Thin walls can mess with signal just as bad, guess it's all trial and error.

Oh man, that gritty sound is the worst. I switched to drip wax last year after a dusty gravel ride just like that. Now I just clean the chain with a rag and a little simple green, then drip the wax on while I'm spinning the pedals backwards. Let it dry overnight and it's good for like two dirty rides before I need to redo it. Way less crud on my hands and pants.

Heard this exact thing from my buddy Mike down in Lockhart. He ran a hundred year old stick burner his grandpa left him for like five years. Swore up and down it was the only way. Then he got a pellet smoker as a gift from his brother in law. First time he used it he put a pork shoulder on at 10pm and went to bed. Woke up and it was dead on 203 degrees with no fuss. He told me he felt like he was cheating on his grandpa but now the offset only comes out for competitions or when he wants to drink beer in the yard all afternoon. Kept both but uses the pellet way more.