I was curious of this too.

Tested with my INFINIT high salt long distance bike ride juice that I maturely named "Who farted?"
and I most definitely sweat right on cue as usual.
Every person is a little different so I dont say not to test this theory yourself.
Just telling you my outcome.

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http://www.athlinks.com/athletes/208730390

Maybe I missed it, but has anyone suggested cleaning and lubing the bike and components more often?

jake

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Get outside!

No - but we did cover that I am not comfortable dismantling the rear brake assembly.
Im technical but I dont want to do that for the SC7.5
The rear brake is not the simplest to work with.

That would have been my first thing if it was an easier bike to assemble and disassemble.

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http://www.athlinks.com/athletes/208730390

Are you able to clean the bike during the winter? I understand that may be harder than it sounds with the cold weather. Not just as easy as taking it outside and hosing it off.

I really like the WD40 bike wash and their bike specific lube as well.

You don't necessarily need to take the brakes apart to clean and lube them. Just wiping them down with a cleaner and rag can help. Follow up with a drop or two of lube on the hinge joints and springs. That may help.

Just a thought. Not trying to talk you out of a new bike.

jake

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Get outside!

This is kinda an extreme suggestion, but your problem sounds extreme.

Get an older aluminum tri bike that you can replicate your position on and has a screw in bottom bracket. Something like a cervelo P1 if it fits. Put a rear wheel, rear derailleur, single chain ring on a square taper crank and sealed bottom bracket. Put tons of anti-seize on it when you assemble it. Don't put any components on it that you don't need on the trainer. Schedule a hose down once a week and see how long that lasts you.

Buy a nice bike for outside and races.

Oh no its cool -
You brought up a totally viable solution. I dig.

I just know there will be times where I am squeezing the life out of a workout and need to rush to work from time to time.
And I KNOW I will slack off a few times and get back into this again with this bike.

Hosing it down outside is possible in the summer -
Winter not so much.

Maybe I need to talk with my bike shop about being a better bike owner.
I actually didnt think hosing down my bike would be a good idea. But since it doesnt have many electronic components. It might not be as outlandish as I initially thought.

Though they have talked me out of a Di2 upgrade on my current ride.
But could be due to them wanting to sell a new bike to me in the fall.

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http://www.athlinks.com/athletes/208730390

This is where my head was at as of 15 minutes ago to be honest.
Though I was thinking of shopping around for toasted tri bikes with just a frame.
Shimano slammed their prices this year some getting a gearset would be cheap.

Could be a 1000$ fix.
Im all over that TriAnd Sell it FB page.
Replicating my fit might be the 2nd most expensive.

Though is it really worth it when I can just rip all the components off the Allez and just train on that?
Is it really worth that 1000$ or 45$ max for a 11spd chain on the Allez + Chain tool when I need to swap it if ever.

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http://www.athlinks.com/athletes/208730390

Can you get your position on the allez? You are free to use silly components since handling isn't an issue (pointed out earlier). The big questions are can you get the seat far enough forward and the arm pads low enough? You can fix the seatpost issue flipping the seatpost around or getting a more offset seatpost. The head tube height might be a limiter....but adjustable stems are a possible solution. It would probably be the least expensive way to get something to work. And I'm not kidding, take the front derailleur off completely, strip the thing to the essentials. It can't rust if it isn't there!

For what its worth, you can probably get away with a few workouts before cleaning the bike.

Here is an example of how you can clean your bike with a hose or even just with a cleaner and a rag. Just remember to lubricate everything.

Clean

jake

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Get outside!

Yeah 100% on the same page.
You dont need to shift gears or stop on the bike that goes nowhere.

Getting the fit close might be tricky but also might be doable.

Wonder how important the arm pads really would be.

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http://www.athlinks.com/athletes/208730390

Ah its a whole bike brand...
I always just knew it as WD40 for car components etc.
Learning things I should have known...

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http://www.athlinks.com/athletes/208730390

I'm in the train what you race boat.....but a replicated position on a trainer is the same thing as a race bike. Higher pads might not put the strain on your neck that lower pads might. You might notice different muscles being used as well and end up training ones you don't use on race day and not the ones you would use. Hard to say, but I would try to reproduce the position as accurately as possible for the best results.

WD40 Bike- These guys.

jake

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Get outside!

Id hate to be my own guinea pig.
Though none of the ideas are bad.
Cleaning more regularly wouldn't be the worst idea in the world.

Just need to dabble in this beater TT or the roadie approach.
Maybe I can find a bike that was crashed in Triand Sell it. :-)

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http://www.athlinks.com/athletes/208730390

I am trying to wash my bike once a week, just hose it down, wipe it dry, and lube the chain. Bike spends most of it's life on the trainer, usually a couple rides a week outdoors.

Did you just always do that - or did you start having the same problems I did and then started washing it up?

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http://www.athlinks.com/athletes/208730390

I started doing that about a year ago after I had to replace a headset with a hammer and chisel on my old bike due to the salt and corrosion that was built up. When I got a new bike earlier this year it gave me a lot more motivation to keep it up.

LOL@ hammer and chizzle
I know the feeling.

My mechanics hate me when I come in and say "I did it again " with a sad face.

Maybe its time to get that WD and look at some wrecked TTs.
Still dont want to ignore buying something Di2.
I would LOVE to stop paying for tune ups...

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http://www.athlinks.com/athletes/208730390

If you want a new bike, buy a new bike ... ;-)

Other than that, replace boots with Ti or stainless.

Tape towels around tubes that can allow sweat to run down them. These are only an emergency defence if you don't swap your primary towels quick enough.

Think of sweat like battery acid - very searching at first and then gets more aggressive as evaporation kicks in. Would you just wipe battery acid off your skin (have you tried it ?) or do you rinse it away to dilute it ? Apply the same mentality to your bike ... :-)

WD :-)

Yes I replace most of the parts you mention every year. My bike shop still doesnt believe how much I sweat. They are in disbelief.

I do hose down my bike occasionally but like you I often dont have time to do this after every ride. Or the time/experience/confidence to dissemble my components regularly and clean them. And dont have the money to have my LBS do this every month. It's cheaper to just replace the components once a year. (but stil not cheap)

Another tactic I use is I have a fan blow full strength at my from the side and a towel on the floor on the other side. It literally pushes my sweat off to the side. You do this to the opposite side from where your derailer/chain is. I also will put a small rag on bottom bracket to soak sweat there before it gets into the bracket.

Have you considered using Boeshield on your calipers and bottom brackets? It's a rust and oxidization inhibitor developed by Boeing a few decades ago for the aerospace industry. Coupled with a good rinse off of the bike every few days, it might help to solve your problem. It comes in an aerosol can that you could use to spray the need areas. I'd suggest removing the wheels and covering the brake pads prior to spraying the calipers.

I recommend a dedicated bike for the trainer. That is easily maintainable. Ive got an sc7.5 too and it sits like a trophy on my wall until race day. I use a specialized transition pro permanently fixed to my trainer , I think 2012. Its fitted to the exact same measurments as my sc and it feels fine. The most important thing other than a good cleaning using break or contact cleaner during your recovery week is to drench your components with "corrosion block" . Dont know if you live near the coast but your local marine center should carry it. If not try "West Marine" online. This stuff formes a barrier unlike any other. If you cant find any , another product Ive used in a pinch which also works extreamly well but smells bad is PJ-1 chain wax for motocross bikes. Ive used both of these products religiously to protect critical hydraulic components exposed to relentless salt spray and heat on a commercial vessle. Much more than you could ever produce sweating.

I have seen this before from some athletes and it's hard to keep up with the maintenance.

I know it's a pain in the ass but it will help, after a trainer ride and the bike is all sweaty I would recommend rinsing the bike off with water, soap suds, rinse, dry and then applying some oil. This should help slow the corrosion of these parts and help them last longer. Salt is the worst thing for eating away at all these expensive bike parts.

Maybe look at some lanolin spray or marine grade corrosion protection spray to apply after the wash. Just be sure to not use to much on your chain or get it on your braking surfaces.

A clean bike is a fast bike and will last longer. It will take 5-10 minutes rinsing the bike off.

Hope this helps.

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JImmy Seear
Co-Founder Ventum
http://www.ventumracing.com

Currently I have a Giant TCR Advanced for the trainer, crit and road racingracing. A Lynsey Helix and an older Litespeed Ultimate. A Collage C59 because I always wanted a Collage, so I got it when I retired. A Shiv Tri for TT's. 10p Ultegra di2 on the Giant. Chorus on the Ultimate, Super Record on the Helix and C59, 10p Red on the Shiv. More wheels than I can count... Never had a brake stick on the Giant or the C59 (internal full length housing).

Never had the brakes stick...
I wish I knew what that felt like :-)

I might need to harass my bike shop...

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http://www.athlinks.com/athletes/208730390