After last night's apparent nihilistic delusion (cheers Phil,) and my self perceived poor performance I decided the sensible option was rest not ride. That in turn meant there was no excuse not to give Clive a thorough clean and lube.
This is going to be quite a confessional and right off the bat I'm truly sorry. OK another area of knowledge I've acquired since riding became an obsession rather than a pastime is the need to clean your bike properly. Poor Bob used to get a monthly blast and wipe down with WD40 and that's about it. Since then I've learned that WD40, despite over 1000 uses, is an inferior product and not the choice of professionals. My water displacer of choice is now GT85. However blasting your bike even with GT85 is not good enough because despite the claims on the tin it isn't apparently an adequate lubricant. I've also learned that chains need degreasing before you oil them. Apparently that thick black tarry stuff I used to get on my fingers is not good for your drivetrain. So here's the first apology I don't do it often enough. I'm riding almost everyday and if the choice is ride or clean then I'm riding!
Clive the filthy beast!
Oh my days look at the state of the cogs and chain
So that was the state of things. Having mocked others for the use of products like Muc-off I finally gave in and decided to give some products a go. Here comes the 2nd apology. I breached rule #58 and bought some degreaser along with some oil in the same brand and GT85 in a 3 for 2 deal at Halfords. All I can say is I didn't mean to, I was just in there anyway and was dazzled by the deal.
For the frame, fork and wheels I just use some fairly liquid and warm water with a soft brush. I give the whole bike a good scrub down and then hose off the soap. Then I spray all over with GT85 and dry it off. I don't know if that's right or not, it just works for me. The chain, cogs, chain rings and derailleurs then get special attention.
PURE degreaser
So is this stuff any good? Well for starters the spray trigger is completely pants. Every pump you have to pull the trigger back out and you get the citrusy detergent all over your hands. I can't say it's a radical improvement on fairy liquid. To get the chain this clean I spent a long time vigorously rubbing it with rag. It's all gone now so I'm going to try a different brand for comparison next time and yes C&DCYCLES I'll be a good boy and buy from you.
That's looking better
I do however like the oil. It's easy to use, comes out at the right speed to oil the chain without getting it everywhere and the cap goes back on without getting oil down the side of the bottle. Yep that's my kind of product.
It's penguin friendly too
Now the next time I ride I'll be convinced everything feels better. I'll probably clean it every ride for the next few but it's only a matter of time before I relapse into old habits. Then again there's only one way to get the bike dirty...RIDE!
Happy Scrubbing
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