fastidiousness

How much faster does a clean bike ride than a dirty bike? A new chain versus a stretched one? One that's silent over one that squeaks?

I wish I knew. I wish I could put a number on it. Then I might be more motivated to take better care of my bike.

When I read this stuff, it gets me to thinking how much more fastidious some are with their bikes (like Mark) than I am with mine. His bikes are always clean. My bikes? Well...

My bikes are spattered with dirt and Gatorade stains. My drive-side chainstay, with its omnipresent grease spots, is a dalmatian. My chain is black (I buy them silver). When it squeaks I lube it...but I'm usually listening to something while training, so often I don't notice the squeaking, until a group ride.

Last July I was climbing the 3,800 vertical feet up to Brighton (Utah) in the Porcupine Hill Climb. My chain was a little squeaky that day. My seatpost was squeaking a little too (no more trouble with that, at least). But the worst of it was that my derailleur hanger was bent inward a bit. This didn't effect shifting, but when I was all the way inside, on the biggest cog, the derailleur cage would rub up against my spokes a little. I remember riding beside this guy about half way up. He turned to me and quipped, "You ride pretty fast for how noisy that bike is."

I sort of wanted to punch him. But I sort wanted to cry too. Yet, strangely, I still haven't had that derailleur hanger fixed.

It's not like I don't clean my bike, or take care of it. I do. I enjoy it, even. I take it apart, piece by piece, and enjoy soaking my chainrings in Joy and rubbing off every spec of grease. But I certainly don't do it every day (or ever month). I rotate my tires and change my handlebar tape. Sometimes I replace the cables. But still, on a group ride, in a race, my bike always seems to be the dirtiest, the ugliest, and the nosiest. In fact, ever since I can remember it's been this way. I guess it's just one of those things.

But...how much faster would I be if it weren't?