So often I see beaten and abused bikes around. It surprises me more when I see them here on BF. I guess there's some logic to the Ken Kifer concept of making it look like a rusty death trap to avoid thievery - I can understand the mentality. At the same time, I've seen small children's bicycles stolen, ridden and dumped - no way it fit the mental midget who stole it and rode it away, just that there was two wheels and a lack of conscience involved. I've seen beaters stolen, ridden, wrecked and destroyed. Or just dumped.
When I lived in the city there was a local crack-addict who stole ANYTHING with two wheels he could get around on, until someone stole it from him. Then he'd steal another (he explained the process - at length - to me one night while bumming a smoke...even though I was trying to make him go away... *sigh*)
In other words, it seems like fairly unreliable security for the average bike.
Me? I've never owned a car. For that matter, I've never owned a new bicycle since I was 12. I rode that department store bike through all sorts of weather, thousands of kilometers before it finally self destructed. At that point I'd already switched to restoring 10-speeds found in the garbage so I made do with those. Lately I've been rebuilding a MTB as a suburban utility bike.
The bikes I build generally are combined of at least three donor part-bikes, and whatever I've got in my parts bins. I scoop up nearly every bike I see in a trash heap - I can always use spare parts, and sometimes I find it better to learn the trickier mechanical aspects on something I don't mind breaking irreparably.
Anyways, I'm rambling - I know. If you're with me this far, here's what I'm getting to - no matter what the bike's original condition, I always try to get it back to a polished good looking machine. I mean, when I fix up a bike from trash, I just can't stand the thought of it looking like it should have been left there.
I clean and lube all the mechanics, I remove rust, polish metal and shine the finish as best I can. Some people spend their free time cleaning and waxing their car - I clean and wax my bikes.
It's just a matter of pride. I want people to see my bike and go, darn, I wish I had a bike that nice. Then maybe more people will go out and get one - even if they don't trash collect it from parts like myself. Maybe they'll even ask me about it, and I'll say, with pride, you should have seen it BEFORE.
Does anyone else feel this way? Just because my bikes see some rough service hauling me and everything around doesn't mean they have to look like someone just fished it out of a river.
droptop
05-21-08, 07:02 PM
i clean them every once in a while.
Novakane
05-21-08, 07:59 PM
I guess I should clarify - I'm looking for opinions either way. Do you keep your bike clean and pretty looking? Do you give it a squirt of soapy water now and again and a quick lube (I used to do just that...) or do you just roll along leaving the bike to it's own? And also, why?
I ask out of curiosity, as well a belief that if your bike is your primary vehicle, I see it perfectly normal to keep it as shiny as some people keep their cars - I think it might encourage others to ride more. Maybe I'm just a naive idealist.
Tabor
05-21-08, 08:13 PM
I clean and take care of my bike (I keep it clean and maintain it mechanically). I do not polish it or worry about scrapes/torn handlebar tape/etc.
bragi
05-21-08, 09:46 PM
I'm afraid I'm a bit more slovenly. Since my bike is pretty much my only form of transportation, I do take good care of it mechanically: I replace parts before they wear out completely, and I take care to clean and lubricate the drive train every couple of weeks. I try to clean the rims, especially where they meet the brake pads, but don't do this as often as I should. Otherwise, I don't do much. My bike gets dirty, I wait until it rains. It's kind of scratched up, but this doesn't really bother me. I actually kind of like it like this. If it was a car, it would be a dented 1990 2wd Nissan pickup with new tires.
Newspaperguy
05-21-08, 11:05 PM
I don't wash my good bike after every ride, but I like to keep it looking reasonably neat. I'll probably give it a good cleaning this weekend and I'll make some minor mechanical adjustments then too.
My winter bike doesn't get nearly that much love. It gets cleaned a few times in the winter. Some time this summer, I want to do mechanical work on it including replacing the bottom bracket and adjusting almost everything else.
wahoonc
05-22-08, 03:18 AM
I guess I should clarify - I'm looking for opinions either way. Do you keep your bike clean and pretty looking? Do you give it a squirt of soapy water now and again and a quick lube (I used to do just that...) or do you just roll along leaving the bike to it's own? And also, why?
I ask out of curiosity, as well a belief that if your bike is your primary vehicle, I see it perfectly normal to keep it as shiny as some people keep their cars - I think it might encourage others to ride more. Maybe I'm just a naive idealist.
Depends on the bike...my old Raleigh Sports looks like crap, but is mechanically sound. It was a commuter for around 15 years and it shows all the assorted nicks, scrapes and weathering. My Raleigh Superbe has not been used as heavily so it is still in nice condition and I keep it that way. All of my bikes get a periodic cleaning and overhaul, the amount of use determines the frequency.
To some people the bike is just another form of transportation and they are going to do the bare minimum to keep it running (just like some people and their cars) to others it is hobby or obsession and they spend every waking moment on their bikes and upkeep (just like some people and their cars).
I fall somewhere in between. Some of my bikes I treasure and coddle:love: Others are for utility purposes and receive proper care, but I don't dote on them:lol:
Aaron:)
Torrilin
05-22-08, 05:34 AM
My bikes get taken care of rather like I'd care for a car. I keep them reasonably tidy, since that makes it easier to work on them. I keep the moving parts in good working order. I probably wouldn't wash or wax a bike, since it never seemed to do much to help a car run better.
jamesdenver
05-22-08, 12:47 PM
I was going to go this year but I couldn't find my leather jock strap and boots - plus I always get sunburned standing outside watching Shakira impersonators.
what? oh BIKE pride...
Novakane
05-22-08, 03:57 PM
I was going to go this year but I couldn't find my leather jock strap and boots - plus I always get sunburned standing outside watching Shakira impersonators.
what? oh BIKE pride...
:lol:
No, I wasn't referring to one's sexual orientation - that's nobody's business but their own as far as I'm concerned. Although, I must admit, I do find myself looking at bike porn here on BF a lot of times... Hrmm...
coldfeet
05-23-08, 10:49 AM
Well, I'd like to keep it looking good, but just never seem to have the time/energy/enthusiasm. It doesn't look too bad, but it needs a good once over. I have just put Big Apples on it and they look so nice I'm going to treat it to new fenders this weekend, it'll probably end up looking a lot cleaner/nicer. Wheels are the big thing, they get looking so dirty and they're such a pain to clean.:(
patc
05-23-08, 01:00 PM
Why keep it clean? Its a tool - do you wash your hammer? As long as the drive train is clean and in good condition, anything else is a waste of time and resources.
Newspaperguy
05-23-08, 01:50 PM
Why keep it clean? Its a tool - do you wash your hammer? As long as the drive train is clean and in good condition, anything else is a waste of time and resources.
My bikes aren't tools. They're something much more than that. I want them to last a long time and so I'll treat them appropriately. I depend on them for so much of my transportation needs so I'll keep them properly maintained and adjusted. I also enjoy riding a bike that looks nice and I find a clean bike looks a lot nicer than a dirty one.
wahoonc
05-23-08, 06:45 PM
Why keep it clean? Its a tool - do you wash your hammer? As long as the drive train is clean and in good condition, anything else is a waste of time and resources.
Yes...if it gets mud or caulking on it. I keep my tools wiped clean and in good shape, chisels sharpened, wrenches get wiped off before putting them back in their place.
Aaron:)
Newspaperguy
05-23-08, 06:54 PM
People who work as firefighters for the Ministry of Forests here in B.C. will regularly clean and paint their tools. This is a part of their maintenance program.
maddyfish
05-23-08, 07:52 PM
I have 3 classes of bikes;
1.my really nice bike no rain, cleaned well
2.my 2 commuter bikes, ridden hard, but well maintained, and wiped down sometimes
3.my Huffy beater mt. bike that I ride in the snow only. Never cleaned, sometimes lubed
Lamplight
05-23-08, 08:30 PM
I try to keep my bikes clean and mechanically in-tune. However, for my commuter/utility/foul weather bike, I don't clean it very often. It takes a considerable amount of time to do so, and it's still pretty ugly even when it's clean, so I'll let it get awfully nasty before cleaning it. However, if it has some mechanical problem I fix it, because it is my means of transportation. It may not be pretty, but it's my most useful and sensible bike. In fact, I just brought home about 50 pounds of groceries on it.
patc
05-23-08, 09:25 PM
My bikes aren't tools. They're something much more than that. I want them to last a long time and so I'll treat them appropriately. I depend on them for so much of my transportation needs so I'll keep them properly maintained and adjusted. I also enjoy riding a bike that looks nice and I find a clean bike looks a lot nicer than a dirty one.
That's the difference between us I guess - the "looks" of things has never bothered me. First scratch on my bike got a "good, got that over with" reaction. <shrug> Some parts need to be clean for proper functioning (eg drive-train), but other parts matter not at all.
To me wasting soap and water on something which makes no functional difference is, well, a waste.
I feel the same about the tools of my trade. My camera lenses are clean, as is the sensor. The body gets cleaned only on rare occasions. I'd fire an assistant is one spec of dirt got on the front face of a softbox or a backdrop - but couldn't care less how the lightstands look.
gerv
05-23-08, 09:52 PM
To me wasting soap and water on something which makes no functional difference is, well, a waste.
Not to mention a waste of precious time when I could be riding or doing something else I enjoy. If you leave your bike in a good rain, doesn't that suffice? I do oil my chain once in a while and rag off the bike if I am bringing it in for servicing.
botto
05-24-08, 03:18 AM
Bike Pride. yada, yada, yada...
it's a tool, not a jewel.
just sayin'
I-Like-To-Bike
05-24-08, 07:02 AM
I do oil my chain once in a while and rag off the bike if I am bringing it in for servicing.
Bring it in for servicing? Whatz dat?
dynodonn
05-24-08, 08:16 AM
Bring it in for servicing? Whatz dat?
Sheesh, now you tell me, especially after I patterned my bike workshop to look like my LBS's.
Scout!
05-24-08, 11:17 AM
Why keep it clean? Its a tool - do you wash your hammer? As long as the drive train is clean and in good condition, anything else is a waste of time and resources.
+1
I wash my bicycle as often as I wash my hammer, and for the same reasons.
I take pride in riding a bicycle that looks wells used.
gerv
05-24-08, 11:22 AM
Bring it in for servicing? Whatz dat?
Which... for me... was 2 years ago.
peace_piper
05-24-08, 04:00 PM
I do mechanical maintenance on my bike at least once a week, checking the chain, pumping the tires, etc. I tune up every now and then... but as for cleaning... eh. My bike doesn't get that dirty and other than caked mud, it's not really necessary to have it sparkle and shiny. I'd rather have it work than look pretty. A pretty bike is a target for thieves.
The biggest problem I have is rust. I can't seem to keep it off. Even though I keep my bike inside when I'm not riding.
Cosmoline
05-26-08, 01:53 PM
I care enough about my bike never to hose it down with pressurized WATER. Water and metal (esp steel) don't mix. I do clean the crud off with rags and give it fresh oil from time to time however. And I clean the chain and main moving parts once a week in the dirty season.
chephy
05-26-08, 02:46 PM
Do I clean my commuter? Drivetrain and rims - yes (less often than I should, probably), frame - rarely.
Novakane
05-29-08, 11:25 AM
I guess I'm in the minority then. :lol:
Doesn't bother me really. I suspect it's partly because my bikes share living space with me - I store them inside and in a handy location which given my small space means they're highly noticeable.
Again, since all my bikes are rebuilds I guess it's just my vanity coming through.