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It’s spring and the only chirping I hear is from my bike chain

Rusty bike chain

It’s spring today. But some parts of the country have so much snow, they might still be on fat bikes until June.  I’m lucky enough to have mostly clear roads. Even though I ride all winter, it’s nice to have easy traction and to hit higher speeds. And on those clear roads, I hear chirping. Not the calls of birds marking the rising temperatures nor saucy riders on the group ride teasing one another. No. That chirping is coming from my chain.

[soundcloud]https://soundcloud.com/canadian-cycling-magazine/rusty-chain[/soundcloud]

Every fall, I start out with the best intentions. I prep my winter beater for the beating it will get by snow, slush and salt. I apply grease and lube, for sure. I also pay special attention to the brake cables and pads. I want to be sure they’ll slow me down in all conditions. Then I vow to stay on top of maintenance: brush off the snow and dry everything after a ride and lube the chain. It’s a simple bit of work that doesn’t take too long. It helps slow the inevitable deterioration of the components. There’s no getting around it. Winter will mess up your bike. Do what you can to preserve it, right? That’s always my plan. And it always slides.

Of course, I start off quite diligent. I hang a brush right by my bike storage. There’s something satisfying about knocking off the chunks of slush and snow that stick to the down tube and bottom bracket especially. Wiping off the chain well is important. While it looks like it’s just covered in water, there’s a lot of road salt dissolved in that liquid. When the water evaporates, there are Rorschach-test blots of white on the chain.

As winter goes on, I see more of those white dots. I begin locking up the bike and paying less attention to the chain. The next ride, I’ll lube it, I tell myself. But when I start my rides, that chain is desiccated. The first 100 m on the road feature squeaking and grinding. But as the snow and slush get in the gears and on the chain, things quiet down. The system even runs a bit smoother, but it’s a sham. I get away with the neglect as long as the roads are wet.

Then spring comes. The snow melts off the roads. The road sides have massive deposits of sand and gravel that my tires kick up. There are even hubcaps and large branches that get uncovered with the thaw. The way I’ve ignored my chain also gets revealed. There is no moisture for the fake lubing. The chain sings, telling everyone of what a bad job I’ve done. I usually can’t take it for very long.

Now, it’s time for spring maintenance. I’m going to replace the cables and the housings. The brake pads should be OK as I changed them midwinter. And the chain. The chain is done. It’s time to get a new one for spring. I plan to take good care of it.