When hub freezes over

Last spring I found myself not riding places I wanted to out of fear that my full suspension Giant would be too tempting to thieves and it would get stolen. I decided to buy a less expensive bike to use as a commuter.

I wanted something with fenders that I could mount a pannier rack to. Since I live in Alaska, where freezing temperatures dominate six months of the year, I wanted a bike that didn't have any suspension that could get damaged in the cold (I hear that seals can freeze and break) and a bike that I could easily mount my studs to (which are for 26" mountain bike wheels).

I came across the Kona Worldbike at Speedway Cycles here in Anchorage. The bike met all of my criteria, plus it had an internal hub that did away with the need to have a high maintenance derailleur system. I rode this bike as frequently as I could over the summer (which was not nearly as frequently as I would have liked since I was working on a road construction project out of town and getting married last summer).

I was actually looking forward to winter for the opportunity to ride my bike to work a couple times a week. I threw my studs on and waited for the right day. I'm not into killing myself during my commute so I wait for the right day to ride in. A day when there hasn't been snow or wind for a couple days so that the city has time to plow the bike paths. (In all reality it makes little difference since the road plows seem to make a game out of covering freshly plowed sidewalks with snow from the roads (Check out this post to see what I mean).

After commuting a couple of times I started to notice an annoying pattern developing. My morning ride to work would go pretty well, but during my evening ride home I always felt like I was riding up a hill of sand. There were times where I had to get off and walk on some very gradual uphill sections. Not only was this tiring but it was a little embarrassing too.

I went back to Speedway to see if anyone knew what the heck was going on. It turns out Shimano packs their internal hubs with grease that freezes in cold temperatures. I'm sure that works for 99% of the people who buy bikes with Shimano internal hubs but I'm the 1% that uses their product in a way that they apparently didn't anticipate. Luckily the Speedway guys are aware of this shortfall with the Shimano internal hubs and know how to fix it.

I'm glad to report that my hub has been re-packed with grease that will not freeze in any temperatures that I would ever ride in. Thanks Speedway.