Chain Break

One of many broken plates.

Once again, winter takes its toll. After five inches of snow fell this weekend I rode down the unplowed backstreets that have three to four inches of packed snow instead of riding in the salted wet mess of the main streets. At the end of each day I took the bike down into the basement to hose off the salt and lube the bike's vulnerable parts. Then I noticed a broken chain link and figured no big deal since I'd just replace it with a Quick Link. While wiping down the rest of the chain about a half-dozen more links show similar damage.

Even though it was a real workout trying to pedal through that frozen oatmeal-like snow, I can't believe a chain couldn't handle the stress. I picked up the bike used for a song so who knows what the previous owner did.

Tomorrow, a new chain and a Quick Link.

Winter Takes its Toll

Each year the mixture of road salt and slush eats away at my beater.