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Nice first ride in the COLD.

 

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Dearborn PBL was pretty good this morning between Kinzie and Madison, except a little section south of Washington.

While I enjoyed the reduced riding over the last month, by now I am getting a little stir crazy.

So I rode in this morning. I was reminded that 0 degrees is at the very bottom of my comfort level. It was slow, and now I am feeling tired (instead of refreshed and ready to go).

Here is to hoping that the weather will return to normal soon

Today was my slowest commute ever.  Studded tires couldn't find purchase on the slush, perhaps due to ice under it.  Milwaukee was pretty narrow most of the way in.  My front derailler locked at the start of my ride, so I couldn't ride in my usual gear, and everytime I stopped and back-pedalled the tiniest bit the chain fell off.  3 times.  Total mechanical malfunctions this morn, and it didn't even seem that cold.  I think my chain is all stiff, any ideas?  I degrease and oil every weekend, but I did try a new oil last week..It was super thick so that maybe the issue.  It was called chain L or something. Maybe it isn't a good winter oil



Apie (10.6) said:

My front derailleur locked at the start of my ride, so I couldn't ride in my usual gear, and everytime I stopped and back-pedaled the tiniest bit the chain fell off.  3 times.

Ouch. I'm curious about the cable routing for your derailleur. Is there a run of cable housing  in the shape of a "U" with the center section lower than the ends? If so, water can enter the ends and collect (and freeze) at the bottom of the "U".

I just experienced this twice on the same bike. I finished cleaning up a women's Schwinn World Tourist I plan to throw at Craigslist. When I got it, the front derailleur was completely frozen. The cable had rusted into that U-shaped housing. New stainless steel cable and housing. Voila.

Then I moved the bike from the basement to the garage. I went out to take a couple pictures yesterday afternoon. Double-checking the brakes and such, I found that the rear brake was completely frozen (it had worked fine in the basement). My guess is that it had water in it all along, but that it froze yesterday in the cold garage. I will replace the cable and housing to be sure everything works fine, but that's a continual problem for bikes with these kinds of setups. I'm sure grease in that section will help, but probably isn't a panacea.

Skip, initially I don't really understand what you are saying.  I have a top pull derailleur.   I think it has to do with the brifter not shifting far enough, but the chain drops made me think therr are issues with the derailler itself.  After some research I see that Chain -L is a good winter lube, so I don't think the chain is the issue.  I'll run down during lunch to see if I can figure out what you are talking about with the "U"



Apie (10.6) said:

initially I don't really understand what you are saying.

Here's an example:

http://oldtenspeedgallery.com/blog/wp-content/bikes/owner-submitted...

Note how the black housing for the rear brake starts under the diagonal top tube at about the same level as the "C" in "SCHWINN"? Water can enter there. It proceeds down to just above the chain, then turns "north" to the rear brake caliper. The cable forms a very stylized "U". You could think of it as a "V" or a "J". The key is that there is a low point from which water can't escape. Over time (probably measured in years), water will get into the cable housing, but have no way to drain out. It will either freeze in there or rust the cable and/or the housing, unless both parts are stainless. I experienced both problems on the bike I was referring to.

Schwinn saved a few cents per bike by eliminating about a foot of housing and a couple clips cable clips, but created a maintenance headache for owners of these bikes (and plenty more like them - I don't think Schwinn was alone in doing this).

Bright sunshine - check

No wind - check

Correctly dressed - check

Road conditions - I guess one can't have everything. :-(

Ive had my brakes and shifters freeze many times in the past winters... so this year I packed grease into every housed cable section, and poured lube onto all the derailleurs... so far nothing has frozen this winter.  Maybe your chain fell off because your freewheel wasn't moving with your chain when you backpedaled?  might need to lube the freewheel.  I had to do that last week. 

Apie, check that your inner limit screw is set correctly, and that the cable tension is tight when the FD is the inner ring. Also, make sure your brifters and the top pull FD are compatible.

The Augusta bike line was buried today and it made for a very hairy ride with the heavy traffic.

The sections of River North Milwaukee Avenue which weren't under construction looked and felt like they should be. Those protected bike lanes should be clear of snow and ice by mid-May.

Lisa Curcio 4.1 mi said:

[snip]

Road conditions - I guess one can't have everything. :-(

Can anyone remember the last time you rode on completely dry streets, or were not forced out of the bike lane at some point due to snow/slush?  Still prefer this to the CTA though.

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