Slowtwitch Forums: Triathlon Forum: My mtn bike friend and his dirty bike... an observation

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Slowtwitch Forums: Triathlon Forum:
My mtn bike friend and his dirty bike... an observation

AndyPants

Feb 27, 05 21:36

Post #1 of 11 (544 views)

My mtn bike friend and his dirty bike... an observation	Can't Post

... I just spent 5 hrs cleaning his bike for him (it was a charity thing). Man was that thing filthy. Deep down filthy. Dirtier than a crack ho. I asked him: when was the last time you cleaned your cassette? He says "pardon? what's that"? When was the last time you degreased and lubed your chain? "You're supposed to put lube on that?" He's had the bike 5 yrs, and only ever changed the brake pads (he uses it for commuting not off-road riding). He's maybe hosed it off once or twice in all that time.

I imagine there must be some folks here who don't clean their bikes even semi-religiously. But this was insane. I wish I had taken a before and after pic. How did he ride for 5 years on it? Wow. Makes me appreciate the time I spend cleaning my bike after each ride.

(This post was edited by AndyPants on Feb 27, 05 21:36)

G-man

Feb 27, 05 22:34

Post #2 of 11 (520 views)

I rides my bike [In reply to]	Can't Post

Back in the days when I was semifast, I had a road and track bike and they were always dirty . Now that I am old and slow I seem to have a flock of really clean bikes and no legs. Things that make you go hmmmm? G

The Babysetter

Feb 27, 05 23:27

Post #3 of 11 (501 views)

Re: My mtn bike friend and his dirty bike... an observation [AndyPants] [In reply to]	Can't Post

Even if it were coated in 5 years worth of dirt, tar, crap, and other miscellaneouss nasty stuff, I can't imagine how it could take 5 hours to clean a mountain bike... even if you completely broke it down to the frame, bled hydraulic brakes and trued the wheels it shouldn't take 5 hours!

Was alcohol involved ;-)

Diamond Adam

Feb 28, 05 3:29

Post #4 of 11 (452 views)

Re: My mtn bike friend and his dirty bike... an observation [AndyPants] [In reply to]	Can't Post

A good friend of mine who happens to also be the best bike mechanic I have ever met says that he has seen more $ worth of damage done to bikes by cleaning them than anything else!

He says that people regularly strip all the grease out of moving parts and shoot water into bearings that leads to there destruction. His favourite saying now is that cleaning is the worst thing you can do to a bike.

Of course this mainly applys to people with no mechanical knowledge what so ever but I think there are a lot more of them around than you would realise.

yawg

Feb 28, 05 5:14

Post #5 of 11 (398 views)

Re: My mtn bike friend and his dirty bike... an observation [AndyPants] [In reply to]	Can't Post

Being that it was a charity event I won't rant too much. Don't ride on wet trails! I've seen too many trails closed because some jackass thinks he's in the lead role of a mountaindew commerical. The dude ripes up trail, scares the blue haired hiker, spooks a horse, gets bike and self totally covered in mud and thinks he really lived on the edge. The blue haired hiker and equestrian report the "dude" to the ranger who then closes the trail to all mountain bikers. I know that horses are much worse on trails than bikes but everywhere I've lived the equestrian is wealthier and has more pull that our dude friend. Please don't ride on wet trails. Rant over.

greg

The Dude

Feb 28, 05 6:19

Post #6 of 11 (328 views)

Re: My mtn bike friend and his dirty bike... an observation [AndyPants] [In reply to]	Can't Post

Uh... der... It's a commuter. Commuters should never be cleaned.

AndyPants

Feb 28, 05 6:31

Post #7 of 11 (310 views)

Re: My mtn bike friend and his dirty bike... an observation [MojojojoMasterG] [In reply to]	Can't Post

Quite possibly ;-)

AndyPants

Feb 28, 05 6:31

Post #8 of 11 (306 views)

Re: My mtn bike friend and his dirty bike... an observation [xen355] [In reply to]	Can't Post

He wanted it cleaned.

randymar

Feb 28, 05 7:21

Post #9 of 11 (254 views)

Re: My mtn bike friend and his dirty bike... an observation [AndyPants] [In reply to]	Can't Post

Best way to clean a MTB ... backflip off the dock into the lake!!!
--------------------------------------------

"How many grams are in an anagram?"

400 Beers

AndyPants

Feb 28, 05 8:34

Post #10 of 11 (186 views)

Re: My mtn bike friend and his dirty bike... an observation [randymar] [In reply to]	Can't Post

I love it! I'll tell him!

rgr195

Feb 28, 05 9:10

Post #11 of 11 (142 views)

Re: My mtn bike friend and his dirty bike... an observation [yawg] [In reply to]	Can't Post

I did a 9mile trail run yesterday on what is left of the MTB trail out here at Ft Leavenworth. Major portions of the trail are outside of the fence that now surround the entire post and training areas.

Along the trail are a couple of signs put up by the MTB club that originally created the trail: "Mountain Bikers: be good stewards, don't ride trail for 24hrs after hard rain"

I've run by that sign a 100 times and just shake my head everytime because 95% of the damage to the trail is caused by the Ft Leavenworth Fox Hunt club. 20 horses raging down the trail after a storm does more long-term damage to the trail that any amount of MTBs will ever do. You can see the hard work to imrove and maintain the trail crushed by hoof prints everywhere.

Not to mention you usually don't see MTB'ers taking monster shits in the middle of the trail.

But you're right, the fox club here has the weight not the MTB'r, despite the fact that they created the trail.

Jim