Tri-Flow Dirtiest Drivetrain Contest Winners

Sorry for the late announcement but here it is: The dirtiest mountain bike drivetrains on the planet. Ok, so maybe there are nastier chains, cassettes, and cranks out there somewhere (probably in a third world country) but these riders happened to post the nastiest pics on singletracks.com. Grand Prize Goo uploaded this one and the …

By Jeff Barber
October 13, 2009 Last Updated: August 15, 2024

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Grand Prize

Goo uploaded this one and the judges noted the serious wear on the crank teeth along with the dirt and grime that’s been built up over many, many rides. We know this didn’t happen all at once – shame on you Goo 🙂 At least now you’ll have the proper Tri-Flow products to keep your equipment in tip-top shape plus a new Titec Hellbent Nemesis saddle!

First runner up

ckdake clearly knows where to find mud on the trail and the amount of gunk lodged between his wheel and seat tube is impressive. Aside from the copious amount of mud (which should easily wash off), the judges noted the dryness of the chain on the left side of the image. In honor of this epic mud slog, ckdake wins Tri-Flow Citrus Degreaser PLUS a Titec Honcho Prolite seatpost.

Second runner up

We had a tough time choosing the third prize winner but in the end, BFD squeaked by with this sad entry. Sometimes a MTB drivetrain can get so clogged the rear derailleur just gives up which is what we assume happened here. I wish we had some mud flaps to give away as a prize but BFD will just have to settle for some sweet Tri Flow Citrus Degreaser. 🙂

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Syd Patricio Ontario // 2008
Oct 14, 2009

Ahhh my ears are on fire..Err well actually my eyes (I am reading)....You should always keep the bike clean even if your riding all the time.. More the reason too in fact.. Helps prevent that gunk that builds up and eats away at parts.

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Greg Heil Colorado // 2008
Oct 14, 2009

Haha, wow, I won it! The guys at the shop get on my case a lot about it... but, I ride close to every other day, so what's the point in washing your bike if it's just going to get dirty again? (I DO try to do my drivetrain frequently though.)

And some of those North Georgia trails with all of the stream crossings never dry out completely... you're bound to get muddy!

But wow, thanks guys! This is an honor!

BFD 2007
Oct 14, 2009

I HATE (HATE) riding muddy trails...I almost quit mountain biking after that day...16 miles into a 50 mile day on the kokopelli trail, MILES from anywhere and caught in the middle of an epic downpour that turned a perfect trail into a mud/clay bath! ARG!!!

adonai1st 2007
Oct 14, 2009

I can completely understand getting caught in a sudden downpour. Had that happen on several occasions with St. Louis's crazy weather here. Our saying here is "if you don't like the weather, don't worry..it will change in 10 minutes!". lol. However, when i've been caught in a downpour hwerwe it's bad enough to make the trails a mud pit, i walk the bike back to the car. Yeah, it definately sucks but riding muddy trails get them closed

ckdake Georgia // 2006
Oct 13, 2009

I know my mud was from non-maintained non-trails! While it's still not a good idea to ride anywhere when it's that sloppy, the two of us riding that day were probably the only people to ride there in years, the deer and raccoons probably won't mind, and it beats several hours in the car for nothing.

adonai1st 2007
Oct 13, 2009

Not trying to rain on the parade here, but I find it very interesting that this site is rewarding riders for riding muddy trails. Looking at all the mud on these bikes in the photos...I have to cringe at the thought of all the deep ruts that must have been left on the trails. Seems irresponisible to me.

Suvacrew California // 2008
Oct 13, 2009

We need more make-up in here!!
Give thanks to the engineers for the replaceable derailleur hangers.

trek7k
Oct 13, 2009

Yeah, I kinda had the same thought myself. I'm hoping these bikes got muddy because the riders were caught in an unexpected downpour but you never know...

I admit I've gotten my bike muddy like this before but in the end it's not that fun and it is bad for your equipment (not to mention the trails). Good point adonai1st.

Corey Maddocks Colorado // 2008
Oct 14, 2009

adonai1st,
To BFD's comment, since the Kokopelli trail is a shuttle from Fruita, CO to Moab, UT, about the only thing you can do when you get caught in the rain there is try to keep going, or sit by the side of the trail, cry and curse the rain gods...

never been on that trail but from researching it walking doesn't seem very feasable. Longest trail that we have here in the STL area is a 25 loops with bail out options.

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