Newb Maintenance

cab7220

newb question
I can't for the life of me keep my drivetrain clean. Ill clean it really well and have the bike looking brand new (other than a few scratches and what not) and after one ride in the dry it is dirty again.

Is it Possible that shape of the down tube is throwing a buncha crap off the wheel right into the crankset? How often do you clean your drive train?
Also I notice if the road is wet(not raining) my feet get absolutely drenched.

sungod

dust/dirt will stick to oil/grease on the drivetrain, don't over lubricate, if you run the chain through a bit of old sheet (or other non-fluffy, non-catchy cloth) it'll take off surface dirt and lube, then it picks up far less

wet roads will coat you+bike in cack, at speed the stream of water off the wheels is quite powerful, fitting mudguards will reduce this a bit, but you'll still get wet

shoe covers help, but water will still get in eventually, either via ankles or cleat holes, i usually only wear them if it's cold+wet

roadies are hard, once you're soaked to the skin and your shoes have filled up you know it can't get any worse, so you just keep riding

Schoie81

I found this about getting wet last Friday morning. Firstly, every now and again I could feel the water running down my leg and into the top of my shoe - so no matter how waterproof my shoes were - it was running into the top. Secondly, I thought to myself as I left the house, if it rains too much, i'll take a short-cut and shorten my ride. 15mins in and I was soaked, and then I just thought, well I can't get any wetter now, so there's no point taking the short cut!! The human body is remarkably water-proof!

hipshot

You're probably expending too much effort trying to keep it clean.

As a guide, just quickly run the chain through a baby wipe or rag every couple of rides and give the cassette/chain rings a wipe. Do this more if you ride long distances or in poor weather.

Thoroughly clean every 6/7 rides and before/after a major ride or event. Dont over oil the chain and wipe off excess thoroughly and you're good..

Dmak

You could try dry lubes, they collect less dirt but to be honest they're not that great. I use White Lightning Epic Ride lube. It doesn't collect as much crap as normal wet lube but lasts longer than dry lube.

Not sure how often I clean but I'd guess around every 100 miles.

Neil_aky

On the wet feet issue I would strongly advise shoe covers for the winter, wet roads and cold weather result in cold feet. I tried thicker socks, two pairs of socks etc before realising it was the fact that my shoes were wet which was causing the cold. So before the Winter arrives - get some shoe covers!