bike grease!

[keepclimbing]

Hi, everyone. I'm new to the forum, but I've learned a lot by reading past posts. I've been commuting to work for years, and I always wear bike clothes and then change at the office. But my New Year's resolution is to bike EVERYWHERE unless absolutely impossible. (Not an easy task on St. Louis ice this morning, but I did it!) On quick trips I expect to wear regular clothes, but I am notorious for getting chain grease all over my right pant leg. Just putting a band around it doesn't do it. Ideas, please?

[Thorn]

:D Always wear black pants? :D :rolleyes:

Seriously, what about a hiking gaiter (e.g., http://www.rei.com/product/721674 )? They'd pop on and off pretty easily and you could tuck your pant legs into them?

[keepclimbing]

Good idea! (The gaiters, not the black pants :))

[Lucky, Fabulous]

I have just learned to wear my bike grease as a badge of honor ;) Do you use studded tires for riding on the ice?

[ny biker]

Last year I switched to a dry lube and that helped a lot. Also when you lube the chain, make sure you only put one drop on each link, let it sit for at least 5-10 minutes and then wipe off as much of the excess as you can. There will be less gunk to get all over you and it will lengthen the life of the chain and other parts of the drive train because excess lube attracts grit which causes damage.

[keepclimbing]

Do you use studded tires for riding on the ice?

I don't have studded tires. Ice here tends to disappear in a few hours. I try to stick to the most traveled streets when we've had ice because they stay pretty clear. I go slowly and avoid slick spots, but it's still rather risky.

Unfortunately I had to break my resolution for the first time today...too many things conspired against me when I was trying to leave for work this morning. I need to get to the bike shop and buy a new pump--both my floor and hand pumps are wearing out. I know I need to drive tomorrow, but by Monday I'll be back in the saddle.

[Tokie]

It will only help a little bit, but keep a bucket of rags at home where you keep your bike. Take a moment to wipe down your chain after every ride, top,bottom, and sides - you only need the lube inside the little chain links, not on the outside. tokie

[keepclimbing]

Thanks for the ideas.
I'm going to ask for the dry lube this weekend--I've never tried that. I do wipe off the excess after lubing. But I'm nervous about the idea of wiping down the chain after every ride. I had one bike mechanic tell me not to do that--that it was more likely to push grit down into the links. He said that the chain is designed to slough off the grit with the excess grease and that Shimano recommends never wiping down a chain for this reason. Have others heard this?

[Sarabeth]

When I get that nasty bike chain grease on my nice bike clothing I use my old standby, the heavy duty cleaner Lestoil. It has worked everytime in removing any bike grease stains. It won't ruin any colored clothing. Some of the new bike clothing fabrics (like those bright neon yellow) have a finish on the fabric that makes treating it with most stain removers not successful. But with an old toothbrush and this Lestoil it really works. I have been wearing a very favorite garment purchased here on TE, the Craft Pro-Zero zip mock neck base layer all winter. The other day I was lifting my bike onto the back of the car, and got grease on the bottom edge of the garment. I treated it with my trusty Lestoil and GONE.

I posted a video of me removing this stain:
http://bycycletrips.blogspot.com/2009/01/how-to-remove-bicycle-chain-grease.html

[alpha_omega]

Definitely not the most practical idea, but Trek has a single speed belt driven bike called the District (http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes/urban/district/district/) which has no chain and no grease to get you dirty while commuting.

[derailed]

I know it's retro, but have you considered a chain guard?

You can make one out of lightweight ply ( luan ) and some simple hardware, with not much more than a box cutter, a screw driver, 2 or 3 clamps or zip ties, and some cardboard and tape for prototypes. Spray painting it in and out will help it survive the weather.

[keepclimbing]

Thanks for all the ideas. And especially to Thorn--I've been using the gaitors to protect the bottom half of my pants and it really works well for me. I actually fold the pants up at mid-calf, wrap the gaitor around the leg and velcro to close. It's very easy to get in-and-out quickly and the pants aren't badly wrinkled. I've been using them on those occasion that I actually want to look decent when I arrive somewhere and don't think I'll have the time or the place to change clothes. And as a bonus--since the weather has been so bitter, it's provided one additional layer against the wind.

[smurfalicious]

Best bike cuff ever: http://www.deuterusa.com/products/productDetail.php?packID=pantsProtector&sub=bike&tert=bike

My roommate has one and it rocks! The regular velcro ones don't help much for me because all my jeans are boot cut as a result of the horse. So I can wrap the little velcro band around but there's still so much slack it still gets greasy. This thing covers enough area if I place it right that there's no grease. Problem is I'm not allowed to borrow that one regularly like his million others.

[keepclimbing]

Cool cuff...thanks for the tip! Lots less bulky than the gaitors. Ummm...and maybe you should order yourself one, too?