Chain grease on leg

[RolliePollie]

How the heck do I continue to do this? Why, oh why, oh why do I always get chain grease on my leg?!?! My non-newbie friends make fun of me and call me a rookie (which I am), but I really think the grease is jumping off the chain and adhering to my leg.

Today, I not only had chain grease on my right leg, I also had it on my left knee. Evidently when I dropped my chain ( ) and was squatting down next to the bike to put it back on, that darn grease jumped off again and landed on my other leg.

I am such a dork.

[michelem]

My black tights are great - if I get chain grease on them it doesn't show up, so I don't know whether I get it on myself or not! I probably do, but like to think I don't!

[Torrilin]

I just figure I'll end up with grease on me. Carrying the bike up and down stairs is not a good way to avoid it . If the friends doing the hassling are male, just ignore 'em if the hassling isn't damaging. They'll get bored (eventually) and find a new thing to hassle you about.

If the hassling hurts, set a boundary. Guys like to hassle their friends, but they don't like it to hurt. Most of 'em can deal with someone putting a particular area off limits for verbal horseplay.

[Kalidurga]

Maybe you're using too much lube...?

[KnottedYet]

I'm kinda proud of the occaisional grease mark or chain-ring scabs on my leg. Nobody hassles me about it. They're too busy riding their bikes to fret over how I look!

Are these guys hassling you as a way of flirting with you?

And you might want to consider one of the "drier" lubes, and wipe off the excess very thoroughly. It does seem to help with the gratuitous grease-attacks.

[quint41]

I'm proud of my grease tatoos! That's what one of my friends calls them, since I always end up with a grease tatoo somewhere on my calf. And, hey, if the guys want to comment on my greasy calves, I'll just say, "thank you for admiring my legs!"

[luvs2ride]

hey Sara-
It's just not a ride for me without those greese tatoos!! I too wonder how they get there but have learned to laugh about it! I don't think I've ever completed a ride without something landing on my leg. Usually the right calf because I clip out left and lean right (I think !!). Anyway, I'm sure you're in good company!

Blessings!!
Susan

[GLC1968]

The women's group I ride with was just talking about this a couple of weeks ago. Most of these women have been riding for many, many years and we all laughed that we ALL had grease on our calves in some way, shape or form.

We decided that the concept of it being a 'rookie' mistake was probably invented by some guy who needed yet another reason to rag on some other guy who was probably kicking his butt! We figured that if you aren't getting bike grease on you...you aren't riding enough!

[SadieKate]

On the road, I always clip out on the left which seems to have solved it for me.

Too much lube can definitely contribute to the problem, but mtbiking you are going to pick up dirt no matter what. Ace was asking me the same question this weekend so I was thinking about it. I don't get much grease on my legs even mtbiking when you have to clip out on either side. I wonder if I may also have trained myself to put my foot down a bit farther out to the side. This accomplishes two things - less grease and more stability on uneven trail.

I'm much more likely to have dirt on the tops of my knees from sitting on the top tube during breaks and brushing against the tire.

[Kimmyt]

You should just tell them that you're not afraid of a little dirt.

[RoadRaven]

I like having the bike tat there... never make a huge effort to wash it off... kind've proud of it - particularly at work!

But I am often not sure when it gets there either... one of the girls at the race the other day had one above her knee and was completely baffled as to how it got there!

[RoseC]

Today I arrived at work with a chain tattoo on each leg. I set my bike down to run back into the house for my water bottle (almost forgot!), and when I went back to pick it up, I whacked myself in the left leg. Ouch! And then somewhere along the way, I got my right leg, though I don't remember when. It just appeared. I try to wipe the chain down really well after lubing, but I guess it's not enough!

On another thread someone recommended using baby oil to remove the marks. I'm thinking I need to get a little bottle to keep in my locker, 'cause they're a bear to remove with soap and water!

[RoseC]

Oh, and just to make *everyone* feel better about grease in bad places...

My car was in the shop last week, and I rode to work from the shop and then back to the shop to pick up my car at the end of the day. It was a change of route for me, and I was sooo proud of myself! The guy at the shop looked me up and down and said, "Oh, you rode your bike down here?" And I said, "Yes," rather smugly.

Then when I got home and went to change into regular clothes, I caught side of myself in the mirror and realized I had a big ol' smear of black grease on my upper lip like a Charlie Chaplin mustache. Lovely. I think I must have gotten some on my glove.

[Geonz]

LOL!

ONe of my favorite side effects to cycling is that whenever I'm in a state of fashion disarray, people simply attribute it to "she's a cyclist." One of the things I like about my Gazelle bike, tho' it weighs a ton, is the chain is totally enclosed. No tattoos, ever.

[RoadRaven]

Then when I got home and went to change into regular clothes, I caught side of myself in the mirror and realized I had a big ol' smear of black grease on my upper lip like a Charlie Chaplin mustache. Lovely. I think I must have gotten some on my glove.

Rave's got the giggles - wish we had a pic!