In a recent discussion I had somewhere online, there was some question about
the usefulness of keeping a drivetrain clean.
I keep things clean just as a matter of pride - no expectation it had any
other effect - but subsequently read this page:
http://www.kenkifer.com/bikepages/skills/repair.htm
The excerpt that hit me from that page:
"When I was on my first Canadian trip in 1966, I started breaking rear gear
cables, one after another. I blamed the cables, and I blamed the derailleur,
but I did not blame myself, and I was the one at fault. Because I had
allowed the chain to become too dirty, shifting was straining the cables too
much."
Ouch.
Just prior to reading this, I cleaned a lot of gunk off my rear drivetrain
components. I had some dried Linseed oil (hard, plasticy) on the rear
casette that must've dripped out of the frame when I sprayed it. Wonder how
close I was flirting with broken cables... hrrm. Sure shifts a lot smoother
now...
Who knew?