Dishpan hands

[maillotpois]

I decided I couldn't live with myself anymore unless I cleaned my bikes. They've been sitting either in storage or on the trainer for 6 months and now after 3 weeks of riding, they were both just disgusting. Thick black gunk all over the chain, rings, cassettes, pulleys. The black gunk from the chain and derailleur had even splattered on my beautiful new Peter White rear wheel!

So I did one bike at a time, and removed the chain and cassettes and cleaned them in the ultrasonic cleaner. It can be tough to get the cassettes off, but I found that if you stand the wheel up and use your body weight to push down on the wrench while you're pushing the chain whip the other way it is a lot easier. (I'd been trying to get them off with the wheel just sitting in my lap and that was dumb.) Don't know why I didn't think to do it that way before.

While the chain and cassette were in the solution (they were so grimy that it took several cycles with hot water and degreaser), I cleaned the front and rear derailleurs and chainrings. The rings on the Merckx are toast so I didn't spend too much time with them. I also cleaned the wheels and bike in general. There was so much grease on the Mercks' chainstay that it was crazy. Chain must have come off at some point and I never cleaned after.

Put on the sparkling clean cassette and chain, lubed it lightly, wiped it dry and started on the next bike.

And I have dry, crack-y, greasy dishpan hands. We have this gritty orange industrial hand cleaner that gets some of the grease off - but leaves your hands feeling really rough. The degreaser is hard enough on the hands as it is. I think I'll just live with a little bike grease on my hands.

I feel like I've accomplished something!

[Veronica]

You can come do my bikes now.

V.

[maillotpois]

Oh please!! I was just feeling guilty that I didn't do Mike's....