jralbert

So I'm riding 40km per day commuting in the climate most would identify as "Pacific Northwest" - moderate temperatures, scads of rain and wind. There's a lot of debris on the roads and trails - road grit, traction sand, lots of leaves and needles blown down from trees in storms - and when that stuff gets wet it absolutely coats the bike and rider. I'm running full coverage fenders, and I still have to wash the bike basically every single time I ride - even to the point where I've built up a wash-down kit at work so it doesn't have to sit all day covered in crud. Even so, I'm having to do a full wire brush job on the chain, chainwheels and cogs every week, plus scraping the derailleur jockey wheels and springs. I do not do this because, as my family has suggested, I'm obsessive-compulsive about bike cleanliness; if I don't keep up this schedule, the drivetrain doesn't function. I'm putting in between two and four hours a week on cleaning and maintenance!

This all feels a bit excessive, and I'm inclined to wonder if I'm missing something here. Hardcore commuters of BF: how much maintenance and cleaning do you have to do on your foul-weather bikes? Do your fenders keep all the crud off, or is getting dirty just part of the winter commuting experience? I'm curious what others' experiences have been.