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Cleaning one’s bike

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  • February 17, 2013 at 8:33 pm #18003
    wjputt

    Fellow cyclists,

    I am very keen to hear general tips about cleaning one’s bike. Use warm soapy water but I assume there is a better/different way. Please advise.

    Cheers

    John

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  • February 21, 2013 at 3:09 pm #717565
    0
    Seoige

    Also plus one on the baby
    Also plus one on the baby wipes. I think degreaser does more harm then good penetrating bearings and the like and even if you wash it out (in my case the shower in the bath) I not sure even if you do spray oil on it again whether there is still some residue. I wore out a perfectly good chain doing this after a couple of months. The LBS shop gave me some good advice and now before I head out for my morning runs, take the can of spray out of the postbox outside and spray and rotate the chain twice. Do it once or twice and it becomes habit. Not exactly if bike parts are cheap these days. As for cleaning my carbon baby, out comes the wipes and takes all of five minutes watching TV and no mess. When I finished put on the sunglasses and admire the bling..loooool

    February 21, 2013 at 12:35 pm #717563
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    cycleofaddiction

    +1 for baby wipes/ass wipes
    +1 for baby wipes/ass wipes buy em cheap from pound shops jobs a good un cut down time and when its cold can be done indoors just brush the worst of outside first and i lput my chain in a jar of degreaser and give it a good shake and when i can be arsed i use cue tips for inbetween links but as a ride ss now i don’t really need to bother to go to that length anymore.

    February 20, 2013 at 11:23 am #717561
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    notfastenough

    bashthebox wrote:Take bike

    bashthebox wrote:
    Take bike into bath with you. Hold it tenderly from behind, gently soaping all bike’s crevices. Whisper sweet nothings into the headset. Use a soapy sponge to work at the downtube. Tenderly thread a flannel around bike’s chainset. Let bike know you’ll protect bike. Bike must trust you. Bike must love you.

    Remember to thoroughly lube up afterwards. Flavoured lube optional.

    Genius. 😀

    February 20, 2013 at 7:41 am #717559
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    Anonymous

    ‘ware Muc-Off it can cause
    ‘ware Muc-Off it can cause damage. The instructions on the bottle are clear on this, and I used it once before buying new mudguards, chain and cassette having read the instructions and then afterwards the liability waiver… And take care with pressure washers, as they can force water into bearings.
    Couple of tips from my LBS: Jif kitchen cleaner cream for braking surfaces and wax furniture polish on the frame to repel mud and water.

    Aside from that Sheldon Brown has an excellent article on chain cleaning

    http://sheldonbrown.com/chainclean.html

    B-)

    (it’s a spoof in case you read it and reached for the chain tool)

    February 19, 2013 at 10:44 am #717557
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    bashthebox

    What sort of mind? God, I’d
    What sort of mind? God, I’d hate to answer that one…

    February 18, 2013 at 9:20 pm #717555
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    londonplayer

    Get your wife to do it.
    Get your wife to do it. Actually, on second thoughts….

    February 18, 2013 at 6:39 pm #717553
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    giff77

    Can only echo what trikeman
    Can only echo what trikeman says. Brought a smile to my face after a crap day.

    February 18, 2013 at 5:34 pm #717551
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    trikeman

    bashthebox wrote:Take bike

    bashthebox wrote:
    Take bike into bath with you. Hold it tenderly from behind, gently soaping all bike’s crevices. Whisper sweet nothings into the headset. Use a soapy sponge to work at the downtube. Tenderly thread a flannel around bike’s chainset. Let bike know you’ll protect bike. Bike must trust you. Bike must love you.

    Remember to thoroughly lube up afterwards. Flavoured lube optional.

    Brilliant, absolutely brilliant. =)) =))

    After a little re-read I wondered what sort of mind. :O

    Regards,

    Trikeman. 😉

    February 18, 2013 at 3:55 pm #717549
    0
    bashthebox

    Take bike into bath with you.
    Take bike into bath with you. Hold it tenderly from behind, gently soaping all bike’s crevices. Whisper sweet nothings into the headset. Use a soapy sponge to work at the downtube. Tenderly thread a flannel around bike’s chainset. Let bike know you’ll protect bike. Bike must trust you. Bike must love you.

    Remember to thoroughly lube up afterwards. Flavoured lube optional.

    February 18, 2013 at 8:39 am #717547
    0
    chris75018

    Fairy liquid, old flannel
    Fairy liquid, old flannel (easier to get in the nooks and crannies than a sponge), and an old toothbrush. plus a Park Tool chain scrubber, which seems to do a great job. (and their chain cleaning fluid smells lovely) 🙂

    I tend to whip the wheels off and give them / the frame a good wash down after most rides, but then I’m very much a weekend rider…

    February 18, 2013 at 12:11 am #717545
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    Nzlucas

    Rag clean between services,
    Rag clean between services, bit of muck off on rag and wipe having brushed worst off when dry.

    Spray rag with degreaser to wipe worst off chain weekly, then relube. Don’t waste degreaser spraying on endlessly as it will never be totally clean with out removal. Wipe chain rings etc while at it. You don’t have to eat of it though. Clean more regularly with bad weather.

    Muc off on wheels in the shower, wipe clean. Avoid spraying water jet directly on hubs. Clean and check brakes pads at the same time to prevent excess wear on rims.

    Buy a chain with a power link to easily remove chain to clean it properly every couple of months.

    February 17, 2013 at 11:46 pm #717543
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    Jasonnz1

    Baby wipes are awesome, a
    Baby wipes are awesome, a chain cleaner, and toothbrush. for basic cleaning maintenance, always work well for me.

    February 17, 2013 at 10:09 pm #717541
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    SpeshRider7287

    When I can’t be bothered to
    When I can’t be bothered to remove the components for a full strip and rebuild, I find that something like an old t shirt or a car polishing cloth works great for areas like your b/b, hub seals, mechs and even cassette sprockets if you use it in a flossing motion.

    February 17, 2013 at 10:09 pm #717539
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    Raleigh

    Cut the handle off a Plastic
    Cut the handle off a Plastic bag with scissors.

    Thred it through each individual link of the chain.

    Takes a long time, but v. effective.

    February 17, 2013 at 9:16 pm #717537
    0
    yourpaceormine

    Cut down water bottle with
    Cut down water bottle with degreaser in it placed in bottle cage. Paint brush to apply degreaser into all the awkward, oily, greasy dirty bits including chain. Wash down with soapy water made with car wash soap which was dirt cheap on clearance shelf (don’t use wash up liquid as it contains salt). Air dry, relube. Jobs a good ‘un and reasonably quick.

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