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Frozen Brakes? Croix De Fer

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  • February 4, 2015 at 2:23 pm #23184
    IRISHGENIUS

    On my ride to work this morning the disc brakes(rear) on my Croix De Fer stuck, i.e. wouldn’t compress, and when finally they did I needed to pull the cable to separate them. I have just checked them now… a few hours later and now maybe 6C warmer and they are working. Did they freeze this morning, it was just under minus 2? Is there anything to do to stop this?

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  • February 11, 2015 at 2:11 pm #830601
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    mrmo

    have chatted to someone I
    have chatted to someone I know and they had the same thing happen. I do have to wonder why so many bikes are running discs the way they are when water will get in and will freeze. Best solution is to go full hydraulic but I accept it isn’t cheap.

    February 11, 2015 at 1:18 pm #830599
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    bfslxo

    IrishCliff,
    Are u based in
    IrishCliff,
    Are u based in Ireland, I had exactly the same problem the same day, the first time this has occured to me in 3 full years of commuting incl snow days.

    The reason I ask was the temp in Northern Ireland or on my commute was -5 with an extreme freezing fog which I believe caused my brakes to freeze & stop working (increased moisture in air which froze due to temp & wind caused by forward motion) – its really hard to brake with your foot in overshoes :O –

    May have just been due to that but the other answers will help me out too

    February 4, 2015 at 9:39 pm #830597
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    IRISHGENIUS

    Thanks Mike, for now I’ll
    Thanks Mike, for now I’ll keep the bike indoors tonight to hopefully have it’s starting temperature a bit higher

    February 4, 2015 at 8:34 pm #830595
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    giles

    I have had the same problem
    I have had the same problem with gear changes when MTBing and its VERY cold and cable freezes up!

    February 4, 2015 at 4:19 pm #830593
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    mike the bike

    In common with many

    In common with many disc-braked bikes the CdeF has a rear brake cable that bends in a downward arc near the calliper. Water collects inside the outer cable here and, if it’s cold enough, it will turn to ice. Bingo, no rear brake.

    I do two things every winter to improve things. First, I strip out the inner cable and liberally coat it with light oil in the hope this will keep it running freely. Then, after reassembling the cable, I put a dob of waterproof grease on the cable, where the inner disappears into the outer. This seems pretty good at keeping the water out but may need replenishing weekly. (It is possible to buy a so-called waterproof ferrule for this part of the cable but I have found them to be useless.)

    I ride almost every winter day, often at below-freezing temperatures, and I haven’t had any trouble for some years. Best of luck.

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