My Strida doesn't like cold weather

It was slightly freezing this morning, and as I was commuting to my work, I noticed that the crank of my Strida LT, equiped with a Schlumpf SD, did not respond as usual. After each stop, the transmission did not engage at all or only after a 1/4 of crank revolution. Note that my bike is staying the whole night in the trunk of my car.

I see 2 possible root causes:

  1. The MoS2 grease of the Schlumpf solidifies which prevents it to work properly: the system does not engage in low or high speed. I had this in the beginning when the easy shift kickplates were installed preventing a proper engagement of the Schlumpf. It was solved by taking them out.

  2. The freewheel is not working properly. I think this is it, because when pedaling, I also hear and feel some ‘clicks’. As mentioned earlier on this forum (See [url]Assembly problem? - #7 by Bietrume]), my freewheel is noisier after having ridden in the rain, so I suspect the seals to not do their job properly. Some moisture is probably present in the mechanism. I will try to soak it with WD40 and then re-lubricate it with normal oil.

I am convinced that there is a design issue with this freewheel anyway. :imp:

What do you think?

Schlumpf, or Haberstock, offer Superior Friction Reduction Spray

Did you try to adjust gear shift buttons and/or kickshift plates?
Schlumpf speed drive manual english
Chapter B-5, E-2

Sorry, no idea for the moisture problem, we do not ride if it’s wet or cold… :blush:
However, I mean the freewheel does have too much friction…

When I had the issue with kickshift plates, I removed them, but at the same moment I also readjusted the shift buttons.

They forecast a temperature of 10°C for tomorrow: let’s see if the problem is still there!
If yes → the Schlumpf needs readjustment
If not → I will have to work on the freewheel :imp:

The issue came definitely from the freewheel. Spraying a big amount of WD40 into it helped, but the days after I have ridden on wet roads, I feel that the freewheel is generating more drag.

I should definitely replace it but it is quite expensive for a simple component (32.5 Eur). So I will delay this purchase :frowning:

WD40 evaporates quickly and thus its effect is only temporary; in the longer term it makes things even worse for it washes the grease out causing increased drag and wear. I’d try filling the freewheel with some amount of a consistent grease before paying 30+ Eur for the new one.

I would usually grab synthetic bike grease from the bike store and fill it into my ball bearings so water doesn’t get into it. You might be able to do this to the freewheel too but I never took apart my metal freewheel yet.

Also Cubicapple is correct. WD40 basically washes out the good grease and it leaks out pretty easily from any rain. it’s not useful as an everyday lubricant.

I agree, as a long term solution I will use the motorbike chain lubricant that I still have in my garage. When you spray it, it is very liquid but after a while, when solvents have evaporated it becomes more viscous. Hopefully it will do the job, otherwise I will have to take the frewheel apart and grease it properly.