Just finished prepping for tomorrow's commute after a satisfying ride yesterday. I always remember being told to 'clean your bike, it's a disgrace' when I was a kid and I hated it. In fact, I only wanted to do skids really. However, there is a wisdom in making sure you can see your reflection in the cassette and the be able to read the decals on the frame. I get through chains at a rate of about 2-3 a year depending on how much off road riding I do. At £25 a pop this is not cheap so I make sure my chain is always clean along with the rest of the drive-train. I am convinced that if I didn't bother the chains wouldn't last as long plus there is the degraded performance around shifting etc.
People told me that 'chains stretch' and, when I fisrt started riding I found this hard to believe. It's true, they do get longer and unuasable but they don't stretch, the holes in the links connected by steel pins wear into larger holes and the sum of all this enlargement means the chain gets longer. If you want to speed up this process, you can leave the very efficient grinding paste in the chain made up of oil and road smeg. Alternatively, clean the bastard regularly with white spirit, it's not that hard. The modern 'power link' makes chain removal and therefore cleaning very easy - no more splitting which weakens chains.
This cleaning obsession (as other people see it) has lead to riducule; my wife often wonders why I don't dismantle my car and clean it as thoroughly, the answer to this is easy: my bike is worth more than my car and I don't give a toss about the car anyway. I have an order for cleaning and I make sure that nothing is skipped. It's important if you want to enjoy your cycling with a machine that works well - the same is true of any machine although people do switch on their central heating after 6 months of being switched off and wonder why is doesn't work first time!
What's the point of this post? If I am to complete this ride in reasonable shape there will need to be a cleaning/maintenance regime. I am taking a small bottle of degreaser and a small bottle of lube which, if used with care should last for the whole 12 days. I reckon on a thorough clean every two days with some shifter adjustment. I am taking spare gear cable and outers and will probably change these half way through. The downside is that the cable shears are heavy. This should keep things running smoothly though.
Anyway, the weather is supposed to be cold and wet tomorrow but I am still looking forward to the ride into work. There is spin at lunchtime and I may get a green light for the gym in the evening.
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