Dibbs – Member
A muddy bike is a poorly cared for and often poorly maintained bike….
Dirty bike = lazy owner.
I’m not lazy, I set my bikes up to last, I avoid using delicate consumable parts, and protect the rest.
My mud bike is still on its original wheelbearings, headset, and even its ISIS BB after 5 years.
The only things changed are the tyres and the chain – and that’s seen 3 or 4 ‘Puffers.
It’s not the clinging dirt that causes the problems, it’s the high pressure spray of dirt onto vulnerable components that does.
If you want a bike to last, prevent that spray.
And the best way? Proper full mudguards for on the bike protection, and if you have to clean, avoid hosing dirt into the bearings – use a watering can or spray attachment, not a high pressure hose end.
Do what I have done and you won’t have a fashionable bike, but you’ll have one that lasts and is reliable.