Quote Originally Posted by Irulan
Most mountain bikers I know don't worry too much about the paint: it IS a mountain bike after all.
That's how I feel about my mountain bikes. They get dirty; there are scratches here and there (and corresponding scratches and scars on my legs). I don't get too excited about them. But I HATE when my road bike gets icky.

I keep my road bike pretty clean all the time. I keep my mountain bikes clean to the point of running clean, but maybe not looking clean.