bikemig 

Had a great time on a 26 mile ride the other day but the bike got seriously gunked up with ice. The derailleurs stopped shifting after a while. The brakes were OK but not great. The worst were the pedals. The weather hovered around freezing so there was plenty of water that got splashed up in the bike that turned to ice. I'm heading back out to do the ride tomorrow and it will be just as bad. I'm curious what can be done to make the bike perform a bit better:

(1) I run vintage mtbs in the winter. A single speed is not really an option given some of the climbs I like to do. I imagine a IGH would work better. Are some IGH's better than others for winter riding?

(2) I'm not sure what you can do about the brakes gunking up like that. I guess the options are discs (different frame) or, with the bike I rode, drum brakes.

(3) What can you do about the pedal icing up?

(4) Yeah fenders would have helped but I like riding this bike on rough stuff.

Here's the pice of the bike after the ride,

PaulRivers

a. Yes an IGH definitely would help. I think they're all very similar, they're a niche enough item I don't know of any cheap crappy ones.
b. Yes, disc or drum brakes would have helped, but -
c. Fenders are the best answer for most of your problems. If you need to prevent water from getting thrown up by the wheel onto all over your bike, that's what fenders do. I think it might be the only option for preventing the pedals from icing up.

I use a bike with an IGH and disc brakes for winter riding, but it's very possible that just putting fenders on the bike would solve all of your other problems and not require changing gearing, brakes, etc. Seems like the cheapest option to me.

TriDanny47

I carry a small WD40 with me - helps with the drivetrain situation. A small blade on a multi- tool can be used to remove ice accumulation from bakes and pedals. If you are riding in "civilization" you may be able to get hot tap water in a restroom or mooch a cup of hot water from McD's or Starbucks.

If you can find the small size windshield deicer spray that will fit in a pocket or pack.

fietsbob

I built up Drum Brake Hub wheels so to re use a Old rim Brake MTB.. S-A 'Elite' hubs . (UK made Era)

Now, in screw on Freewheel , or Cassette or several IGH - Drum Combinations ..

Miele Man

I found that coasting a lot at one time allows the crap to build up and really solidify on the drivetrain especially the rear mech. I try to keep the crank moving most of the time if I'm riding in slush or deeper snow.

Cheers