Mountain Biking - Holy Mud, Batman!

I was out riding with my mom just now, and she decided to take a shortcut through this muddy dirt road. The route I took was really deep, so my bike got caked with it.

http://jonbuder.us/images/bikemud/bikemud1_th.jpg (http://jonbuder.us/images/bikemud/bikemud1.jpg)

http://jonbuder.us/images/bikemud/bikemud2_th.jpg (http://jonbuder.us/images/bikemud/bikemud2.jpg)

http://jonbuder.us/images/bikemud/bikemud3_th.jpg (http://jonbuder.us/images/bikemud/bikemud3.jpg)

http://jonbuder.us/images/bikemud/bikemud4_th.jpg (http://jonbuder.us/images/bikemud/bikemud4.jpg)

I tried to wash it off, but the hose was frozen (meh), so I ended up brushing away as much as I could.

Now, we're talking.

Is that a grill from the future in the background?

We've had that for a long time - guess which part is aluminum :P

We've had that for a long time - guess which part is aluminum :P

My second guess was that it was a grill from the 70's.

That looks like something a little different than just mud....then again I havent seen mud like that in ages.

cases like that are where disc brakes are really nice :p

I rode over some sand/dirt that kind of stuck to the top of it. I had half a mile to go to get home, so some of it fell off also.

I hope you have nice fork wiper seals :p

I was out riding with my mom just now, and she decided to take a shortcut through this muddy dirt road. The route I took was really deep, so my bike got caked with it.


Your mom must be pretty cool!!

that happened to me, but with this nasty mud that is like clay. i tried washing it off with a hose, but it didnt do crap. i ended up scrubbing my entire bike down and its all good.

I don't think the seals on my fork are super good, no. My mom didn't mean to go through the mud; she didnt think the road would be too bad.

You need a single speed. That would stop the mud build-up on your f/d, and make it nice and clean, like this!

http://www.bikegreenecounty.com/photos/Mtb11.jpg :D

Yikes! :O

I was thinking "I wish I had a winter beater, ss, rigid fork, no brakes (or discs) to ride in this stuff".. A frame with nice tire clearance would help also.

I just got enduro fork seals actually, they seem pretty nice witht he material used and all.l ANd that is a hell of a lot of mud, but im not a single speed fan. I like the modulation

http://jonbuder.us/images/bikemud/bikemud2.jpg

You might want to get your bike to the lbs, that black ring 2/3rds of the way up with the wiper seal.Mud got in there, fork probably needs rebuilding.

http://jonbuder.us/images/bikemud/bikemud2.jpg
I have the same problem you do, and I see you tried to keep it on with a zip tie.
They key is to put one zip tie on the seal, and another zip tie on the fork itself, then use two zip ties to hold the upper one in place.

thats a pretty good system you have there svloid. I went riding in the snow today (6 inches now) and i saw no signs of leaking or anything, i couldnt see any signs of water getting in there. What kind of fork is that?

I tried the way it is, then gave up on it but forgot to cut them off. I might try the way you have it, thanks.

It's an 04 hardrock sport with probably the cheapest fork on the market.
It's weird that he's got the 05' hardrock and he's got the same problem on the right fork.
He must've been going mad slow, cause there's very little mud on the bottom of the frame.

Well i just say, if you can find the model of the fork there might be better seals out there for them, though if you dont plan on keeping this thing for a while it may not be worth it. Though these things cost me just 25 dollars, thats 5 dollars lless than the OEM ones my bike shop was going to order for me. And i can assure you they are better, look at their reviews.

RST Gila T5...

I'm probably getting a new fork next year - not sure about that though. If I need new seals, I'll do that.

I was going pretty slow on the way home so that all the mud wouldnt fall off, and I could take pictures :P

Nothin like a good mudder ride. I had several races this past spring that had me and the bike lookin like that! Thats why car wax and armor all rock. Yay for discs too.

Screw the fork, I'm probably getting a new bike lol.
700c flatbar with disc brakes.

You might want to get your bike to the lbs, that black ring 2/3rds of the way up with the wiper seal.Mud got in there, fork probably needs rebuilding.

Sorry, I missed that post last time. If mud gets in there, would having it rebuilt help?

Rebuilding would hopefully remove the grit/mud before it had a chance to wear on it.

http://jonbuder.us/images/bikemud/bikemud2.jpg

You might want to get your bike to the lbs, that black ring 2/3rds of the way up with the wiper seal.Mud got in there, fork probably needs rebuilding.

what is there to rebuild? its just a coil no damping

If it has no damping then it is of lesser impotance. It depends on how much it was cycled(pumped) during the ride and before cleaning. One ride is hardly grounds for concern I would say.

P'shaw! That ain't nothin'. ;) Last time I went riding in the mud, I couldn't even see my rims and my drivetrain was lubed with mud. Good for the pores, don'tchaknow....

what is there to rebuild? its just a coil no damping

You obviously don't know much about the mechanical aspects do you.

When dirt gets in the oil(Which more in likely happened in this case) the grit will cause premature seal failure, stanction wear and bushing failure and if they desced to give in out in the middle of nowhere, it equals to a long walk back.

and when your bushings crap out you will hvea slop between your lower and upper legs. And when your seals crap out it pisses oil. Suspensions tricky stuff

im really glad i had disc brakes this day, the bike had way more mud on it, but i rode it home on city streets from the trails, and most of the mud fell off after hitting lots of puddles, you can see evidence of a wipeout on my chest/stomach (im the guy on the left), probably slid about 20 feet, coolest wipeout ever! so here is my contribution to this thread..

sorry if the pic is too big, im too much of a moron to resize it....


http://uregina.ca/~gibbjohn/pictures/bikeforumspic.JPG

what is the best procedure to clean a chain like in the 4th pic when using only home materials and no specific stuff as cleaners degreasers etc..?

I'm planning to hose it down really well, then lube it a lot. I'll probably end up getting a new chain in the spring, along with fork, pedals, possibly cranks, and probably ditch my front derraileur and 2 of the chainrings.