Brakes and gears freezing

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Permalink Reply by Mike Bullis 5.5-6.5 miles on March 11, 2009 at 5:06pm

I'm going to have to say that water isn't the problem, but rust caused by water is. At a bare minimum, I would suggest pulling the cables out of their housings and either relubing or replacing them. Also, if your hub is an old Shimano 333, a few drops of oil on the innards wouldn't hurt. If it is a newer Nexus.....I don't know what to do.

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Permalink Reply by Ali on March 11, 2009 at 5:08pm

What do you mean freezing? Are you certain that there is water trapped inside that is solely responsible for faulty operation? Does your hub and brakes work when you take your bike indoors and let it sit for a couple of hours? And what do you mean traditional hand brakes? Side-pull or top pull or cantilever brakes? You have to be a little more specific...

-Ali

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Permalink Reply by Ali on March 11, 2009 at 6:01pm

If you are sure water is your problem and not rust like Mike mentioned, but you can also drop some alcohol in the parts where there is water, alcohol will lower the boiling point of the water and make it evaporate much faster...Make sure to use plenty of lube afterward...

-Ali

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Permalink Reply by cutifly on March 11, 2009 at 7:23pm

my brakes freeze and I just use my foot.

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Permalink Reply by Tyra on March 11, 2009 at 7:36pm

When I say freeze I mean the brake and gears are inoperable. I cannot squeeze the brake handle to engage the brake. I am stuck in a particular gear and cannot shift out of it. Brakes and gears shift fine in warm weather or inside. I assume it's water because out in the cold within a matter of minutes the brake and gear (or maybe just the shifter) freeze. The opposite is true too. As soon as the bike is indoors for a few minutes the brake and gears are operable. I had not considered rust but will look into it.

My front brake and my pedal brakes do not have this problem.

Ali said:

What do you mean freezing? Are you certain that there is water trapped inside that is solely responsible for faulty operation? Does your hub and brakes work when you take your bike indoors and let it sit for a couple of hours? And what do you mean traditional hand brakes? Side-pull or top pull or cantilever brakes? You have to be a little more specific...

-Ali

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Permalink Reply by Mike Bullis 5.5-6.5 miles on March 11, 2009 at 11:18pm

That does sound like moisture then. Still, pull the cables out of the housings and relube them. Also, I'd use a heavier bodied grease, like white lithium grease(it works in fishing reels), on the cables to keep the moisture out in the future.

Tyra said:

When I say freeze I mean the brake and gears are inoperable. I cannot squeeze the brake handle to engage the brake. I am stuck in a particular gear and cannot shift out of it. Brakes and gears shift fine in warm weather or inside. I assume it's water because out in the cold within a matter of minutes the brake and gear (or maybe just the shifter) freeze. The opposite is true too. As soon as the bike is indoors for a few minutes the brake and gears are operable. I had not considered rust but will look into it.

My front brake and my pedal brakes do not have this problem.

Ali said:

What do you mean freezing? Are you certain that there is water trapped inside that is solely responsible for faulty operation? Does your hub and brakes work when you take your bike indoors and let it sit for a couple of hours? And what do you mean traditional hand brakes? Side-pull or top pull or cantilever brakes? You have to be a little more specific...

-Ali

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