I posted a while ago about how I would like to build a Winter bike using an internally geared hub next time around. Here's why:
You know, this thing was performing surprisingly well considering how much slushy crud had accumulated in it. I have fenders for this bike but haven't installed them yet. It is my hope that a front fender with a great big mud flap may reduce some of this buildup, but this kind of thing is usually inevitable in my experience. The result, often, is that you end up with only one usable gear out back. In my case, since I'm only using one front chainring, that translates into one gear period. Knowing this, I often choose to spin a little more than I normally would since getting stuck with a gear that is too high can prove troublesome in the deeper stuff.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. It was clear and -7 C this morning, a beautiful kind of weather for winter riding, and the bike and tires did very well in a really wide variety of road conditions. In a winter that hasn't been very wintery thus far, this morning's commute was lots of fun.
Yer Pal,
R A N T W I C K 