[RollingGeek]

With all the salt on the roads - what is the preferred post ride cleaning ?

Is it enough to just wipe the bike down with a wet cloth ?

Will the salt only effect steel bikes -- or does it corrode aluminum, titanium, etc. ?

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[Gojohnnygo.]

I always clean and lube the entire bike .Salt will eat up any bike you ride.

[Gojohnnygo.]

:p No I don't lube the entire bike just the important parts.

[mike]

Originally posted by Gojohnnygo.
:p No I don't lube the entire bike just the important parts.

Har har, good one, Gojohnnygo.:thumbup:

Dan, you have to wash the whole bike. Everything will get eaten by rust. Aluminum holds up better than stee visually, but Aluminum oxydizes too.

Use a junker bike for winter riding. Spray the whole bike with WD-40 except for the rims.

[Arsbars]

I ride a steel bike through the winter, but I also wipe/wash it down more than most take showers. I do a mini tune up after ever ride. Go through all the gears, clean off front and rear derrail. clean off front and rear chainrigs/cogs. spray some lube on both. Lube nipples on my rims, (true if nec.) clean off rims, whip down frame fully. Put lube in where screws/nuts are. Such as the stem or brakes.

[mike]

A couple of years ago, someone on the forums (I think it was Fubar) suggested spraying the frame with silicon spray to help keep it clean.

By golly, to some extent, it does work. I don't like to spray solvent based liquids on the decals, so I just spray the silicon on that that difficult and congested area on top of the bottom bracket where the chain stays, post tube, and down tube come together.

It doesn't keep the area much cleaner. Mud and slush, and sand all still collects there, BUT it IS easier to clean off if you have previously sprayed it with silicon spray.

Be careful not to get the silicon spray on your rims or your brakes won't work.

[tchazzard]

I dump a couple of buckets of water over the bike to clean off the crap, then lube the heck out of the drive train with Tri-flow or Pro-link.

[Mtn Mike]

I try to hose the frame down with water periodically, even if it means bringing the bike in the shower :D... Then in addition to lubing the drivetrain, I've been using WD-40 or Prolink lube on the insides of the frames during the winter. Somehow I always end up with water in there and I'm sure salt gets in too. Hopefully oil in the frame it will help with the corrosion.

[tchazzard]

I just picked up one of my two Trek 6500s up from my LBS. My rear derailler bracket was slightly bent and my cable was plugged full of crap. The mechanic I typically deal with suggested I use White Lightning Clean Streak to clean the drive train. He said the stuff works really well for taking dirt off. He recommended this followed by ProLink on the very outside edges of the chain. He also said ProLink works well on the cables (rear is the most troublesome) and if really bad, WD40 (which he said is not a bad degreaser). So onto a new regiment....back on the bike tomorrow.

[MichaelW]

Try putting a few layers of car-wax on a clean frame. Makes cleaning a lot easier.