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  • Gritty and wet – really worth it to clean between rides?
  • ebennett
    Full Member

    Ignoring all other parts of the bike, is it really worth properly cleaning your drivechain between rides where it’s wet and gritty (i.e. the Peak pretty much all of this summer)? Seems like you inevitably end up with just as much crap on your chain after 20 mins or so on the next ride. Better off just to give a quick wipe and re-apply lube?

    Should probably caveat this with the fact that I couldn’t be arsed cleaning my bike after last week’s ride and can’t be arsed doing it before tomorrow’s 🙄

    andybrad
    Full Member

    short answer yes

    ghostlymachine
    Free Member

    Get a chain cleaner, it takes about 5 minutes to clean the entire drivetrain.
    Then all the watery, gritty crap that’s either been sat in your chain, drying out and turning into a thick abrasive paste. Or gently corroding bits of it away, won’t be there.
    The thin coating of cleanish water or light oil that’s left after (proper) cleaning will evaporate or protect.

    Unless you leave your bike in an shed where it doesn’t dry properly.

    rickmeister
    Full Member

    Hose off and a good, non sticky dry lube ?

    Dibbs
    Free Member

    I find if I leave my drive train wet and gritty (Quantocks wet grit) after a ride it’s more likely to rust than if I rinse it off with clean water and give it a drop of oil.
    I put this down, at least in part to the acidic nature of the Quantocks wet grit.

    ebennett
    Full Member

    It’s not so much the cleaning as the reassembly and dismantling of the bike for it – it comes back in the car with wheels off, then needs to get reassembled and cleaned, then has to get broken down again to go into storage in the house.

    4130s0ul
    Free Member

    why not just get a portable power washer / jet wash so you can hose the bike down prior to bunging it in the car?
    give it a once over with the spray and whatever cleaning products then a light lube, chuck it in the car and job done.

Viewing 7 posts - 1 through 7 (of 7 total)

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