Cycling tip du jour, Monday: post-ride bike care

Most of us are so relieved to get to our destination - not to mention probably being late for something - that we lock up the trusty bike and rush off.

The poor old bike, meanwhile, sits there, perhaps pining for its owner, while the water from the rain (especially on a day such as today) slowly seeps into every possible joint, opening, corner, nut, bolt, etc etc.

A trusty rag. Source - Bike Radar which has an excellent 
guide to cleaning bikes

Solution - spend just 4 minutes with an old rag (I have an old T-shirt of my wife's which does sterling service) wiping off the worst of the water, paying particular attention to the chain area. It's mucky work, but will pay off when you don't get squeaky rusting parts down there.

Then, hang up rag to dry, and you're off to work or wherever feeling vaguely smug.