bikeman66
Senior Member
- Location
- Isle of Wight
Hi all,
Of course I know that having washed my bike after yesterday's ride, to a point where it is almost surgically clean, that I actually do not need to now clean the chain, but you know what? I'm going to clean it anyway. The gears work as crisply as I could possibly wish them too, but somewhere inside, a little voice is telling me "clean and lube those cables". I clean them and convince myself that the gears work just that 00.001% better than before.
I know the stem clamp bolts are at the right torque, as are the brake caliper mounting bolts, as are the bottle cage bolts, the front and rear mech bolts, the replaceable drop-out bolt etc etc, but what the hell.........might as well get the torque wrench out!
The good lady appears at the garage door demanding her can of furniture polish back, and then gives me a right royal bollocking for using half of it in the space of two weeks. Of course, it was purely by accident I discovered it's the best thing for keeping the matt finish on my Felt looking good. I'll reluctantly admit that it also brings stainless spokes up a treat.
It would obviously be totally unreasonable to actually remove the saddle from the seat post just so that I could clean the muck that has flicked off the back wheel and lodged itself in that painfully inaccessible area above the rails and just in line with where the seat post clamp sits...................but!!!
As the saying goes "The Devil will find work for idle hands" ! I guess I just like my bikes to look good though. Sure, I probably do go a bit overboard, but just then the gate opens and in walks my mate with his Specialized. It's a great bike, but I can't help thinking how much better it would look if you could only see the colour of the frame. Perhaps the chain used to be silver, like mine, instead of an oily greasy black, but I suppose at least it matches the chainrings and cassette.
We're always bouncing off each other with bike cleaning banter, to the point where he turned up last week with a pack of cotton wool, allegedly for me to wrap my pride and joy in.
Perhaps my daughter has got a point when she says "if you spent as much time riding it as you do cleaning it, you'd give Bradley Wiggins a run for his money"
Anyone else out there, in the absence of any actual mechanical issues to overcome, just find things to clean or fettle, or should I seek therapy???
Of course I know that having washed my bike after yesterday's ride, to a point where it is almost surgically clean, that I actually do not need to now clean the chain, but you know what? I'm going to clean it anyway. The gears work as crisply as I could possibly wish them too, but somewhere inside, a little voice is telling me "clean and lube those cables". I clean them and convince myself that the gears work just that 00.001% better than before.
I know the stem clamp bolts are at the right torque, as are the brake caliper mounting bolts, as are the bottle cage bolts, the front and rear mech bolts, the replaceable drop-out bolt etc etc, but what the hell.........might as well get the torque wrench out!
The good lady appears at the garage door demanding her can of furniture polish back, and then gives me a right royal bollocking for using half of it in the space of two weeks. Of course, it was purely by accident I discovered it's the best thing for keeping the matt finish on my Felt looking good. I'll reluctantly admit that it also brings stainless spokes up a treat.
It would obviously be totally unreasonable to actually remove the saddle from the seat post just so that I could clean the muck that has flicked off the back wheel and lodged itself in that painfully inaccessible area above the rails and just in line with where the seat post clamp sits...................but!!!
As the saying goes "The Devil will find work for idle hands" ! I guess I just like my bikes to look good though. Sure, I probably do go a bit overboard, but just then the gate opens and in walks my mate with his Specialized. It's a great bike, but I can't help thinking how much better it would look if you could only see the colour of the frame. Perhaps the chain used to be silver, like mine, instead of an oily greasy black, but I suppose at least it matches the chainrings and cassette.
We're always bouncing off each other with bike cleaning banter, to the point where he turned up last week with a pack of cotton wool, allegedly for me to wrap my pride and joy in.
Perhaps my daughter has got a point when she says "if you spent as much time riding it as you do cleaning it, you'd give Bradley Wiggins a run for his money"
Anyone else out there, in the absence of any actual mechanical issues to overcome, just find things to clean or fettle, or should I seek therapy???