bike longevity and wet/rain

eurotrotter

hey guys
i recently got a very decent bike and im wondering whether its a good idea to use it in the rain or not.
i want to keep the bike in tip top mechanical shape.
i was thinking that the rain/wet is one of the biggest sources of premature aging of the cogs/bearings/shaft and gear systems on a bike.
whether i decide to use the bike in the rain as well as the dry weather, i wil maintain it at regular intervals, and replace whatever needs replacing, regardless of cost.

what do u think of this statement, please be as critical as possible.
What in your opinion is key to keeping a bike in top top shape?

thanks for ur time,
ed

E@gle.

Using a bike in the rain is fine as long as you look after it. Regular cleaning of bike and drivetrain will pro long the life of your bike. You need to degreash and lube you drivetrain frequently. Hey if you were worried about rain it never stops in this country

Pj!

Was wondering the same myself after having it out today on a very gravelly wet road. I heard squeeks and rattle i havent heard before. (its new enough).

Gave it a bit of a clean with hot water and a brush when i came back and ran a bit of oil over the chain. Will this suffice for now?
Going to cyclesuperstore in a week or two so will stock up on adequate cleaning products then.

EDIT: Actually what would you recommend I get when I'm there? Degreaser I suppose and maybe a spray oil. Is that bike cleaner stuff any good? Muc-Off or whatever its called.

E@gle.

This link will give you a good account of what to do

http://www.purpleextreme.com/cleaning.html

Gavin

Damage rain does to a bike is just ferocious. I've gone through three or four at this stage. The most recent one just seemed to just melt away. I was cycling along and before I knew it, I was walking along, a small puddle of bike paint all that was left. And even that was washed away quickly!

The one before that, I went into the shop, came out and look what had happened !


The rain melted the tyres ! Holy Cow ! Best bet is to coat your bike in protective layers of cling-film. Tear off a new layer each evening after cycling home. Hey, if it's good enough for Formula One drivers, it's good enough for me.

Pj!

Verb wrote: »

Damage rain does to a bike is just ferocious. I've gone through three or four at this stage. The most recent one just seemed to just melt away. I was cycling along and before I knew it, I was walking along, a small puddle of bike paint all that was left. And even that was washed away quickly!

The one before that, I went into the shop, came out and look what had happened !


The rain melted the tyres ! Holy Cow ! Best bet is to coat your bike in protective layers of cling-film. Tear off a new layer each evening after cycling home. Hey, if it's good enough for Formula One drivers, it's good enough for me.

Could be wrong now. But did I detect a hint of sarcasm??? :rolleyes::P

neilled

Forky wrote: »

Could be wrong now. But did I detect a hint of sarcasm??? :rolleyes::P

its not called rain. Its called anto.:D

blorg

@Forky- Muc-Off is indeed very good but I have started to use Fenwicks FS-1 instead. This is concentrated (you dilute it 1 to 10) and as such you get 10 or 11 times as much out of it for only a little bit more money, works out a lot cheaper overall. It works at least as good as Muc-Off, probably better as it is more versatile as it has a neat use also. If it is your first go you will probably want to get a spray bottle to refill so CSS have a combo deal with a bottle of FS-10 (which is just FS-1 pre-diluted in a spray bottle.)

[url=http://www.cyclesuperstore.ie/shop/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=0&idproduct=18960
]€13.79 from CSS with the loyalty discount,[/url] (make sure to get this) it's also available from Wiggle.

For the chain I use a chain cleaning device that clamps over the chain while still on the bike. I use Park Tool Citrus Degreaser in this when I have it but neat (undiluted) FS-1 seems to work pretty good also.

72hundred

Verb wrote: »

Damage rain does to a bike is just ferocious...

Zez that's a bit of burn! :P

72oo