Grimey Ride Conditions
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Grimey Ride Conditions
Not sure if I'm paying more mind to the environment conditions or if it's just that dirty out, but it seems the grit, grime, geese poo, & natures compost is collecting on the bicycle more so now than in the past few years.
I generally wipe down the equipment after each ride & look over the mechanics of things, but lately I need to do a bit more than that to "upkeep" the stuff. No big changes to the bicycle nor routes & even if using fenders, guards, mud flaps, or saran wrap, the gunk & junk just clings to everything.
Had some small "twigs", leaves, plant buds, & no longer flying insects wedged in the ders's as well as in-between the cogs. I generally ride the road & paved paths with the road bicycle. If I were rolling on the unbeaten paths or thru wooded trails [no happening with the road-b] it would be a nonissue, but that's not the case here. I'd rather expect other types of debris, such as water bottle fragments, hair ties, discarded face masks, spent candy wrappers & the such, but not picking that junk out as of late.
However, if I strictly ride on the road [with vehicles brushing close by] the aftermath is not near as bad. The minute I venture onto a paved path or road areas that are more "country" like, I can expect a frame full of the aforementioned grime.
For those that ride the road, have you noticed an increase of "cleaning" maintenance after each ride?
I generally wipe down the equipment after each ride & look over the mechanics of things, but lately I need to do a bit more than that to "upkeep" the stuff. No big changes to the bicycle nor routes & even if using fenders, guards, mud flaps, or saran wrap, the gunk & junk just clings to everything.
Had some small "twigs", leaves, plant buds, & no longer flying insects wedged in the ders's as well as in-between the cogs. I generally ride the road & paved paths with the road bicycle. If I were rolling on the unbeaten paths or thru wooded trails [no happening with the road-b] it would be a nonissue, but that's not the case here. I'd rather expect other types of debris, such as water bottle fragments, hair ties, discarded face masks, spent candy wrappers & the such, but not picking that junk out as of late.
However, if I strictly ride on the road [with vehicles brushing close by] the aftermath is not near as bad. The minute I venture onto a paved path or road areas that are more "country" like, I can expect a frame full of the aforementioned grime.
For those that ride the road, have you noticed an increase of "cleaning" maintenance after each ride?
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Worms are worst. They collect under the brakes, fork, down tube. They stink and dry hard as cement. Don't get them all year, mostly in the Spring after a rain.
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Many years I did a charity ride through DE farm country. Rained a bit one day. Worms all over the road. Then the sun came out and it got baking hot. Took the bike to a shop for a good cleaning and tuneup. The mechanic, who had built up the frame for me, was not happy to have to pry off all the crusted worms from the brakes and downtube.
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my rides looked all mucked up by the time I'm done!
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seem to me that you're limberness isn't favorable to removing the wasted organic mess. Might be easier to flip the bicycle over to address the natural debris that's adhered itself to your equipment?
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brings to mind a commute home, during a buggy section, where some were hitting me in the face. thought a big bee or wasp flew into my leg & was about to sting me. I immediately went to swipe it with a gloved hand only to realize it was a glop of canine excrement. talk about a buzz-kill ewww
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been taking some intentional "road" routes as of late, & guess what, minimal nasties. Even with the cottonwood blowing around, I still noticed less mess. Likely will be doing some miles on the "bike path" for my next ride & using some park cut-thru areas. I should bring some coins for the automated car wash to ride thru in whole. Nature is going to be nasty!
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