Washing AXS drivetrain

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Roadbiker10
Posts: 495
Joined: Fri Apr 30, 2021 8:22 am

by Roadbiker10

I have not found much discussion on this. I've seen some info on Srams site about not aiming water at where the battery connects or the derailleur pivots, or junction points between component sub-assemblies.

So do you not aim the hose towards the rear mech at all then? How else would you avoid everything they're saying. What if you have it on a gravel or mtb? That would be pretty difficult then. How about the shifters? They say you need some plug or something.

So how do you guys clean your Etap drivetrain?
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ghostinthemachine
Posts: 780
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by ghostinthemachine

Same as every other bike I've had over the last 40 years. Hot water plus soap/shampoo, mild degreaser, then gently rinse with a hose.
(That includes many many km on etap and a fair few on AXS).

As long as you aren't a dick about it, a garden hose isn't going to do anything.

I've even seen SRAM tech cleaning bikes with a cordless pressure washer.

bobones
Posts: 1271
Joined: Mon Aug 12, 2013 11:19 am

by bobones

Bucket of hot soapy water, brush, sponge, rinse with low pressure hose or pump action garden sprayer and dry off excess water with a towel. Just don't use a pressure washer on it.

Keep batteries attached or use supplied blanks to cover terminals on derailleurs. Shifter blip ports should already by plugged with blanks or have blips attached.

No need to baby it.

manystyles
Posts: 59
Joined: Sun Feb 27, 2011 11:23 pm

by manystyles

I’d get a hose attachment that has several spray options. Try and find one with a “mist” setting. Supplies just enough want to wash away soap.

I’ll be washing my road bike with eTap for the first time this week.


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Mirco
Posts: 142
Joined: Thu Jul 12, 2018 7:09 pm

by Mirco

This Red Etap is 4 years old, and has seen many pressure washers.

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JMeinholdt
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by JMeinholdt

Pressure washer on the lowest setting here. Obviously you don't want to aim focus the spray right on the battery, but I do get down in the pulley wheels and such. No issues.
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Roadbiker10
Posts: 495
Joined: Fri Apr 30, 2021 8:22 am

by Roadbiker10

Thanks. It doesn't seem that sensitive then. It sounded more complicated with Srams directions than it is. I didn't know you should remove the batteries though.
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bikeboy1tr
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Location: Southern Ontario Canada

by bikeboy1tr

Likely not a bad ideal to wipe off the battery connections after washing or lubing as sometimes the battery will flash red if the contacts have crap between them even if the battery is not dead.
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ghostinthemachine
Posts: 780
Joined: Thu May 07, 2015 9:18 pm

by ghostinthemachine

Roadbiker10 wrote:
Thu Jan 20, 2022 11:41 pm
Thanks. It doesn't seem that sensitive then. It sounded more complicated with Srams directions than it is. I didn't know you should remove the batteries though.
I think SRAM are just covering themselves. Blasting a jet wash at any part of a bike isn't the best of ideas, and many customers don't seem to be able to tell the difference between a pressure washer at 100+ bar and a garden hose at 2.

Taking the batteries off first is something I've only done when they need charging anyway or the bike is absolutely mindbendingly filthy (winter training rides, CX races) never bothered with any cover, just give the mechs a quick wipe down and a spritz with something to protect the terminals after i've finished.
Also have been known to use a compressor and a low pressure nozzle to blow all the water of the bike.

bobones
Posts: 1271
Joined: Mon Aug 12, 2013 11:19 am

by bobones

I don't bother taking the batteries off when washing either, but I have had 2 eTap RD failures that I put down to moisture ingress, so I am not going near them with a pressure washer at all.

First failure was with 11 speed RD which, after a couple of years, started discharging batteries within a week, then after around 3.5 years it started stalling on shifts. I ended up buying an A2 RD to replace this.

Second failure was Force AXS RD which after a couple of months started discharging batteries within a day. I got this replaced under warranty. Not really sure what happened here, but it was on my winter bike and I may have used a PW on it a couple of times. The replacement has seen a lot of wet rides but it remains fine.

Most of the stories of repaired RDs on here tell of dirty/muddy interiors pointing to water ingress as the culprit, and once they're cleaned up they work again. I am now a bit more careful about drying them off after wet rides and only using hose mist spray to rinse off soap.

Karvalo
Posts: 3444
Joined: Fri Aug 10, 2018 6:40 pm

by Karvalo

Roadbiker10 wrote:
Thu Jan 20, 2022 11:41 pm
Thanks. It doesn't seem that sensitive then. It sounded more complicated with Srams directions than it is. I didn't know you should remove the batteries though.
Shouldn't.

ghostinthemachine
Posts: 780
Joined: Thu May 07, 2015 9:18 pm

by ghostinthemachine

I've not found it matters much one way or the other.
Or at least, I've had no failures.
And the bike doesn't sit there wet for hours, and once the batteries are removed, the mech is electrically "dead".

OnTheRivet
Posts: 732
Joined: Sat Jul 24, 2010 9:41 pm

by OnTheRivet

Unless you acidentally ride down a mud filled trail and let it dry on your bike there is absolutleu no reason to get a hose near a road bike. You are not a pro mechanic in a horry to do 10 + bikes. You don't have unlimited access to bearings and parts, maybe you do, who knows, but there is simply no reason to wash a road bike like pro mechanics do. Use a sp[ray bottle with some soaby water and a rag or just use some bike polish.

ghostinthemachine
Posts: 780
Joined: Thu May 07, 2015 9:18 pm

by ghostinthemachine

LOL, there speaks someone whose never ridden anywhere with rain, snow, ice or dirt roads.

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Roadbiker10
Posts: 495
Joined: Fri Apr 30, 2021 8:22 am

by Roadbiker10

OnTheRivet wrote:
Fri Jan 21, 2022 7:46 pm
Unless you acidentally ride down a mud filled trail and let it dry on your bike there is absolutleu no reason to get a hose near a road bike. You are not a pro mechanic in a horry to do 10 + bikes. You don't have unlimited access to bearings and parts, maybe you do, who knows, but there is simply no reason to wash a road bike like pro mechanics do. Use a sp[ray bottle with some soaby water and a rag or just use some bike polish.
I am used to spraying pretty hard on the shower mode with the garden hose attachment piece. On the cassette especially and the pulley wheels. I don't aim it directly at the bearings though, but do it from a different angle. But you're right, road bikes don't require that kind of water pressure.
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