CRJ200 FLT CREW HAD A LNDG GEAR MALFUNCTION ON TKOF.

Narrative

UPON ARRIVING TO THE ACFT IN THE MORNING THE OUTSIDE AIR TEMP WAS -15 DEGS C. THE ACFT WAS PWRED DOWN AND COLD. AFTER STARTING THE APU WE WARMED UP THE CABIN AND COCKPIT BUT ALT ALERTER; ALTIMETER SETTING AND OVERSPD WOULD NOT WORK DUE TO THE COLD. AFTER THE ACFT WARMED UP ALL ACFT SYS WORKED NORMALLY AND WE PUSHED BACK; GOT TYPE 1 FLUID FOR FROST REMOVAL AND BEGAN OUR TAXI TO RWY 36. AFTER TKOF AND WITH A POSITIVE RATE THE GEAR WAS CALLED UP. THE MAINS WENT INTO TRANSITION BUT THE NOSE REMAINED DOWN AND LOCKED. THIS GAVE US A 'GEAR DISAGREE' MESSAGE. WE CYCLED THE GEAR WITH THE SAME RESULT AND LEFT THE GEAR IN THE DOWN POS; WHICH EXTINGUISHED THE MESSAGE. AT THIS TIME BOTH THE FO AND I FEARED A GEAR PIN MAY STILL BE IN THE GEAR; BUT UPON INSPECTION OF THE GEAR PIN RACK; ALL PINS WERE STOWED. WE CONTACTED TWR ABOUT A RETURN FOR LNDG AND THAT WE NEEDED TO BURN OFF SOME FUEL TO NOT LAND OVERWT. WE WERE THEN TOLD TO HOLD OVER THE OVR VOR. WE ENTERED THE HOLD AND AT THIS TIME LOOKED AT THE QRH FOR GEAR DISAGREE EVEN THOUGH ALL 3 WERE DOWN AND LOCKED AND WE SHOWED 3 GREEN AND MESSAGE WAS GONE. WE DID THE PUMP PORTION OF THE QRH BUT AFTER CONSULTING MAINT DECIDED THAT PULLING THE MANUAL RELEASE HANDLE WAS UNNECESSARY WITH 3 GREEN. WE CALLED FOR CFR TO BE WAITING AS A PRECAUTION AND ASKED TO RETURN TO THE ARPT FOR LNDG. THE LNDG WAS UNEVENTFUL. IT IS BOTH THE FO AND MY OPINION THAT THE EXTREME COLD MAY HAVE LED TO THIS PROB AND IF THE ACFT HAD BEEN HEATED PRIOR TO OUR ARR NOTHING WOULD HAVE HAPPENED. MAINT FOUND THAT THE NOSE STRUT WOULD NOT EXTEND CAUSING THE WT ON WHEELS SWITCH TO THINK THE NOSE GEAR WAS STILL ON THE GND.