[jnooth]

I have been trying to get out as much as possible despite the super cold temps we have been having. When its below freezing (sometimes my rides are at about 0*) my hub freezes up and skips. on one ride it completely froze and spun freely both directions until it warmed up.

so my question is what can I do to prevent this from happening? It is a specialized/DT swiss hub and right now I have normal grease in there.

 

[NoUseForAName]

Switch to a lighter oil. More maintenance (more frequent applications) but will run better in cold temps.

Source: Living in Calgary and riding to work at -20c.

Edit: Unless you are talking about 0F. In which case, probably nothing would help.

 

[Gallain]

Has it been long since you serviced it? Might be some moisture freezing in there. I try to service my hubs for the winter and don't have any problems. Haven't ridden my DT hubs this winter below -15 (celsius) though. Wipe the ratchet clean and put new crease in there and try again.

 

[jnooth]

yes I am talking about 0* f. some mornings on my ride to work at 7am the temps are -25f. my hub last just about the mile long trip to work then gives out.

I wonder if something like a 5w suspension fluid would get the job done? obviously I would only us it for the cold temps then go back to what I have been using for warmer temps

Gallain- I serviced it in november. probably has 100 miles on it since then

 

[Verskis]

Source: Living in Calgary and riding to work at -20c.

Edit: Unless you are talking about 0F. In which case, probably nothing would help.

You know that -20 Celsius is colder than 0 Fahrenheit?

 

[NoUseForAName]

You know that -20 Celsius is colder than 0 Fahrenheit?

No i didn't. Fahrenheit is too complicated for me to spell to bother about using it as a temperature reference.

But thanks for the head up!

Another edit: I kept my bike outside (in the shed) rather than bringing it in every evening, so there was often unmelted snow still on my bike when i pulled it out the next day. If you bring the bike inside, snow will melt and then refreeze when you start riding again, compounding your problem.

 

[Gallain]

I serviced it in november. probably has 100 miles on it since then

I would do another service then.
When I lived further north in Sweden i mostly used Shimano hubs but never had had any big problems unless I forgot to service them in the winter time (rode down to -25/30F).

We do have a lot of customers come in and complain about their hubs and wires/casing freezing and we just switch casing/wire and do a service on their hubs and they are good to go...

 

[William42]

man, I'm sitting here whining to myself about having to ride to work in the mid 40's...

 

[gemini2k]

man, I'm sitting here whining to myself about having to ride to work in the mid 40's...

I was gonna do a road ride workout this morning before working, but thought "nah, its mid 40's, too cold".

 

[chillindrdude]

i ride until its 45 degrees. if its colder than that, i'm checking snow conditions to go snowboarding.

 

[300hp]

if it is a 240s style hub (with the ratchet rings) they're pretty sensitive to the grease you use. Something like park assembly grease is no good. Pop it open (take no tools, pretty cool) clean everything out with isop alcohol. Use the dt swiss recommended grease, or you can try a very light application of slick honey in there.

hope that helps.

 

[jnooth]

Good to know. thats where I went wrong!

 

[kickstand]

i ride until its 45 degrees. if its colder than that, i'm checking snow conditions to go snowboarding.

Agree x5million