Ann, As you've probably noticed by now, sea mist (super fine salt water particles created by wave and wind action) on the bike causes other particulates (dust, grit, pollen) to stick. A rinse of fresh water every few days and a (soapy) wipe down of the bike every week or so will keep things from getting out of hand. "Waxing" the frame with a decent protective product (quick and easy tends to get done more often than a labor intensive product like paste) every month or so.
Another thought on a paint-protective-coating is that the bright sun and reflected sunlight will age the paint faster than you might imagine. Nickel plated chains and cassettes hold up pretty well with a regular wash. However, remember that same salt air causes gunk to build up in the cable housing. A few drops of teflon based dry lube into the housing (with the bike hanging by the front or rear wheel) will prolong useable life. FWIW, a few years ago a lab tested chain lubes with the lowest friction (not longest viability). The four at the top were Molten Speed Wax, Squirt (wax based), Parrafin (grocery store) and Lilly Lube (synthetic blend). Have you talked with the local bike shops? There are plenty of hardcore roadies and triathletes to support some quality bike shops around there. Maybe they would share advice for the conditions. Best of luck! Cheers, Bill in Roswell, GA On Saturday, September 2, 2017 at 9:55:37 AM UTC-4, panog wrote: > > On Sunday, August 27, 2017 at 10:55:35 PM UTC-4, Ann L wrote: > > I recently relocated due to work and now do the majority of my riding by > the beach. I love the natural beauty of sand, surf, ospreys, and pelicans > but hate what the sand is doing to my gears. A gritty crust rapidly > develops on my cassette and chain. I have been cleaning the chain weekly > and wiping the bike down daily. Any advice from beach riders as to what I > should be doing to maintain the bike? > > Fenders, mud flap on the front and NFS chain lube. It works just fine > without any accelerated wear. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
