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View Poll Results: Do you bike in bad weather?
No, I only ride when it's warm and dry. 16 17.58%
I'm used to riding in the rain. 10 10.99%
I don't mind the cold, as long as it's not raining. 13 14.29%
I don't mind the cold, as long as it's not freezing. 8 8.79%
Temperatures below freezing aren't bad, it's snow that I avoid. 10 10.99%
A little bit of snow never hurt anybody. 12 13.19%
Bad weather? What's that? 22 24.18%
Voters: 91. You may not vote on this poll

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Old 12-26-2015, 08:52 AM   #141 (permalink)
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Svietlana II - '13 Peugeot 308SW e-HDI 6sp
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I'm still riding my summer bike, as there hasn't been any snow yet. Unfortunately, one day someone got the great idea that pouring salt on the dry road will make a really nice joke. Then it rained, so there was lots of salty splash. Only once, and my chain & cogs have rusted, rear derailleur refuses to index properly, and the rear brake has jammed

The rear brake is my greatest worry at the moment - it takes a lot of force to start braking, then the v-brake will not open again, I have to pry it open My winter bike has the same problem, but it showed up towards the end of the season, not after the first salt. Is there anything I can do to: a) get the brake to work smoothly again, and b) protect it from this problem in the future?

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[Old] Piwoslaw's Peugeot 307sw modding thread
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Old 12-26-2015, 09:02 AM   #142 (permalink)
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You might be able to free up your brake with some liquid wrench or atf mixed with diesel fuel conditioner.

I ride in the winter and here's the setup I've found that works best for me:
- carbon mtb frame off ebay from carbonrev
- 26" magnesium cast wheels from aliexpress on the cheap -no spokes to rust
- schwalbe ice spyker pro tires
- jagwire cables coated in Teflon
- coat the cables with atf or ws2 with isopropyl brushed on
- don't bring the bike in and out of the cold - leave it in the cold
- chains, bottom brackets and cassettes can be cheap on wiggle.com on sale
- deer hide mitts for the hands
- full winter boots with liners save the toes
- full parka and toque and scarf
- replaced the grease in the wheel bearings, bottom bracket, and free hub with ws2 and nmf

Buy the winter tires in summer 1/2 price from wiggle....

Last edited by spdfrk; 12-26-2015 at 09:14 AM..
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Old 12-27-2015, 08:08 PM   #143 (permalink)
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Penetrant oil or kerosene to loosen rusty parts. Waterproof grease on the brake parts. I use silicone or CV joint grease. A moly chain and cable spray lube on the chain. Clear spray paint for cars or marine fittings will protect many components from salt spray.
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Old 12-28-2015, 03:00 PM   #144 (permalink)
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If the brake is that bad you may have to disassemble it and sand the rust off the post. I had to do this a few times a year for my winter beater. A thick waterproof grease helps but does not eliminate the problem in a salty environment. I switched to disk brakes but still get stiction.
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Old 12-28-2015, 03:03 PM   #145 (permalink)
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Took the rear v-brakes off today and sprayed the inside with a WD40-oid, but no go They are corroded solid - if I try to move them, then the spring's pin starts to bend, it will break off shortly.

Thankfully, when I bought a disc brake for the Wife's bike, I kept her v-brakes. I put these on and was surprised at how easily they moved, so smooth... And the good side of them being cheap-o is that they are simple - not sealed tight with no way to get at the insides, but the plastic seal pops off, allow access to the spring. Put some grease on it and will get everything finished after work tomorrow (taking the train now - you guessed it - due to salt on the roads). Maybe using the cheapest, simplest parts on the winter beater is the way to go...
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e·co·mod·ding: the art of turning vehicles into what they should be

What matters is where you're going, not how fast.

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[Old] Piwoslaw's Peugeot 307sw modding thread
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Old 12-29-2015, 10:44 AM   #146 (permalink)
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First snow ride of the winter today! It was pretty greasy.

So I got the cross-country skis out until the roads are packed/clear.
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Old 12-29-2015, 11:57 AM   #147 (permalink)
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I may get around to build a ski rack for the mountain bike It will be interesting to see if aero wheels or covers do any better in the snow (100 mm deep).
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Old 12-29-2015, 12:01 PM   #148 (permalink)
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Ha! That reminds me: last winter I made a sling to hold my skis & poles on my back and rode to the trail head a few times. That got a few strange looks from drivers.

And I regularly bike to a small hill nearby with my snowboard on my back!
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Old 12-29-2015, 06:11 PM   #149 (permalink)
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I often bike in slightly bad weather. I don't mind a little drizzle but I don't like getting my clothing soaked. I've sometimes gone through snow too. It's not so bad if I use a mountain bike with slightly soft tires like about 30 psi.

On Dec. 22 at about 5:50 PM I was riding my bike after sundown in the drizzle and got hit by a truck. I was crossing an intersection and I noticed a bright light on my left side. I turned my head and saw an SUV heading directly toward my position about 20 feet away. I pedaled a little harder and turned to the right and then a second after that I was knocked down on the road. The SUV which looked like a Chevrolet Blazer stopped next to me. It apparently hit the back of my rear wheel with the left side of its front bumper. The driver asked if I was okay and I stood up and said "yeah". Then he asked about my bike so I turned its wheels and said that it was good. I got back on the bike and finished going home.

I can't blame him. It was wet and dark and there were probably a lot of headlights shining in his eyes from the other cars. I think he was making a left turn. Somebody had removed the front and rear reflectors from my bike (it was stolen and then recovered without them) and I wasn't wearing my headlamp so I was probably hard to see. I later realized I was injured a little. I think the handlebar poked into my lower abdomen and I hit the road with my left hip and my ribs. The ribs still hurt a little. I'm thankful that no part of my body got run over by the tires.

I think I could be safer by using reflectors, lights, and a bright colored jacket or safety vest with reflective stripes.
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Old 12-30-2015, 12:05 AM   #150 (permalink)
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Ouch! Sorry to hear about your accident Andyman, but very glad you came out relatively unscathed. Since it sounds like you got the message, I`ll spare you the lecture and just suggest a few general ideas to cure "ninja bike syndrome".

Active lighting (usually battery powered) and inactive (reflectors) are both helpful, and the combination really stands out, can even be fairly inexpensive. A cheap white front light and rear blinky go a long ways towards showing up in the dark even when you aren`t in the direct path of somebody`s headlights. Blinkies last a long time with a pair of AA or AAA batteries. You should be able to find AA or USB-chargeable front lights starting from about $10 these days- if possible, try to find some that you can take out of the package before purchasing to make sure the switch feels good and the battery door (if it has one) closes well and isn`t going to pop open when it isn`t supposed to.

Reflectors only work when somebody is heading almost directly at you, but in that situation, they show up a lot brighter under 50+ watt headlights than even the fanciest and most expensive LED bike lights. I use those reflector vests that you see road construction crews wearing for both daytime and night time riding. After a year or two, the reflector part is still pretty good, but the color fades, making them not so visible in daylight. I like the mesh ones (extra big) so I can wear it commfortably all year over whatever clothes I need for the different seasons. For even more visibility, you can add a bit of reflective tape to your rims and cranks (the rotation really catches drivers attention) or reflective ankle bands.

Ride safe, guys!

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