Drivetrain Cleaning Frequency

[jm2e]

By Roadies, For Roadies

[jackstraw]

For fucks sake, its a bike not a classic show car.

Well, fuck no...it's better than that, it's a Hightower!

[HankScorpio]

Well, fuck no...it's better than that, it's a Hightower!

Can't argue there. I do love my dirty, dirty Hightower.

[SchralphMacchio]

Wow, that some horrid malarkey right there.

First, what kind of clothesline, especially if taut, can hold a 34 lbs. bike without snapping and blinding you from the whiplash of cord in your eye? You want the line to be as slack as possible to reduce tension force, otherwise if actually taut between posts you'd need a static haul line rated for several hundred pounds of tension!

The chain tensioner bit instead of just buying masterlink pliers, oh that cracks me up.

Soap on the drivetrain?!?!?! And then everywhere on the frame from "front to back" ... Without at least pulling the BB?
Yeah, I actually would use some degreaser ... but only on a rag, only where it touches the frame very far away from any other moving part or exposed cable.

I actually figured out the entire point of that article ... they want people to run their bike components into the garbage which will drive up service and sales from the LBS. Way to help the local economy ...

[teledad]

Eh, a little dish soap is fine as long as you rinse it off and re-lube the chain and derailleur. Makes it easier to get off caked on mud and dirt. The BB etc. is sealed pretty well against unpressurized liquid (otherwise you'd need to overhaul it after every wet ride).

[Vt-Freeheel]

Surprised they didn't ArmorAll the tires.