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You're a pig


Square Wheels

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3 hours ago, Square Wheels said:

Why?

It became generally unnecessary.  Regular lubing - every 100 to 200 miles - pretty much keeps the drivetrain running smoothly.

IOW - if it ain't broke, don't fix it!  My chains last. They're pretty silent. And, with the exception of sand getting in there, just wiping them down and reapplying lube seems to do the job easily.

Even the MTB chain - when pretty nasty with mud - a simple hose rinse along with the frame and wheels to remove the mud, and then a quick drying of the chain followed by a relube does the trick.

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5 minutes ago, Zephyr said:

In the rainy season here, with all the wet and sand, commuting to work I need to clean my chain every couple weeks.  I have a similar thing to the chain pig

Yeah - I think I do it wrong.  The MTB was the commuter bike for years (pre-COVID), and ridden throughout the winter in slush, salted puddles, rain, etc..  Never touch it except to add lube.  Not really hard miles - poking along to and from the Metro in work clothes - so not too rough or tough on it, but still, no rust, no crazy wear, no stiff links, no ill shifting, nothing.  Couldn't really see a difference that ever warranted keeping it up on any of my bikes.  Just stopped doing it, and can't point to a single negative impact.  But, remember, I also haven't replaced a set of brake pads in even longer.  Never a crankring, and maybe one cassette (for wear)????  I'm guessing I'm pretty gentle to my stuff.

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40 minutes ago, Square Wheels said:

I get it.  I wonder if the dirt and grime contribute to component wear along with chain wear.

This chain has a little over 1300 miles on it.  It came out even cleaner after I greased it.

That is a clean (and pretty) chain.  And, that's what I used to aim for when I was cleaning my chains.  Laziness and not seeing any performance difference, though, eventually just led me to my current not clean/pretty chain, but also very little time messing with the chain.  But, like cleaning a car, there is also a "comforting" component to just taking care of something and making it look new.  Like washing and waxing a bike frame to bring it back to new and removing all the road dirt from on the fork or under the downtube.  None of it really makes a difference to the ride, but it does to how it looks. And, the big upside to spending some time on TLC is that you actually see when something might be going bad or needs to be repaired.  Better in the garage before/after a ride than on the ride.

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20 hours ago, Square Wheels said:

OK, just got back from a ride.  I don't think it was dirty before, I was wrong.  It was so quiet on this ride.

After my ride, still quiet, I looked at my chain, and it remains "dirty".    Heck, my spokes are dirty, my rims dirty, and the chainstays are dirty. White is a tough color :D

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1571125801_IMG_1458(Large).thumb.jpg.fa8aca34c10f929a5646262992f28fa2.jpg

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On 10/17/2021 at 8:21 AM, Square Wheels said:

I get it.  I wonder if the dirt and grime contribute to component wear along with chain wear.

This chain has a little over 1300 miles on it.  It came out even cleaner after I greased it.

chain.jpg

FTR, that paint job is still PRETTY :D

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