When to wash bike?

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sawyer
Posts: 4485
Joined: Fri Dec 15, 2006 7:45 pm
Location: Natovi Landing

by sawyer

DMF wrote:I don't ever wash a bike with a hose of any sort, let alone a pressure washer. That is what kills bearings, not the part where you clean your bike every day. I found the most effective method for "dry cleaning" a bike to be baby wipes, the cheapest ones seem more effective, might not actually use those on an actual baby though.

What that method is a all about, is getting in a routine and being smart about it, i.e not using the wipe as a rag but more as a tool... For instance threading it thru a brake or derailleur and tugging on the ends, the same around tubes. Think dental floss...

Did I mention this is done in the living room with a minimum of floor cleanup up afterwards?


+1 on all that, though I do it outside

if pushed for time, baby wipe the crap out of the chain, the chainrings, and the jockey wheels, then re-lube

With more time, do as above, plus sponge, warm water and washing up liquid to clean everything else.

And remove cassette to clean individual sprockets
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hobbsneti
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Joined: Sat Apr 04, 2015 6:08 am

by hobbsneti

You know there's salt in washing up liquid, right?[emoji33]

mattr
Posts: 4671
Joined: Fri May 25, 2007 6:43 pm
Location: The Grim North.

by mattr

I do mine when it's dirty, every ride usually. :(

Car shampoo, tar spot remover (excellent degreaser) and 10 minutes is all it takes. (15 minutes for the MTB)

AJS914
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Joined: Tue Jan 28, 2014 6:52 pm

by AJS914

Every ride? You must not ride much or you have a lot more time than I do. :-)

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Rick
Posts: 2034
Joined: Sat Aug 29, 2009 4:30 pm

by Rick

I am in the "virtually never" camp.
I do wipe down specifically dirty areas frequently, but almost never "wash" the bike.

Maybe after riding in rain or with lots of road spray....which is rare in Utah.
Or maybe after a century in which I drooled a lot of gatorade all over everything.
But it is mostly just "wipe what I see is dirty". Pledge, alcohol, WD-40, Simple Green, etc

mattr
Posts: 4671
Joined: Fri May 25, 2007 6:43 pm
Location: The Grim North.

by mattr

AJS914 wrote:Every ride? You must not ride much or you have a lot more time than I do. :-)
or maybe my bike comes back from most rides filthy?
I live at the end of a dirt track, which is either dusty or muddy. Except for about 5 months a year, when it's under a minimum of 10cm of ice (and the snow on top of that)

xena
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by xena

I give my bike a quick a wipe down with a baby wipe and dry off with kitchen towel. [2 mins] every few rides. If It has been a wet ride I wipe it down with a few more baby wipes and dry with kitchen towel 20 mins if its really dirty.
Never use water or any cleaning product.
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sawyer
Posts: 4485
Joined: Fri Dec 15, 2006 7:45 pm
Location: Natovi Landing

by sawyer

hobbsneti wrote:You know there's salt in washing up liquid, right?[emoji33]


Yes, but once heavily diluted it's a miniscule amount and I rinse afterwards. Doesn't do any harm IME
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timmbo
Posts: 30
Joined: Sat Apr 04, 2015 11:42 pm

by timmbo

hobbsneti wrote:You know there's salt in washing up liquid, right?[emoji33]


there may be some obscure budget brand that puts salt in (for some unknown reason), but largely, there isn't.

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