Christmas [bike] negligence

RufusA

Put my bike away on Christmas eve, without so much as a thought or care for its road-salt encrusted underbelly!

Last night went to give it a quick once over, put a bit of air in the tyres etc. ready for this morning's commute. What a sorry state it looked, what a negligent owner I'd been!

Had to spend 10 minutes massaging oil in to the chain links so that they would bend a little when going round the sprokets. I daren't even look at the bottom bracket cage etc.

Think I might have to give it a little TLC and quality time this coming weekend.

Remember, bikes have feelings too!

Rufus.

rolf_f

I cycled home for the last time on the 22nd. Bunged the MTB in the back of the car (as emergency transport should I have got snowbound ) and left it in the boot whilst at my parents til the Monday. The nearly new chain was brown and crusty and my previously shiny cassette looked like a Grimsby trawler.

I need to get the cassette off but my removal tool is crap so I need to get a decent one. In the meantime, I cooked the chain in degreaser and brushed the cassette with the same as best as I could and the evidence is now mostly hidden. I've had to give the bike a proper deep clean to deal with the guilt though......

gbsahne001

just got back.... haven't dared look at the bike, as it hasn't seen the light of day since the 22nd

Cafewanda

Disgraceful, the lot of you :shock:

Much appeasement of the cycling Gods should now commence

RJHazell

I'm also guilty of this - got the bike out this morning and had to throw some oil on the (brown) chain to get it going...

Any cleaning advice for the drivetrain or am I better off replacing it in the spring?

I've only got a carrera subway so to buy 'like-for-like' replacement components would only cost me about £50 (cheap cassette, chainset and chain).

I commuted all through the winter, any other tips on keeping the bike in good condition throughout the winter?

I realise that this reply probably now belogs in the workshop seciton.... :roll:

.................Rob.

rolf_f

Cafewanda wrote:

Disgraceful, the lot of you :shock:

Much appeasement of the cycling Gods should now commence

Pfft! It's easy for you - you're much closer to the chain than the rest of us so your neglect is more obvious to you

RJHazell wrote:

Any cleaning advice for the drivetrain or am I better off replacing it in the spring?

Naaaah! It'll be fine.

Difficult to avoid surface corrosion on the chain if you ride through the salt even if you are quite fastidious. A bit of rust won't harm as long as you don't make too much of a habit of leaving it wet. It is all the cack that gets in the rollers that kills the drive train so just clean the bike and chain as soon as possible after mucky rides. A chain cleaner is a good bet for this as the process is so fast you can't really have an excuse not to do it! And, I'll occasionally heat my chains up in a pan of degreaser. That really gets the gunk out.

RufusA

RJHazell wrote:

Any cleaning advice for the drivetrain or am I better off replacing it in the spring?
.................Rob.

TBH you shouldn't need to replace anything unless it's badly worn.

Salt, road cr@p etc. speed up the wearing process, but unless you are doing huge mileage most of the drive train should be good for a few years use.

For a full clean and regrease this guide is as good as any. I would recommend a full clean once a month when there is salt on the roads, and the occasional blast with a hosepipe inbetween wouldn't do any harm!

http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/article/w ... bike-18259

Rufus.

gbsahne001

Chain so badly caked in muck that it wont go round and is basically a stiff length of metal; have had to resort to removing it and putting it in a bottle of degreaser / chain cleaner to soak.

Glad I looked at it today, would have been a problem in the morning!

Tonymufc

Guilty as charged me'lud. Spent about 45 minutes yesterday cleaning and lubing. (That sounds so wrong).

Mike Healey

T ighten
L ubricate
C lean

flateric

My bikes are all very upset, havent ven had em out in the wintre due to a persistant cough, my roadie has bent wheels, my MTB is looking neglected and clean, and the hybrid is still in pieces. Really must get on the bike this year.

itboffin

My poor on-one inbred MTB spent the day chained up at a rural train station today, in the rain steel bikes and cold days in the rain = orange jacket of shame in the morning.

But I can't be arsed after a full day to clean and dry my bike, pffft!

:oops:

Blue Meanie

Rode in and out of work on Monday, Tuesday rode in and had reason to use front brake on my fixed, and it didn't work! When I gave it a super-squeeze it slowed me down, only to find when I released the lever the caliper didn't. I have discovered the 'hand-brake', coming to a fixed near you.

Also, what with yesterday being so lovely, I took the long-route to work only to discover 800m of compacted ice/snow - oops

Philcho

I haven't bothered giving the MTB a clean since mid December with all the snow and crap on the roads and what not. It's rather disheartening spending an hour or so giving the bike a thorough clean only to get it pitted again the next time i go out

bumpitybump

My winter commuter also in a sorry state after the snow. Has been getting harder to get 'clean' gear changes over the last couple of weeks so when it warmed up at the weekend I decided to clean it properly - almost wish I hadn't. After cleaning the black crud off it I could see the chain was pitted with rust and was stretched. The sprockets were worn as were the chain-rings and the derailleur. Have decided to replace worn out components with new but it will be a bit of a dilemma if it snows again in the next few months as the road salt and my habit of not cleaning the bike if its cold in the garage will probably result in new components getting worn far too quickly.

Only bright side is from this post I can see many other bike radar forum members are as bad as I am

Beginning to think I need another bike.....

bike 1 - nice summer commuter
bike 2 - winter commuter for normal winter conditions
bike 3 - snow winter commuter fitted with belt or alfine internal gears and studded tyres

roger_merriman

one of the advantages of not being off much, over christmas/new year is unlike my wife's bike which is (or rather was until I sorted it) a sorry rusty mess my bike has been used though out.

I also switched to a heaver weight oil as the various nice ones where hardly lasting the day in the salty grotty weather before the chain started to get rust specs.

Clarebunny

Hm, this was the state of my diring room on Sunday. Serious TLC required. And the brompton still needed a £95 service! Bah!

Drysuitdiver

I have a days annual leave tomorrow . what am i going to be doing. cleaning, fettling and lubing my bike. stripping down and srvivcing the wifeys bike. its better than working .

Mr Plum

My christmas negligence cost me £18 on a new front mech. That'll learn me...

Tusher

Bikes require maintenance?


(wanders away in puzzlement........)

Cafewanda

Tusher wrote:

Bikes require maintenance?


(wanders away in puzzlement........)

@ Rolf F, :P