Welcome guest, is this your first visit? Click the "Create Account" button now to join.

To disable ads, please log-in.

Shop at TeamEstrogen.com for women's cycling apparel.

Results 1 to 15 of 15
  1. #1
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Posts
    10,889

    Ridin' in the rain

    To disable ads, please log-in.

    It rained this morning on my ride, though not much. More of a sprinkle and enough to get my legs dirty. What do I need to do extra to my bike tonight because of it? I assume if my legs were dirty that extra stuff got into the drivetrain...

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    Central Indiana
    Posts
    6,034
    I'm not the most fastidious person when it comes to my bike, but in the very least, I'll wipe down my chain and relube it if I've ridden in the rain. I typically wipe the rest of the frame clean, too.
    Live with intention. Walk to the edge. Listen hard. Practice wellness. Play with abandon. Laugh. Choose with no regret. Continue to learn. Appreciate your friends. Do what you love. Live as if this is all there is.

    --Mary Anne Radmacher

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Posts
    10,889
    Quote Originally Posted by indysteel View Post
    I'm not the most fastidious person when it comes to my bike, but in the very least, I'll wipe down my chain and relube it if I've ridden in the rain. I typically wipe the rest of the frame clean, too.
    I thought that a relube was probable called for, thanks!

  4. #4
    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    Katy, Texas
    Posts
    1,811
    you might also want to give the two cog wheels on your rear derailleur a good wipe down both sides, wipe down the crank teeth of your pedals, wipe down the sides of your tires and the brake pads just to make sure they didn't pick up any grit. Also any where metal touches metal should be at least thoroughly dried, if not oiled.

    Of course that should be in your daily end of ride maintainence wipe down anyway
    marni
    Katy, Texas
    Trek Madone 6.5- "Red"
    Trek Pilot 5.2- " Bebe"


    "easily outrun by a chihuahua."

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    Washington, DC
    Posts
    1,315
    Also clean your rims and brake pads. All kinds of grit gets up in there in the rain.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Location
    Between the Blue Ridge and the Chesapeake Bay
    Posts
    5,203
    Oh wow, I spent four hours cleaning my bike on Sunday...first time in YEARS! Everything sparkles, and I put new tires on with red stripes, to match my red bike. I'm going to the LBS today to pick up some new brake pads since I noticed that mine are worn way, way down.

    So I'm not one to bother much about cleaning after a slightly rainy ride!

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Posts
    10,889
    Quote Originally Posted by tulip View Post
    Oh wow, I spent four hours cleaning my bike on Sunday...first time in YEARS! Everything sparkles, and I put new tires on with red stripes, to match my red bike. I'm going to the LBS today to pick up some new brake pads since I noticed that mine are worn way, way down.

    So I'm not one to bother much about cleaning after a slightly rainy ride!
    hmmmm, where did you get your tires with the red stripes? Still looking for good 26 inch tires with blue stripes

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Location
    Between the Blue Ridge and the Chesapeake Bay
    Posts
    5,203
    They are Seca Serfas wire bead 700x23. I got them from Amazon because my LBS only had kevlar bead, which I neither need nor felt like paying for. Wire bead is like half the price of kevlar bead.

    My old tires were toast. They were showing bald spots, and had cracks in the sidewall. I got them 4 years ago and just kept riding and riding. It was time for new tires, so I got the red striped ones. My old ones were the same tires, but without the red stripe. They are great tires.
    Last edited by tulip; 08-23-2010 at 07:43 AM.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    Katy, Texas
    Posts
    1,811
    for a finishing touch, give your bike a wipe down with a rag with pledge on it to help it hold its' sparkles.

    marni
    marni
    Katy, Texas
    Trek Madone 6.5- "Red"
    Trek Pilot 5.2- " Bebe"


    "easily outrun by a chihuahua."

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Uncanny Valley
    Posts
    14,498
    Or if you don't like aerosols, you can wax the frame with a non-abrasive car wax. I do mine once or twice a year, to protect the finish.
    Speed comes from what you put behind you. - Judi Ketteler

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    Concord, MA
    Posts
    13,394
    It's amazing my bike is still "alive." Of course, I don't ride in the rain (unless a shower starts while I am out there). Every few weeks (months?) I say to DH, "When was the last time we lubed the chains?" Since my bike runs perfectly, I don't obsess on it.
    2015 Trek Silque SSL
    Specialized Oura

    2011 Guru Praemio
    Specialized Oura
    2017 Specialized Ariel Sport

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Dec 2005
    Location
    WA State
    Posts
    4,364
    Quote Originally Posted by OakLeaf View Post
    Or if you don't like aerosols, you can wax the frame with a non-abrasive car wax. I do mine once or twice a year, to protect the finish.
    Pedro's "Bike Lust" rocks - its a pump, not an aerosol and I think its silicone based.

    It's amazing my bike is still "alive." Of course, I don't ride in the rain (unless a shower starts while I am out there). Every few weeks (months?) I say to DH, "When was the last time we lubed the chains?" Since my bike runs perfectly, I don't obsess on it.
    If you don't ride in the wet you can get away with this.... but rain riding on a regular basis is hard on a bike. I've had the same wheels and drive train on my race bike for about 5 years and they're just starting to get to the point where I'm keeping an eye on the wear indicators. My rain bike has been through about 4 sets of rims, countless brake pads, 3 sets of pulleys and needs a new big ring in the same amount of time..... I generally rinse (gently - no high pressure water!) my bike off after a rain ride, then dry and lube it.

    Oh - and all the junk on your legs... probably came off the front wheel... even if you have on fenders, without a nice generous flap attached too, you'll still get dirty.
    Last edited by Eden; 08-24-2010 at 06:44 AM.
    "Sharing the road means getting along, not getting ahead" - 1994 Washington State Driver's Guide

    visit my flickr stream http://flic.kr/ps/MMu5N

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Posts
    10,889
    Thanks for the tips - and Eden thanks for the note about flaps on my fenders. Will look into that this week when my fenders are installed.

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    Concord, MA
    Posts
    13,394
    Yes, riding in the rain does cause an awful lot of wear and tear. When DS was racing and training, there were innumerable problems due to his training in all weather. I do keep an eye out for deterioration in all parts, though. The few mechanical things/parts that have broken, have been sudden things, like when my shifter cable broke going up a huge hill (thankfully, I was already in my granny, but not the low cog I needed). I have been on wet rides a bit more on my Jamis Coda, though, since I am more apt to go out to do errands with an iffy forecast; I need to take better care of that bike, though it is properly lubed, etc.
    2015 Trek Silque SSL
    Specialized Oura

    2011 Guru Praemio
    Specialized Oura
    2017 Specialized Ariel Sport

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Dec 2005
    Location
    WA State
    Posts
    4,364
    I had my rear derailleur cable snap going up a hill once.... I had been taking it easy, spinning - some dude had just passed me. Then my rear derailleur cable broke and immediately slipped me into my highest gear...... nothing to do but stand up and gut it out.... dude probably wondered what games I was up to, suddenly standing and cranking back by him like that.
    "Sharing the road means getting along, not getting ahead" - 1994 Washington State Driver's Guide

    visit my flickr stream http://flic.kr/ps/MMu5N

 

 

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •