A Bath.

I abused the ti bike.
  
Over the past week, after every soaking wet ride, I would just throw it unceremoniously in a heap in the garage. I wouldn't wash it. I wouldn't wipe it down. I wouldn't even clean and oil the chain. Too tired and not interested.
  
Black goop, a foul mixture of old chain oil and road grime, covered the drivetrain. "Oh well" I thought, "it will act as a protective layer. It can't possibly rust with such a thick layer of crap coating it." Turns out I was wrong. Yesterday when I got off of work and pulled the bike down, surface rust was plainly visible on the chain, uncovered and promoted by the steady rain that had been falling all day. Quickly I rotated the cranks to recoat the chain with black goop. Out of sight, out of mind.
  
The drivetrain didn't squeak, but I knew it was time to do something about this situation.
  
When I got home, I gave it a pretty good washing. The frame cleaned up nicely, as it always does, but the drivetrain was another matter. It took some industrial strength cleaners and some mechanical persuasion to get everything somewhat presentable.
  
I didn't replace the chain. It's near the end of its expected lifespan, but then again, I'm near the end of my riding season. With conditions like we have had recently, there's no use in exposing a brand new chain to that sort of abuse. It can wait.
  
I doused the chained liberally with a wax-based chain lube endorsed by Team Sky (Now with extra triamcinolone!), worked it through the links, then wiped it clean as best as I could. Hopefully this will goop up well and get me through the waning days of this wet road season.     
 
I still haven't downloaded my Garmin files. I 've recorded all of my rides out of habit, just like I've zeroed my SRM before I begin. Purely an automatic thing. It's not about fidelity or accuracy or peak performance. I'm just mindlessly going through the motions. Eventually I'll pull the Garmin off the mount and bring it in, download it to Training Peaks, and see where I am.
 
Right now I just don't care. It doesn't matter. What matters are the cranky things are going roundy-round again.
  
If I can keep them from rusting solid, that would be good. 
 
 

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