Regular cleaning of your bike......

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

by mattr

After seeing a comment on this thread https://weightweenies.starbike.com/foru ... 3&t=154810 about spending two afternoons cleaning a bike after some rain and as a follow on to this thread https://weightweenies.starbike.com/foru ... 31&t=34903 just thought it might be good to add some hints and tip on tools and techniques for the sort of regular cleaning (pretty much every ride!) that those of us in the wetter parts of the world use........

I mean, taking your chain/cassette/crank off to clean in all the nooks and crannies with cotton wool buds might be ok once a year, doing it after every ride is going to get slightly annoying, slightly quickly.

Anyone want to start the ball rolling, as i'm going out to ride my MTB off road in the rain before it gets dark......
Last edited by mattr on Tue Jan 01, 2019 10:16 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Nefarious86
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by Nefarious86

Chain through a park cleaner if it's been a dry week or off and into turps/metho after most wet/filthy rides, bar tape hosed off if sweaty after a ride, washed every 2 weeks unless needed before due to inclement weather.

Everything lives in easily accessible tubs so that if its wet out it can be washed before I go inside and things begin to get crusty. ImageImage
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calleking
Posts: 386
Joined: Sun Sep 13, 2015 3:20 pm

by calleking

I live in Sweden and it's not exactly dry or warm here. For my road bike I wipe of the chain, chainrings, pulley wheels and cassette after a ride in the wet. Doesn't take long and makes a huge difference over time. You just need to have a proper routine for it and it takes a few minutes. I usually go inside after a ride, grab a coffee and some energy and then do it. Every second week I clean it thoroughly so it's perfect. I could probably do less but I enjoy doing it too.

My CX, Gravel bike and MTB get less love but more or less the same treatment with a proper wash once it starts getting filthy. I keep them somewhat clean but nothing close to my road bike which is much more bling. If the bikes have been exposed to road salt I clean it instantly as that really destroys the drivetrain, bolts etc.

If it's dry - maybe wipe of the chain but other than that there's not much you need to do. Maybe I should move somewhere warmer... :mrgreen:
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mattr
Posts: 4671
Joined: Fri May 25, 2007 6:43 pm
Location: The Grim North.

by mattr

My winter routine includes some eco degreaser (actually it's green automotive tar spot remover, which i buy in bulk and dilute by 50%) and run the chain through a park cyclone chain cleaner (i've found most of the others get *really* brittle after a couple of months use, park is twice the price and lasts several years).
Then gently hose down to get everything else wet/soft/loose, especially on the MTB or training bike!
Then spray a mix of water/detergent/degreaser over the other dirty bits, pedals, brake calipers, front/rear mechs, cassette. Have a small indoor plant mister/sprayer for this, added bonus is that forcing it through the nozzle makes it foam up nicely, so it sticks to what i'm spraying it on, softens up road grime and brake dust residue very nicely. Then hot soapy water and a (cheap) sponge all over the drivetrain to get the degreaser off and the rest of the grime, which is now nicely soft and runny, easy to remove. If the chain has been on the bike more than about a month, by this point it's usually clean enough that it rattles.

Then it's a big car wheel brush for the tyres/rims and to get in between the sprockets (~€5 well spent) and a small flexible conic brush to get behind the discs and round the centre of the hubs.
Then its a microfibre glove and more hot soapy water all over the whole bike.

Image
https://www.biltema.se/bilvard/biltvatt ... 2000033960 well worth the entire ~€5 it cost me. It's now a year old and barely shows any sign of use, i have another one for the car.

And a rinse with the hose.

Whole job takes 20 minutes, including getting the hose out and filling the bucket, which is the same bucket that the entire kit lives in.
Also have a hook to hold the bike off the ground, so don't *usually* even need to take the wheels off, can even clean the inside of my mudguards satisfactorily with the wheel brush.

In the summer/dry weather, it's just a hose down, wipe the chain with a rag and then microfibre glove/hot soapy water and rinse. Until i decide it needs a proper clean, then as above.
If i'm planning to fix something i might nip to the garage and blast the water off with a compressor. But usually it goes in the workshop "bounce dry" which means bone dry within a couple of hours.

mvcap
Posts: 176
Joined: Fri Apr 22, 2016 9:50 pm

by mvcap

@Nefarious86 what small stand is that in your first photo? Looks v handy for quick washes. Thx!

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dgasmd
Posts: 1953
Joined: Sun Apr 15, 2007 5:10 am
Location: South Florida

by dgasmd

I live in a town in front of the beach. Fine sand is everywhere and it is impossible to do a single ride and not find sand in every creavice you'd never think sand could fit. For me, lubing and wiping the chain at least 1-2x/week is a MUST. The rest of the bike gets a hose downa nd dry with a terry cloth towel basically when the inspiration hits me, which it is not often.

TobinHatesYou
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Joined: Mon Jul 24, 2017 12:02 pm

by TobinHatesYou

That stand has many names. Bike Hand is one.

I will caution that this style of stand does not play nice with most thru-axle disc frames.

AJS914
Posts: 5397
Joined: Tue Jan 28, 2014 6:52 pm

by AJS914

I hardly ever do a full on wash / deep cleaning. I wipe down the frame/stem/seatpost with auto quick detailer as needed. I'll remove wheels every now and really get the fork and stays.

When I take my wheels off I check my brake pads, wipe them off, and will dig out any bits of embeded grit.

I maintain the chain with the Rock N Roll system (apply, wipe/clean, repeat). Once or twice a year I'll install a new chain and use the opportunity to really scrub the derailleurs and chainrings.

I've always liked the GCN 5 minute wash video though I wouldn't do the WD40:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvzVRxlIUL0

maquisard
Posts: 3772
Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 8:51 pm
Location: France

by maquisard

I actually do similar to the WD40 (or any other water displacing PTFE lubricant) thing in winter, albeit if I was doing a longer ride I would use a decent wet lube as well.

After thorough washing of the bike the WD40 helps display any water in around bearings/cables and other mechanical parts which helps to prevent water sitting and causing corrosion. I find this helps greatly in ensuring a problem free drive train during months of winter.

It sounds bad but it works.

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euan
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Joined: Sat Sep 05, 2009 11:20 am

by euan

In the winter GT85 is my prefered chain lube for my CX bike. Its only being used for 60 minutes at a time. Quick clean and respray and all good.

maquisard
Posts: 3772
Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 8:51 pm
Location: France

by maquisard

One thing I like about PTFE based 'lubes' like WD40 and GT85 is that they don't attract dirt due to their low viscosity. That low viscosity means they don't last long, as euan says a few hours at the most, but they keep the chain clean.

Nefarious86
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Joined: Sun May 25, 2014 4:57 am

by Nefarious86

It's just the Pro stand that everyone seems to have copied.

For more through cleaning I use this.Image
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MisterNoChain
Posts: 275
Joined: Sun Nov 13, 2011 9:29 pm

by MisterNoChain

I put my bike on a stand, take the chain of. I spray it with water, spray it with the bottle of bike cleaner. Leave it like that for 5 minutes.
Then i use an old t-shirt to rub my chain clean, i use wax since a couple of months and i must say it stays much cleaner like that! Havent use any degreaser and it still looks sharp. Back to the bike i use the hose to get ride of the bike cleaner and mud. I take a towel to dry the bike, put the chain back on. That's it.

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themidge
Posts: 1528
Joined: Fri Jan 13, 2017 4:19 pm
Location: underneath sweet Scottish rain

by themidge

The best solution to the bike washing problem in winter is mudguards. Not only do they protect the rider, but more importantly they protect the bike.
I have to wash my bike on the front steps (city tenement flat = no garden or drive and no hose) so the less water required to wash off all that Scottish mud with just a sponge the better.

IME there are two approaches to the drivetrains in winter:
- clean it all the time so it's shiny at the start of every ride
- let it reach peak griminess so it protects itself in a cocoon of black gunge. Having let it reached this state, don't even touch it until spring. This seems to work better with 5/6/7 speed chains than narrower 8/9/10/11 speed ones :wink:

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nickf
Posts: 1428
Joined: Sat Mar 06, 2010 10:34 pm

by nickf

After every ride- microfiber and quick detailer on painted surfaces.

Every few rides- rag with some speed degreaser and run the chain backwards, re-lube. I never submerge the chain in anything.

Maybe once a month- pull off wheels, clean cassette, brake pads, remove crank, relube all moving parts. I never submerge the chain just the procedure above. Takes maybe half an hour to complete.

Rain- Ill do the above procedure immediately after the ride. But i never take a hose to the bike. If you stay on top of it there in no need for any water whatsoever. Mountain bike might get a water rinse with a small hand pump sprayer if its really mucked up.

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