Oh the shame

Over the last few months my bike has taken a bit of a hammering from the crappy weather and whilst I've tried to take care of it, there have been a couple of occasions where I've really been ashamed of the state of it. A week or so ago I noticed that the chain was looking in very poor nick and really needed a clean and some lube. However life and work and marathon training all got in the way and it never happened. Then cycling home from the running club last night, what horror! The chain started squeaking... quite loudly!

As a committed cyclist I felt rather guilty; as though I had done my trusty steed a disservice. So this morning, before work, I cleaned and lubed and my ride to work this morning was quiet, smooth (well except for the pot-holes!) and so fast! Lesson learned.

£1 and repped

ha ha ha
it is embarassing isn't

on non fixed bikes i often stop pedalling as i pass people to avoid the embarassment
it does show a certain lack of care for ones bike if it gets as far as squeaking and it is so easy to stop
how do the nodders do it day in day out
my current bike of the month is perfectly silent
such a nice feeling to whip around london without a whisper from down below

mine is squeaking at the moment. I feel shame every time I overtake, and I avoid going out socially because of it.

+1 to the squeaking & creaking embaressment, the few times it's happened i feel the need to hide my face around other cyclists.

Toe overlap got the better of me yesterday morning and i fell off at the lights just as I was pulling out of a trackstand, in front of a long line of traffic.

I left mine until it snapped on me :(

of all people mike
i thought you would look after your bikes extremely well
the kona was lovely when i got it

haha +1, i opted for the same routine as dicki, stop pedalling until no human is in sight before you start pedalling again. Dogs are ok, but the noise probably resembles a dog whistle which cant be good, can it?

I cleaned my chain with a toothbrush and some fairy liquid in a bucket of water over the weekend. Fucking overrated exercise. Yeah its quiet and clean, but it took bloody half an hour! Made for shit brushing this morning too.

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Funniest post today!

Am I the only one that yells "get some fucking olive oil on that chain!" at squeaky nodders/hipsters/squeakers?

I said it to someone I was passing only this morning, only I didn't stipulate which kind of oil. I normally never do (though I am thinking it), just today. I think my words were 'put some oil on your chain, your bike will love you for it!' Which, of course, I know is a lie since bicycles cannot have feelings.

FFS Mr Grooves, its all about

Am I the only one that yells "get some fucking olive oil on that chain!" at squeaky nodders/hipsters/squeakers?

Would love to see the hipsters on the following Saturday asking at Broadway Market what's the best gourmet olive oil for squeaking chains.

I got squeaky cranks. A whole cacophany of differently pitched squeaks from various components loosening at a variety of rates, cotter pins, chainring bolts, bottom bracket itself possibly. It's quite a racket. Add to that clattering badly adjusted gears including a worn, jumping jockey wheel, bent chainring and squashed front derailieur that either scrapes a lot one side, a lot on the other side or, if perfectly adjusted, a little bit on both sides. Oh and I have squeaky, shuddery, whining brakes... and a bell that rattles when I ride over rough surfaces...

I should start a "heard" thread.

Haha! Awesome.

My bike's 531 awesomely silent. Just so you know, like :)

fuck it, i may as well just tell you all... i've currently got spokey dokeys on my bike. they were a birthday gift from my flatmate's girlfriend and i've not had the heart to take them off yet.
what am i saying.. i've seen a few of you looking. behind you at the lights, the plink plink plink of my front wheel reminding you so perfectly of your youth. you reminisce for a while and avoid RLJing yourself into the side of a bendy-bus.
fuck your chain squeaks, this is the realness.