Hypno Toad

I was out for a 13-mile fatbike ride in perfect snowman snow: wet and warm. It was sticking to everything and created a problem I've never had (& I've been ride through Minneapolis winters for 10+ years): the snow/slush/ice was accumulating in my cassette making it impossible to change gears. The derailleur was working fine, it was moving without issue, the tension was good too. The only issue I can think that caused this issue was that the slush was filling up the cassette and the chain couldn't get into the teeth. I ended up single-speeding home, thankfully I was stuck in a good gear for the most part. If I tried shifting to a smaller gear, the derailleur would move, but the chain would just skip over the teeth. After getting home and washing the bike with hot water, the chain had no issues engaging the cassette.

I'm curious if anybody else has had a similar issue and if you had a solutions. After getting home, I thought of one of my grandpa's favorite solutions to issues like this: just piss on it

The pic of the cassette didn't work, but this give you an idea about the snow. This stuff only took a couple minutes to build up like this, I'd hit a bump and it's fall off, but would be built up again within a mile.

pdlamb

Snowbird. Fly south for the winter. Predicted low for this week is 39F, and you get to post snarky replies to people who're stuck up north all winter long.

(Of course, I'd miss hearing about all the misery I'm missing!)

55murray

Yes, I have had the exact same thing happen. Don't know anything better than your Gramps idea, I've usually just used a stick to try and break it up - not easy. It seems specific to a really slushy road/trail surface. I've had it pack to the point that no gear works, not even the one it was in. Makes you want to join the IGH crowd.

Hypno Toad

I tried a stick too without any luck. I was losing gears as I went, and the thing I learned nearly too late was to quit trying to get into another gear ... every time I messed with the rear gears, I'd lose another gear, the larger cogs were the only ones I could engage. It was a spinning ride home!

IGH is a good choice for the winter conditions ... but I'm too lazy to make the effort to change over.

I made the dumb mistake of stopping to pee in a port-a-john ... I was empty when I needed it.

Hypno Toad

Snarky comments are all good and can cut both ways

But I'm definitely not 'stuck' up North, I love winter and the unique adventures I enjoy with the winter. Maybe I'll get old enough that I want to travel south for the winter ... but I can't see that happening anytime soon. (warm weather winter vacations are still a very cool thing!)

ThermionicScott 

If I didn't run fixed in the winter, I'd look into an IGH setup. Google tells me that an IGH fat bike has been done before.

Hypno Toad

The first fatbike I rode was IGH - Orgin8 Crawler - vacation rental on the North Shore of Oahu ... look at the big dumb smile!

As somebody that loves a Pugsley, I'll tell you that the Crawler is HEAVY!

Bikewolf

I use a toothbrush as it is somewhat more versatile, not a stick.
And sometimes a thermos of piss :-)

Banzai

I run an Alfine on my Pugsley, precisely because of issues like this. And because at the end of winter, I was typically replacing the rusted derailer. My Pugsley sees on and off road miles, and they salt the heck out of the roads. It was eating every exposed moving part.

But the Alfine absolutely helps with the slush-cake problem. I think the Pugsley is now the only fat-bike that has a 135 OLD in back to run a hub like that.

fietsbob

generally less 'speeds' like 6, leaves more room to pack in crud & ice before a situation where the chain wont engage the teeth..

Yes, an IGH , with the chain pulled snug. (W/O spring tensioner), would be more reliable..

bikemeister

Maybe I'm talking out of my butt here, but would a de-icer mixture from the auto parts store clear out that icy slush without the danger of poking a stick in there?