How do you wash your bike?(merged)

Discussion in 'The Workshop' started by lukewiens, Sep 4, 2007.

?

How often do you wash your bike?

  1. Never

    8.3%
  2. After Every Ride

    12.1%
  3. When It Needs It

    57.8%
  4. Random

    21.8%
  1. Bryguy17

    Bryguy17 A little Shaggy

    Joined:
    Dec 5, 2007
    Messages:
    5,420
    Likes Received:
    2
    Trophy Points:
    38
    Location:
    Fullerton, CA
    if i get my bike all muddy, I'll rinse it with a garden hose. just water, and use my hand to brush off any solid matter. you just need to avoid spraying into the areas with bearings (hubs, headset, BB, suspension stuff).

    then I just dry it off with an old towel and its all good...

    I would assume you can substitute a soft nylon brush for your hand as well, but whatever you've got should work fine...
     
  2. Ladd Jasper

    Ladd Jasper Full speed, half blind

    Joined:
    Feb 12, 2005
    Messages:
    2,301
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    36
    Location:
    Russia, with love
    I've washed my bikes with a hose and dried them with a compressor for years without issue. It only takes the slightest common sense to use them both correctly and effectively to clean a bike.

    A little dry lube shot into the pivots and derailleur links chases out any stray water, and removing the chain for a Simple Green soak then blowing it dry keeps it looking and running like new.

    A couple times a year I'll break the whole thing down for a full bearing inspection/ overhaul, but most of the time it isn't required and I just end up giving it that much more thorough of a cleaning.
     
  3. vlad

    vlad Montrose Bike Shop

    Joined:
    Jan 12, 2008
    Messages:
    1,250
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    Location:
    La Crescenta - Montrose - Glendale
    Home Page:
    WATER IS NOT BAD FOR BIKES, or any of the parts. Look at all of the pro mechanics. They use water.

    Water is not bad for bikes or parts. PRESSURE IS BAD. Its the pressure that breaks seals and allows water or dust to reaches into the nooks around cable housing, etc.

    Wash your bike with a regular water hose and no pressure head. Use a good bike cleaning shampoo like Muc Off or Finish Line's pink stuff.

    The do not use pressure goes for anything pressurized. Do not use AIR Pressure either to take out dust from hard to reach places.
     
  4. afgenkuong

    afgenkuong Guest

    Err... Just recently hosed off my bike and getting kinda worried that I may have sprayed water into the BB and the pivots of my bike (main concern). What should I do to make sure the pivot bolts don't rust? Not worried about shifter cables cause I'm replacing them soon. :D

    Maybe flip my bike over and give it a good shake to see if any water comes out of the seat tube?... Iono if water got inside the frame. Does a frame have any type of drainage system?....
     
  5. jeepr84

    jeepr84 Member

    Joined:
    Dec 13, 2007
    Messages:
    352
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    16
    Location:
    Orange County
    I have never had an issue with using a garden hose with a little common sense. The only time I had any problems with water was, years ago, after submerging my BB multiple time on a ride and not pulling the seatpost and flipping the bike (to let the water come out) or pulling the BB. Since then, I run a small hole in my BB and have had no issues. If that freaks you out, you could always get one of these valve "thingys"....maybe the ticket if you're in a real wet climate.


    [​IMG]


    The Dry Valve was designed to eliminate water contamination of the BB bearings. It is inserted into the bottom of the bottom bracket shell at the lowest place in the bicycle frame, were the water collects. Includes valve insertion tool. Weight: 2 gr.
     
  6. victor13

    victor13 New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 16, 2009
    Messages:
    143
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    I've attached pics to the first post to show you what my bike was looking like after a roll in the mud.


    P.s. Please dont make fun of my light. :p
     
  7. j3rmz

    j3rmz New Member

    Joined:
    Aug 26, 2010
    Messages:
    28
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    How to clean your bike

    Just wanted some opinions on how to clean my bike and how often? I found a couple of google links and searched STR but didn't see anything about this. Is there a downside to just hosing the bad boy down and then lubing the drivetrain after? I found a dozen different approaches, but just wanted to see what you seasoned veterans think. Opinions?
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Feb 1, 2011
  8. tweasol

    tweasol New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 19, 2009
    Messages:
    293
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    Location:
    Trabuco Canyon
    I usually just wipe it down with a rag and use an air compressor to blow out most of the crud inside the drive train - and get the chunky stuff out by threading a rag or using a toothbrush.

    If it's THAT BAD, then I disassemble and clean the individual drive train parts separately.

    Then I just get a rag, squeeze the chain and run it though there a bunch until it looks acceptable. Then lube it up. Occasionally, I'll use degreaser on it with the Park tool Tornado thing. Disposal is bad for the environment and most of the time not really necessary though (so that's rare)

    Hope that helps
     
  9. biknpam

    biknpam Member

    Joined:
    Jan 12, 2011
    Messages:
    402
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    16
    Since I will be cleaning my bike tonight.... I generally don't use a hose... if you do, its best just to lightly sprinkle the bike until the dirt/mud washes off - no power nozzles!!! You can wreck your bottom bracket etc. What I generally do is allow the mud to dry and I then use a clean cloth and a bucket of water and generally sponge the dirt off. I then dry it thoroughly and use Lemon Pledge to wipe down the frame. If the bike is really dirty I will take apart the crank and clean it and the chain. Nothing else needs to be lubed except the chain and possible where the pedals connect to teh crank. I like to use ProLink but everyone has their favorite lube. Be careful when wiping down the frame as you can scratch it. Just remember to use TLC...
     
  10. bing!

    bing! Active Member

    Joined:
    Jul 24, 2010
    Messages:
    3,220
    Likes Received:
    3
    Trophy Points:
    38
    I use my car cleaning brushes and turtle wax soap. I had them already, works good and fast.

    I dont blast the car with water, just a sower, and dry in the sun.

    I clean a few times a year, unless muddy.
     
  11. zman

    zman WTF ?

    Joined:
    Sep 24, 2010
    Messages:
    822
    Likes Received:
    1
    Trophy Points:
    0
    Just dunk that thing in a river and wd-40 the moving parts :lol:
     
  12. N4th4n

    N4th4n Its a purse..oookkkkkkaay

    Joined:
    Aug 7, 2009
    Messages:
    442
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    Location:
    Thousand Oaks
    Hose, spray the crap out of it. Then lube the drivetrain.
     
  13. UPSed

    UPSed SPECIALizED

    Joined:
    Sep 8, 2008
    Messages:
    1,132
    Likes Received:
    6
    Trophy Points:
    38
    Location:
    Simi Valley
    Same here. I'm just careful not to spray directly at the BB and pivot areas.
    .
     
  14. da big hills

    da big hills happy night trails

    Joined:
    Jan 2, 2011
    Messages:
    1,442
    Likes Received:
    52
    Trophy Points:
    48
    Occupation:
    daily night grind
    Location:
    Conejo Valley
    you guys clean your bikes? It will just get dirty again Wednesday night
     
  15. vlad

    vlad Montrose Bike Shop

    Joined:
    Jan 12, 2008
    Messages:
    1,250
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    Location:
    La Crescenta - Montrose - Glendale
    Home Page:
    There is a big misconception that washing your bike with water is somehow bad. Water is not bad for your bike, pressure is! Water pressure or air pressure - both are bad becuase they can break the seals on your suspension. Riding your bike around wih a dirty drive train is equally as bad as it leads to higher wear and tear of the drivetrain components. Plus poor performance. Try riding your standard climb with a freshly clean chain vs a dirty chain.

    Best way to wash your bike:

    - put it on a bike stand.
    - hose it down with water (either without a head or on the low "shower" or "soaker" setting.
    - spray it all over with finish line's or muck off's pink bike shampoo
    - with a bike specific degreaser and a small brush (old toothbrush) clean the cassette and the entire drive train.
    - buy a chain cleaning / degreasing tool. Fill it up with bike chain specific degreaser and roll the chain through it by turning the crank by hand at least 50-70 revolutions.
    - water it diwn again to ge the degreaser out.
    - let the bike air dry thoroughly. If you really want to make it showroom shine you can wax the frame with bike polish.
    - thoroughly lube the chain (chain only!). Let sit overnight. The following morning run the chain through a rag so that you can take all the excess lube off.

    Result is a showroom, world cup racing ready machine.
     
  16. 2wheel_lee

    2wheel_lee Active Member

    Joined:
    Dec 7, 2006
    Messages:
    7,341
    Likes Received:
    1
    Trophy Points:
    36
    Location:
    North Orange County
    I basically do the procedure Vlad mentioned almost every ride, although not as often on the singlespeed, since it tends not to get as dirty. I think I spend no more than a total of 5 minutes each time.

    The big downside to this is that I will admit that you may have to a quick service to Chris King hubs every 3 years or so.
     
  17. Silver

    Silver New Member

    Joined:
    Oct 23, 2008
    Messages:
    488
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    Yeah, people are way too paranoid about water. Ever seen a ProTour mechanic clean a bike? There's a lot of people here who would be running up and telling him how stupid he is, I bet :D
     
  18. culturesponge

    culturesponge keep on keeping on

    Joined:
    May 7, 2009
    Messages:
    157
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    i don't like to hose down our trailbikes anymore & think its a fastrack to a creaky bike

    instead, i let the mud dry-out & then knock as much off as i can, then i use brushes to remove most of the remaining muck, then wipe down the bike with a damp sponge & dry with a clean workshop towel before finally finishing off with a thorough drivetrain clean & lube & also clean the sanctions

    process is very boring takes time & patience - but i like to look after our bikes really well

    disclaimer:
    if we still lived in England & rode in mud & cow poop all winter long - i would just rinse the bikes down immediately post-ride & expect to overhaul the pivots & bearings more often ;)
     
  19. Lovin

    Lovin Calmer 'n you are

    Joined:
    Oct 22, 2007
    Messages:
    1,472
    Likes Received:
    1
    Trophy Points:
    0
    Every 3 years...........what an inconvenience. lol
     
  20. Varaxis

    Varaxis Trail Ninja

    Joined:
    Nov 29, 2010
    Messages:
    1,277
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    36
    Location:
    I.E.
    I used to wash my bike a lot, especially when I lived in upstate NY, but now I just wash on rare occasion. Wet it with a garden hose (no pressure) until most of the thick dirt is gone, wipe it down entirely with 3-4 paper towels, use 2 of the used paper towels after they dried a bit to wipe all the crap off the drivetrain. Lube the drive train and use the remaining 1-2 used paper towels to wipe off excess lube off the chain after working it in.

    Wiping the excess chain lube after working it in helps keep the drivetrain super clean and has no ill effects on shifting performance/noise from my experience.

    Lemon pledge optional on frame, rims, fork lowers, etc.
     

Share This Page

Help keep STR alive, please click the donation button below