Commuting - How often do you clean/lube your bike?

I've been commuting every weekday for a month, and my bike is showing it. How often do you guys clean, lube, etc. your bikes? What products do you use?

I've been commuting every weekday for a month, and my bike is showing it. How often do you guys clean, lube, etc. your bikes? What products do you use?

Depends on the weather. Probably about once a week or two average. More in wet weather. I use Nashbar degreaser or Grease Lightening for cleaning the chain along with a chain cleaner. Then I wipe down everything with a damp rag. When dry, I spray metal components with WD-40 and then wipe off. Finally, I lubricate the chain with sewing machine oil.

Depends on the weather.

This summer's been very dry, so I just wipe it down & lube pivot points every couple of weeks. A coat of wax on the frame twice a year helps. If I ride in the rain, I'll wipe it down & re-lube when I get home.

Chain gets attention about once a week.

Lube of choice is Phil Wood Tenacious Oil for pivots & White Lightning for the chain. Regular old carnuba wax for the frame.

I used to clean it once a week, now once every two weeks. I used engine degreaser for chains, gears, FD/RD. after sprayed it off with water, I spray WD40, then wipe.
for lubricant I use Breakfree CLP.

I don't clean it much, certainly not on a regular schedule. I use a dry lube called "ProLink" for the chain and relube when I start hearing the drivetrain making noise. Because the lube is dry, it doesn't collect much grime. Other than that, I clean the bike when I start getting fed up with the road grime on it; like when it starts getting hard to keep my hands clean when I put it up on my car rack.

I oil about every week or two weeks. I wipe everything down and use transmission fluid to oil the chain and dereilleurs. I completely clean every few months using diesel to degrease and then re-oil.

I hosed it off the one time I went riding in the mud...

And I've actually cleaned and re-oil the chain once, other than that, just squirted some more lube on it twice.

I've been riding the bike probably 40 miles a week on average since April or so. So figure about 800-900 miles maybe?

I hose my bike off when it's muddy and scrape at it a bit with a brush.

When the chain starts making noise or I notice it's very dirty, I take it off (SRAM link) and wash it in the bottom of a bucket of hot water with a bit of dishwashing liquid, then rinse out the liquid, some WD40 to chase out the last of the water, then put it on the bike. When it dries, I've got some chain lube (can't remember the name) I drop on, and I hit the deraillers at the same time.

Notice my definition of "when I notice it's dirty" is poor - once, buy the time I noticed it was dirty, there were links that didn't bend anymore (from dirt, not from rust or anything). I probably clean my chain once every 3 or 4 weeks in the winter or rainy spring/fall time, but only a couple of times over the summer when it's mostly dry - those times I just drop some oil on if the chain is griping.

I have a hybrid with suspension - if you do too, put some lithium grease under the boots, on the sliders every month or so - I didn't and they froze solid - I managed to break them loose but they're badly pitted.

I've never gotten into the bottom bracket; I might be scared by what I find in there.

Throw some lube on the chain every few weeks. Clean it every few months or more. I'm horrible about maintaining my bikes beyond basic saftey (brake pads/adjustment, lights, tires). Thats why I ride a fixed gear on my commute. Almost nothing to maintain.
Craig

Depends upon both weather and the extent to which the chain is enclosed and protected. I'm getting about 5,000 miles on a chain that is serviced quarterly -- thats with hub gears, fenders, and partial chaincase.

Paul

I don't clean it much, certainly not on a regular schedule. I use a dry lube called "ProLink" for the chain and relube when I start hearing the drivetrain making noise. Because the lube is dry, it doesn't collect much grime. Other than that, I clean the bike when I start getting fed up with the road grime on it; like when it starts getting hard to keep my hands clean when I put it up on my car rack.

Each stain, each glob of mud, each blob of animal droppings (mostly cow) is a badge of honor! To remove them would be to erase the history of the bicycle. The lines of Gatorade on the downtube of my touring bike - a reminder of 3 weeks on the Trail of Lewis and Clark and the privations we had to endure in the wilds of Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana! The white chalky dust on my mountain bikes - a reminder of the best "girlfriend" epic ride on the planet! (I'm way past girlfriends but that is the way the dating single guys in my office describe rides. A "girlfriend" ride is a mountain bike ride where you are still dating after the ride. The best "girlfriend" epic is the Pickwire Canyon south of La Junta, CO!).

Keep the spluge on your bike! Lube when you must but clean... never!

Every weekend I clean the Chain with Degreaser (with Finishline Chain Cleaning doo-hicky) and then I use Finishline Teflon Dry lube.

(once in a great while I will miss a weekend ~ Weather permitting )

http://www.nashbar.com/nashbar_photos/medium/FL-CK2.gif

Detailing the bike has been on the schedule for the past two Sundays and I've gotten distracted with more pressing chores. My bike is starting to punish me now with poor shifting, grime on work clothes, and a gnawing sense of guilt. It's going on the rack this weekend for a complete overhaul with a toothbrush. I've got to go to a business black-tie formal next week and I want it looking spotless when I pull up to the valet stand.

Cripes, I'm horrible to my bike in comparison to you guys. Mind you, it's a Louis Garneau St. Malo, so it's not exactly an expensive bike, but I use a spray-can of WD-40 on all the metal parts maybe once a month. I've never taken the chain off and cleaned it or anything. And I was wondering why my rear sprocket sounded so odd.

I need a bike mechanic course or something-who taught you guys this stuff?

Cripes, I'm horrible to my bike in comparison to you guys. Mind you, it's a Louis Garneau St. Malo, so it's not exactly an expensive bike, but I use a spray-can of WD-40 on all the metal parts maybe once a month. I've never taken the chain off and cleaned it or anything. And I was wondering why my rear sprocket sounded so odd.

I need a bike mechanic course or something-who taught you guys this stuff?

http://www.parktool.com/repair/

Lots of useful information there.

http://www.parktool.com/repair/

Lots of useful information there.

Aye Captain....kewl site!

Dang. I can't remember the last time I actually wiped something off my bike. I ride it daily. Rain, shine, snow...

Wait! I do remember the last time! It was last year when I got caught in the rain on the Katy Trail. The trail left quite a bit of limestone dust (crust) on my chain and bike. I actually did clean it off and lube my chain.

I do keep a close eye on my components. Lube and adjust when needed.

Other than that.....I just ride....

I clean and lube the chain every 300 miles or so