How To: Keep Your Bike Chain Clean on Rainy Days with This Super Easy DIY Mud Guard

Nasty weather is bad enough when you drive, but if you ride your bike to school or work, it's really not a pleasant way to start the day. And if getting soaked isn't sufficient, a wet commute means your bike chain is going to be caked with mud and all kinds of other gross stuff.

That's why BikeHacks reader Cam put together this super easy DIY mud guard to keep rainy day debris from clogging up his chain.

He made a cardboard template and cut the guard out of a plastic lid from a tub of candy.

To attach it to the bike, he punched a few holes and used zip ties to hold it on. And that's all there is to it. Check out the full tutorial on BikeHacks for more details and photos of the process.

If snow is your problem, you can also use zip ties to snow-proof your bike tires. And if it's raining or snowing, vehicles on the road will probably have a harder time seeing you during your morning bicycle commute, so make sure to spruce up your bike with illuminated rims, a glow-in-the-dark frame, and LED turn signals.