Today at 08:57 PM #3 OK, lets see what else we need to keep an eye on. How about something simple like the chain? This thing needs to be kept clean. If it gets dirty, it not only eats itself, it eats your sprockets. While I'm OK if you want to throw this money away since I sell chains a sprockets, it can have a negative effect on your budget. So, clean the chain and sprockets so the crud doesn't eat your parts. I use some purple power degreaser type stuff on a grunge brush. That is the name of it, so just do a search or ask the dude at the parts counter for one. They do a great job. After you get all those parts clean you need to lube it with something for good for on road/racing. It will be a little different that the dirt stuff. Now that it's clean we can make sure it is still good. I tap on the side of my chain where it hangs down on the bottom. If you can hear the rollers making a chinging sound, it's either worn out, or close to it. Chains don't cost that much, so replace them when they first start going bad and you won't hurt your sprockets. Old chains don't line up with the groves of the sprocket properly, and they tear them up. I'll be back with some more chain info on the next post.