Originally Posted by
tjspiel
Anyway, I agree that if you're willing to put in the extra time to frequently wash the crud and salt off your bike you can ride an expensive bike year round and it will do just fine. If your not willing and able to do that, you end up with a bike that looks like this:
No, that's what a drivetrain looks like if you're unwilling to lube the chain.
Jeepers. Spend five bucks on a bottle and take five minutes a week to apply it. It ain't rocket surgery.
The church next door to me has a bike mission. I go over there and help out once in a while. The homeless guys who ride all winter and leave their bikes outside have better looking drivetrains on their POS 70s bikes.
As for full disclosure, I admitted to performing routine maintenance and replacing worn parts.