Wet weather riding...

Hierotochan

Hi all,

just a quick question about bike care.

I've been commuting about 35 miles (round trip) a day for the last few weeks
and have been caught in some of the freak downpours we have been having.
When I get in I dry the bike off with an old t-shirt & give the braking surface
a good scrub to get the oil/whatever off.

It's about 7/8 weeks old & I should have brought it in for it's tune-up already,
but it's booked in for next week now.
Is there anything else I should be doing to take care of the bike RE: chain lube/cleaning?

Cheers.

MountainMonster

You may want to once a week hit the casette, derailleur and chain with some degreaser, then re-lube it up. It's amazing how much dirt gets caught in the chain when it's terrible weather. Other than that, weekly tire checks for high enough pressure and you should be good.

Hierotochan

Cheers for that.

Would you advise that I take the casette off of the wheel first?
I may need some more tools...

ollyridesfirst

cassette should be ok left on. Just get some TF2 spray and work it through the cogs. Then get a cloth and work that between each one all the way around (the freewheel helps with this).

If you're doing a lot of riding in wet weather, i'd take the cassette off once a month and do it that way too.....that also gives you access to the rear hub so that can have a clean. I normally do mine every 3 months in summer.....then more in winter