Mountain Biking - How do you clean/"wash" your rig after a dirty ride???

:confused:

This might be a "dumb" question, but how do you guys keep your rig, particularly the chain and gearing, clean after several rides on the dirt? Do you guys just "hose off" after spraying a special formula sprayer or just use of rag or duster???

What is your best recommendation?


Thanks!

Christopher

If you do a search on 'cleaning, clean' there are many threads regarding cleaning\lubing of all parts. I'm not trying to be a pain, but there are folks 'round here that will not be as nice in the way they suggest using the search function. From one newbie to another, just saving you some grief and smart @$$\sarcastic remarks from the veterans.

Originally posted by rappa
From one newbie to another, just saving you some grief and smart @$$\sarcastic remarks from the veterans.

wait a second... you have to clean these things?!:eek: :D :beer:

Actually after a ride I hose it then lube it, but I'm not a maintenence freak either...:)

you have to clean these things?!

Only if you like playing in the dirt. :D

Old tooth brushes come in handy here. I have bought a gear brush to get down between the cogs and rings. it works well. for the drive train, I clean it after every ride. Im picky, what can i say. I hate the sound of dirt and sand grinding in the chain. I usually spray some simple green on the chain and rings and let it sit for a bit, then hose it off. dont spray it, just let the water run over it. Then I take an old tooth brush and scrub every link in the chain until I can no longer hear the dirt grinding in it. To scrub the frame, i just use a damp rag unless its really muddy, then I let the hose run over the frame a bit to soften the mud. After its washed, its dried and everything is lubed and ready to go for the next ride. I usually spend an hour after every ride cleaning. I also go over every nut and bolt to make sure nothing has come loose. Hope this helps you out.

a good citus de-greaser and a tooth brush along with a gear brush is what i use for the drivetrain. simple green or just plain water for the rest of the bike, but i dont "hose" off the bike unless its caked with mud.
I clean my bike every two rides (about every 3 days) or if its real dirty. if i know im going to ride the next day and its a bit dirty but not nasty dirty (your call) than i wont clean it till after that ride.

When I was just ten years old, one of my friend suggested that I clean bicycle and hosed it off after spraying Windex on the chain. I didn't say anything at the time but I always remenbered what had happened and thought that he was just "playing a joke" on me by running a hose-water over by dirty chain....but I guess there was some truth to this back in 1973....

I like my equipment squeeky clean....so I guess I'll spend an hour or so after reach ride cleaning and lubing...

Thanks fellas!

Christopher

I just use a hose and degreaser. If the cogs/bike are really grungy I use a stiff bristled brush.

If the bike's really muddy, it gets lightly hosed down, avoiding spraying directly at the hubs/headset/BB. The chain either gets removed (Powerlinks!) and soaked/brushed in degreaser or gets cleaned on the bike with a chaincleaner depending on the amount of time I have to work with. I use a rag to wipe down the frame and get the rest of the stuck on mud off. Q-tips, toothpicks(I know it seems a little too precise), and another rag get used to clean around the derrailleurs. I use a rag or cog brush for the cassette. Some periodic maintenance you might want to think about could include repacking the hubs(not required very often, but I ride in a lot of moisture/mud) and cleaning the derrailleur pulleys and their rollers (very simple job to remove and replace them). Removing the cassette now and then also lets you get at some of the cogs from a better angle. On many cassettes, the first few cogs can be removed from the stack (You'lll want to remember which way/in what order the spacers came off in). This lets you get the cassette even cleaner. The time it takes you to make a gunked-up drivetrain smooth and quiet again is definitely worthwhile.

After cleaning the drivetrain and frame, I look for scratches and cracks in the frame that could lead to failure while riding. You'll want to especially check around the headtube, BB, and other highly stressed points on the frame. I cover up any deep scratches with clear fingernail polish to ensure that there won't be any corrosion in the areas. If you want to spend the time and money, you can get a color to almost perfectly match your bike.

A nice coat of the Pedro's Bike Lust polish always makes the frame look nice and keeps mud from sticking as much as well.

-Moab

i fly to greece and let my trusty steed soak in the fountain of youth for an hour, then to the dali lamma for a blessing and im set for the next day!

Personally, after a muddy ride or two, I like to give the bike a good strong hosing with either a garden hose or, (gasp) power washer, followed by judicious application of Simple Green to greasy parts, a scrubbing with a toothbrush or similar brush, then another light rinse...Yeah yeah, I know that it's not good for the bearings. However, the way I see it, a mountain bike used in the mud will need to be overhauled at least 2x per season anyway. I completely repack all the bearing on the bike anyway every few months, so why not keep them clean in the meantime?

I just spray mine with Muck-off, leave it to dry and then brush off the dirt once the muck-off has dried. I also use a vacuum cleaner to prevent getting dirt pushed into any bearings simple, esy and all done in 30min.

Bike only gets serviced every 6 months and I live in england where it rains every day so plenty of mud.

No power washers or garden hoses needed. That just stuffs up the seals and gets water into bearings

I found the right thread after a search. And this was the perfect one. I just got done with a VERY dirty ride, heavy rain/mud for about 12 miles. The bikes were so caked with mud, my front derailure couldn't move. I got back extremely late, so I waited until morning to clean them. I took them to a car wash (from what I have read so far thats bad) and power washed them, with soap and with water. Have I ruined my bike?? I hear a grinding in the crank, and headset. What do I do!?

I wash it with the hose.... gently... then i use a rag to wipe the frame clean... rinse again and then dry.. if uve noticed once water gets into the allen key bolts and get surface rust... to aviod this i use sum cotton buds and rotate it in the nuts.. this absorbes the water and keeps ur nuts nice and shiny so to speak :)

Water being sprayed directly will not destroy the bearings if done once maybe twice. What happens is the water will carry dirt particles with it! This will prematurely damage your bearings. Also, it's much more difficult for the water to "get out", so you have an increased potential for corrosion.

So, sfenton, you're probably o.k., the grinding noise should subside after some use. If it doesn't, you should consider a tear down and repack to keep everything working smoothly!

L8R

BTW, I hose my bike down to knock off the chuncks of mud, then fill a bucket with soap and I have two brushes, one for the drivetrain and a second for the rest of the bike. Wash em down, rinse "lightly" with water.

About ever 5th or 6th ride, I'll remove the chain (powerlink) soak it in degreaser, then rinse it, let it dry overnight and lube it in the morning.

L8R

Wash my bike? hahaha, never.:D Well, constantly keep the moving areas clean, but main frame, only when it is way too caked on.

Originally posted by Dr. Christopher
:confused:

This might be a "dumb" question, but how do you guys keep your rig, particularly the chain and gearing, clean after several rides on the dirt? Do you guys just "hose off" after spraying a special formula sprayer or just use of rag or duster???



I prefer to ride my bike, than leave it to rot. It's only a bike.

I have oiled the chain once, and will clean it for the first time ever this weekend perhaps.

A clean freak I am not.