Originally Posted By: akhoundog
Keep in mine what works in the winter doesn't work as well in the summer, thinner grease can run out of bearings a bit.
I use
slick honey grease in as many of the bearings as possible. Some of the bottom brackets are difficult to service, most hubs have cartridge bearings that you can (carefully) remove the seals from and clean/re-lube. the freehub itself can be greased with slick honey or in extreme environments just oil. Oil has a pretty shrt service life tho as it runs out, i would do this for someone doing a race during very cold weather.
I've found that oil works best on the chain in the winter, i like tri-flow. Wax based lubes are great in the summer but cause some resistance in the cold.
A good way to inspect the bike is to just leave it outside for maybe 30 minutes in cold weather cycle some of the components with your hands. It should become apparent what needs to be winterized, many pedals become extremely stiff too.
Shifters are a big one here, the factory grease can thicken up and prevent shifting. Grip shifters seem to be immune tho. The fix is usually pretty simple tho, Flush them out well with a light spray oil.
I dont disagree, necessarily... but I will say I've run into very few problems like this in Michigan. I still ride every now and again in winter but back before I had a family I rode a LOT in winter...