mntn bike outside in a covered shed this winter, and was wondering if freezing temps will affect my bike in any way? the fork? thanks!
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I don't know about the fork, but I can confirm that the grease in hubs tends to get a bit thick at around -25c, and the hub might slip a little for the first km or so until things get warmed up and moving.
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yup, break, levels, steering, shifters, crank, any movable parts gets a real stiff feeling
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The free wheel can truely become a free wheel in both directions, if the pawls get frozen or the lube gets too thick.
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Yeah, the cold does mess up my mountain bike. At the moment its about five degrees outside, and my bike feels very "heavy" and accelerates slowly, although that might just be me, my front shock is completely frozen, rear derailleur won't shift and my bike computer's display is extremely faint.
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Your bike will repay you for such callous treatment by flatting more. I suggest moving it into the bedroom where it really wants to be...you know you want it there to don't you???
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Right now my 150 sqft apartment is rocking not one, but TWO bicycles. I just have a tarp covering the floor, so when I bring in my snow/gravel/salt covered beater, I won't be throwing away my security deposit, =)
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I think most of the problems come from stuff splashing on the bike and freezing. Just storing it in the cold won't hurt it. All the bikes I've owned for the last 40 years have lived in an unheated garage or shed.