sandy chain, should I be worried?
 

I went through some sand, sand got kicked up onto my chain and derailleur, and because of the grease, it stuck there, will that do anything bad? if so how do I clean it?

Hose it with a nozzle, dry very thoroughly and lube.

Yes, high pressure (not too high!) but hosing it down should do the job. But yes deininatley make sure you dry all the water out. Do a good clean of the chain, use de-greaser or turps. Then lube and run through all the gears to make sure its working problaby. You might want to do the hosing down step and cleaning chain, then leave the bike over night, then come back and lube it.

chains are meant to get dirty

No worries.
Like any messy ride, just clean and relube!

What type of lube are you currently using? A wet lube is more likely to make sand and grit stick to lubed surfaces. If you ride in dry conditions, use a dry lube and you'll get less dirt sticking to your chain, etc.

My chain has dirt and sand in it most of the time. That's what happens when you leave the pavement. I used to fuss over cleaning but it consumed too much time. NOw i just lube and ride.

Yep, then made happy with a good cleaning to get them ready for the next time. It's a pain in the @ss, but cleaning it will minimize wear and maximize the life of your drivetrain, not to mention make everything shift better.

Lots of sand around here and it always gets kicked up - I usually use Pedros LiquidX dry lube but it's been raining a lot and the trais are gooey so I've switched to some Finish Line with Teflon designed for Wet crap until the trails dry back out. I forgot on Saturday, and the wet stuff washed the Pedros right off the chain - sounded like crap by the end of the ride.

Just take off the chain and clean it with a degreaser, then put a good oil on. Don't point a pressured hose at your bike, please.

Wipe it down or gently rinse with water, get a chain cleaning gizmo that you put around the chain while it is still on the bike, turn cranks backwards a few times, take it off, wipe it down, lube it, wipe off excess and your good to go, takes a few minutes and will save lots of wear and tear. Keep it by your bike with some rubber gloves and keep it ready to go. quick and simple.

+1, I use Finish Line also and I ride a very sandy MUP from time to time. I just clean the chain after every for or five rides.

howbout cleaning the crank etc??? wouldnt there be dirt on them aswell?

iIride in sand alot. No,you shouldn't be worried,but you should be planning on replacing lots of drive train parts if you do it often.