wet weather

stueyc

commute approx 20 miles a day sometimes till evening 9pm ish...roads/mud terrible at the moment

any tips on cleaning etc?...pain in the a** everyday!

any areas to keep eye on?

DavidTQ

Wheel rims and brake blocks I like to keep clean, has a big impact on brake efficiency I find it best to take the wheels off and put them in a big sink at work takes about a minute a wheel to give them a decent clean like that, I would think using a shower hose over a bath would do the same job. Other than that its the chain and drive system that are important, no real short cuts there Ive got a chain cleaning tool that you clip over the chain then run the chain through, then its time to relube it. Have to say I find the cleaning this time of year a bit of a pain.

Thats the main bits I cover as regular cleaning from time to time I will give the bike a thorough cleaning, but to be honest a bit of mud on the frame doesnt bother me as long as my gears and brakes are kept good.

stueyc

Thanks....how often chain need relubing?

everyday?

clanton

The chain will need to be relubed every time it is degreased. I use a wax lubricant and hose the chain off every 2-3 rides, degrease it once a week and relube it then (but this is on my cheap and nasty commuter, my proper bikes get better care)

stueyc

i hose the bike off every night...need to fully dry the chain and then relube?

DavidTQ

Not after a hose down, after using a degreaser on it, which some say should be after every downpour, I personally do it as often as I see the chain looking crappy, the rims etc get more attention as they are safety orientated cleaning rather than running cost saving maintenance.

Im just way too lazy to hose down my bike every day, and degreasing the chain after ever down pour, I will probably end up paying for it in chains and cassettes .

Shadowduck

I'm with DavidTQ - some of the maintenance regimes people recommend and (apparently) follow are nothing short of heroic by my standards!

My bikes are in daily use in all weathers and there's no way I'm faffing around cleaning, degreasing and lubricating every time I nip into town for something! Each of them gets the tyres topped up weeklyish then a wipe over and a looking at about once a fortnightish, which is also when I adjust / lubricate / replace bits as necessary. The chain gets a dash of oil whenever the rollers start to look dry / shiny... Other than spontaneous unplanned deflations, which no amount of cleaning will prevent, I've not had a huge number of mechanicals (one snapped chain, that's about it) so my maintenance can't be that lax.

stueyc

Thanks Guys..all comments much appreciated

its my only bike :-) at present,just love to ride whatever weather so just trying to keep it working soundu

robbie the roadie

Can you fit mudguards to your bike? Some nice SKS full length ones will stop a lot of the muck getting onto your bike in the first place and therefore will cut down on the cleaning/mainteance.

Other than that (apart from what has already been mentioned) it's worth taking your pedals off and seatpost out maybe once a month and putting a bit of grease on to stop them seizing.

Monty Dog

IME mudguards in fact make your drivechain even more dirty - mudguards are great for keeping the rider clean but don't keep your bike clean

stueyc

have hose on quite powerful jet...this ok or am i forceing dirt/mud/water into places i shouldnt be?

robbie the roadie

erm all your trying to do is just rinse the salty dirty water off. It doesn't really need a full on blast or you may well just be blasting grease out of vital areas. IMHO anyway.

duckiciao

My chain got horribly rusty using wax lube just lately, Ive had to go back to oil based.

Any ideas about this?

penugent

duckiciao wrote:

My chain got horribly rusty using wax lube just lately, Ive had to go back to oil based.

Any ideas about this?

I've seen a lot of comment to the effect that wax lube is best for dry conditions only. I stopped using it myself as I found it to be poor.

Maybe save what's left for that eventual move to the west coast of the good ol USofA

robbie the roadie

penugent wrote:

I've seen a lot of comment to the effect that wax lube is best for dry conditions only. I stopped using it myself as I found it to be poor.

Not just me then. I find it just goes into lumps so you end up with loads of it in some places and a dry chain in other areas. I too suspect it's 'california spec'

duckiciao

Bloody wax stuff, it does say its good for all weathers as well. It shifts like a beauty when its dry, its enough to turn you on at how slick it is....