Egads!

The weather today calls for some rain in the morning and then clearing off. It's supposed to be in the mid 70s this afternoon. So I strapped my Ruby Pro to the bike rack and headed into work. It wasn't raining but the roads where wet. When I got to work I went to take her off the rack and bring her inside with me, in case it rains some more, and when I looked at her she was covered in a layer of road grime!!! I was horrified. My new baby filthy like that. Anyone else feel this way about their bike? I wiped her down as best I could but now I'm afraid that rust will take hold. Having a nice bike is goin' to make me go crazy trying to keep her clean. I have debates with myself on whether to bring the new bike or the old bike if it looks like rain. I want to ride the new one but don't want her to get wet, etc. Weird - I know.

I feel your pain. After my recent spill on my new Specialized, and got some minor scratches on the frame I'm all worried that it'll rust in our humid climate before I can get some touch-up paint. My baby has a boo-boo.

Any chance your bike could fit inside your car? Or do "they" make covers?

As soon as your bike is dry, you can gently dust a lot of that junk off.

It doesn't STICK mostly, it's just sitting there. When you get home, clean your chain with a rag.

It drives me crazy to see my bike get dirty too, but even though it's a steel bike I'm not too worried about it rusting, because I keep it inside when I'm not riding.

wipe the gunk off dry and your shiny new paint job will be scratched....

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by alpinerabbit

wipe the gunk off dry and your shiny new paint job will be scratched....

---

I have been told the same by my dh....I wipe mine down with cycling polish and lube the chain.

I do not think there is anything that will rust. Can you clean after your ride & when you get home?

~ JoAnn

Oh, your poor Ruby. I'll bet she can buff up like new when you get her home, though.

That's something I've wondered about -- how paranoid I'll be with a new bike. I hate having things I have to worry so much about (unless it's something I don't actually use and just look at). A new source of stress! LOL

I too was distraught when my new road bike came home filthy! I just happened to be at the LBS the day after she came home because she needed a little "tweeking." She stayed with him overnight. I don't know what he did to her but she sure looked purdy, and shiny, and happy... when I picked her up. The little harlot...:D

I got most of it off with a wet papertowel this morning. Maybe I'll be able to blow the rest of it off during my ride tonight....you know, with my blazing speed. :rolleyes:

The weather is perfect for a ride right now!

I let my carbon bike dry and then use a micro-fiber cloth. I cringe seeing that road grime though!

I feel that way about my bike--and because it's steel I do worry about rust--but I'm starting to get over it a bit. I went on a ride recently after a good, soaking rain. The streets were still pretty wet, but we were intent on fitting a ride in between storms. Needless to say, my bike was covered in ick by the time I got home. I gave her a good cleaning immediately. Although I hated to get her so dirty, it was liberating in a way, too.

One of the people I rode with that day has a beautiful Colnago. I know she hasn't taken the time to clean her since that ride, and it's killing me! I feel like taking her home myself and giving her some TLC. It's one thing to ride in gunk and it's another to neglect your bike afterwards. Shame, shame!

Perhaps you could use your other bike as a dedicated rain/bad weather bike so that you don't have to worry as much about the Pro.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by AZSpinner

I too was distraught when my new road bike came home filthy! I just happened to be at the LBS the day after she came home because she needed a little "tweeking." She stayed with him overnight. I don't know what he did to her but she sure looked purdy, and shiny, and happy... when I picked her up. The little harlot...:D

---

:D :D :D

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by AZSpinner

I too was distraught when my new road bike came home filthy! I just happened to be at the LBS the day after she came home because she needed a little "tweeking." She stayed with him overnight. I don't know what he did to her but she sure looked purdy, and shiny, and happy... when I picked her up. The little harlot...:D

---

Maybe HE took HER for a ride????:D :D :D

Clearcoats buff up beautifully... just a little polishing compound and elbow grease, if you really need it, but a bike is an artpiece made for use... If she looked perfect forever, people would look at you, look at your bike, and say "You don't ride often, do you?"

Merqueri is going to be babied and polished... yeah... but not too much... wear happens...

Mz Cakes is already matte, from being spraypainted matte black when she was new, then having her characteristic blue tiger stripes dremmelled into the black paint to the underlying blue.

Gouges happen to Mz Cakes and they just go thru the black and into the blue, adding another hint of color and texture....

oh, but that's the difference between sleek road machines and rough, tough dirt eaters... :D

For road dust, I suggest lightly brushing it off as Mimi suggested, using a soft terry-type cloth. That way a lot of the grit is pulled into the nap and not abrading the clearcoat.

Oops- I meant damp road grime! If it dries I use a damp cloth. Is that ok?

We live on a gravel road and ANYTIME we take our bikes out, they would get filthy, soooo......my DH came up with a pretty nifty and cheap (but funny looking) solution: we bought the HUGE heavy duty garbage bags with the cinch ties. After the bikes are on the rack, he covers each back tire with one bag and ties them shut; ditto on the front. He has come up with some cool way to cover the pedals and chains (I've never seen him do it, so I'm not sure how that works!!). The only thing left open is the saddle. If we need to, we can cover that with a smaller bag. It looks weird (and scares our cows, horses, and dogs) but it works great. We've looked for a cover, but haven't found any yet that works as well. Besides, EVERYONE knows when we're going biking :rolleyes:

Lorie

Okay, please someone tell me the right way to clean a road bike. My mountainbikes are usually covered in dirt and mud, not to mention bugs from being on top of the car, if I want to clean them I clamp them on my Park Stand, lightly spray them down (the frames are aluminum) keeping the water off the components and then I clean the mud off, dry it thoroughly then run the chain through a chaincleaner and then re-lube it. My road bike is dirty, because I ran it through some puddles and since there is plenty of sand on the streets because of winter, its dirty. But being a mountainbiker, I'm not too concerned, but then again, its such a pretty thing... The bike is all carbon fiber, so no worries on rust. Can't I just lightly spray off the dirt and follow the same procedure?