Chain Grease on My Right Leg

[kajero]

When I ride my Specialized Ruby Elite WSD size 44 cm I never wind up with chain grease on my right leg.

When I ride my hybrid Trek FX7.6 WSD size small, I always wind up covered with grease on my right leg. I have to really scrub to get it off. I have a much harder time getting off and on the hybrid.

Can someone tell my what I doing to make this happen all the time?

I don't want to wear longer bike pants/pants to avoid this.

Thanks

[Irulan]

Dawn and a scrubbee

[thekarens]

Doesn't seem to matter which of my 3 bikes I ride, somehow I always end up with grease on my leg. Once I had a beautiful imprint of the chain ring and I never had a clue how I had managed that.

I know there are others out there that don't have this problem though :-)

[OakLeaf]

What are you doing when it happens? stopped with your right foot down? try leaning the bike more to the right?

[Skippyak]

I assumed that was normal, in fact, if my leg is ever really clean of grease I know I haven't been riding enough.

[withm]

Chain ring grease is easier to wash off from your leg than it is from your clothes.

[TigerMom]

Chain ring grease is easier to wash off from your leg than it is from your clothes.

I totally agree with the above.

I use Simple Green and a rough cloth to wipe off the grease.

Team Estrogen Members: Let me know what is safe to use on clothes. I don't know if I am supposed to be using the Simple Green on my clothes or not also?

[ny biker]

I clean grease, sunscreen, road grime, gnats, etc. off my legs with Wet Ones. I keep them in my bike bag along with my other gear. I also keep them nearby when I'm cleaning the bike and lubing the chain, so I can clean my hands right away before I get up and touch a light switch or cabinet handle or whatever. They work great to get grease off your skin.

For clothes, I don't know, I just try to pre-treat with regular laundry detergent.

[Irulan]

I used Dawn and/or Simple Green spot treatments, works fine for me.

[OakLeaf]

I prefer olive oil when it's my skin.

[kajero]

Oh My,
I thought I was the only who suffered from this malady. If it is normal, I will just clean it off as suggested.

We went riding today. My SO watched me get off and one the bike. Apparently it is happening when I get on/off the bike and put my foot down by the chain. I tend to lean the bike that way. Maybe I will have to learn to get on/off from the other side.

[Crankin]

Watch how close your calf is to the chain..
I use orange degreaser to take the grease off of my skin. I have put it on cycling clothes (a little to pre-treat), but generally I use regular stain removal stuff on clothing.
I don't have this problem much, as my DH and son teased me mercilessly when I first started riding, about the chain tatoo being the mark of a newbie. My friend, who has been riding for 20+ years, always has a large one when she finishes a ride. I think when she got her new bike, this started, so it's something about the geometry.

[kajero]

That's why I wonder if I should have gotten an XS in a hybrid. It NEVER happens on ruby which is 44cm

[Owlie]

It happens more often with my road bike than with my CX bike, oddly enough. Roadie has a much more sloped top tube, whereas the CX is a more traditional geometry. I don't really care. I just scrub it off when I get home. (The cleanser I use on my face works quite well, actually.)

You can use Simple Green on your clothes, but you run the risk of getting your pants caught in the chain. Much easier just to scrub your leg off.

[OakLeaf]

Apparently it is happening when I get on/off the bike and put my foot down by the chain. I tend to lean the bike that way. Maybe I will have to learn to get on/off from the other side.

You're supposed to lean the bike toward the foot you're putting down. Leaning it the other way would be very awkward and a little dangerous. You might not be aware of it, but the way you get off a bike is by initiating a slight lean first, then putting your foot down as the side of the bike gets closer to the ground.

Chain lube is pretty much normal. But if you're getting it much more from one bike than you are from the other, my guess is it's the difference in the lean angle when you dismount. Which you can control somewhat, but you don't want to be putting your foot down too far away from your center of gravity, either.