Originally Posted by
tjspiel
I've had lots of problems with rust on chains due to salt. Rinsing it off from a hose is probably a reasonable solution if you live somewhere where temps poke above freezing on a regular basis during the winter. Where I live in in a normal winter it can go several weeks without getting that warm. I shut the outside water off in November and I probably won't turn it back on for a couple of weeks yet.
I won't be rinsing off my chain very much in January.
Plus, sometimes I think the bike shop guys give advice with the assumption that you're riding on weekends and not every day. Do you really want to have to rinse your chain off every day?
Yes, here in this area, temperatures frequently poke above freezing during winter. You would be right in assuming that the bike shop people (yes women work at bike shops here, maybe not in your state) dispense advice appropriate to the climate in this region. Your assumption that not a single bike shop employee in this region knows how to advise commuters vs. weekend riders, however, is not quite fair. Come down here and meet commuting riders, talk to them about the LBS's here and you'll know what I mean.