Originally Posted by waterrockets
+1 -- I'm impressed by cyclists, not bicycles
When I do wash my bike (every other year?) I use the auto brush/dish soap/and gentle spray method.
In general though, I gently hose it down after riding in the rain. Other than that, there's really no washing going on. Note that this has had zero impact on the durability of my bikes. I've been riding seriously for 16 years, and my first bikes are still actively ridden and working fine. The only time any of my bikes have ever been in a shop is prior to purchase.
Those of us who live in dry climates have it easy, really. The last time I washed my mountain bike was after a very long, very muddy ride on Hermosa Creek Trail in Durango. I still have mud from this falls ride on the Purgatory River in La Junta, however. I have dust on the other one from 3 years ago from the same ride
