Commuting - Minimum cleaning to bike after riding in rain?

What is the bare minimum cleaning one should do after riding in the rain? I clean the rims since I read that dirt that accumulates there will accelerate brake and rim wear.. Anywhere else I must clean/dry off? Does water get inside the bottom bracket and hubs?

I usually clean off my chain, just run it through a clean cotton cloth to get off some of the grime and water and add lube, wipe down my bike to get big globs off and that's it. If it's been really rainy, I do a more thorough cleaning (rims, brake pads, fenders, etc) once a week rather than twice a month.

I don't do any cleaning. Then again, I make an effort not to ride in the rain (not because of the bike, but because I don't like riding wet).

I don't do any, and I ride on gravel roads 8 miles a day. In the summer, if the caked on mud is starting to bother me and I happen to have the power washer out, I'll blast it. In the winter it just stays dirty all season, pretty much. There's a limit to how much mud will accumulate before it gets too heavy and falls off.

I do clean and the chain, generally twice a week in bad weather, perhaps every 2 days, but in the summer and nice weather more like 2 weeks between lubes. When I say "clean the chain" I mean spray it with DuPont Teflon/Wax lube, then wipe down with a paper towel.

I don't do any cleaning.

That would be the minimum.



To answer the question, I usually do nothing as well.

No cleaning.

I bought my $200 "gazelle dutch" hybrid in June. I didn't want to spend money in case I didn't keep it up. I love the bike, but if it dies I get to replace it with something with a bit better fit. Unfortunately, it has been a rock. One adjustment after break-in and the thing takes everything I throw at it.

none,

I ride single speed, with a well lubed chain and fenders. I maintain the bike quite well, but after every rain? That's a waste of time.

I like to wipe down my rims, they get really grimy with sludge. Other than that, the chain gets lubed periodically, and that's about it. If it really poured i'll dry things off with a towel, but that's more so the saddle isn't wet next time i ride. My last bike was rode hard and put up (literally) wet, and it showed it. I take a little better care of the bikes now, but try to not get carried away.

If I've ridden to work in the rain (or snow), I'll lube the chain and wipe it off as a short-term measure to prevent rust. Before I head home, I may give the drivetrain a 5-minute cleaning to extend the wear life, then re-lube it again with an appropriate lube (thinner lube for dry conditions, thicker for another wet ride) and wash the wheels and fenders to get the reflective tape and reflective sidewalls back to full reflectivity.

I also try to make time to inspect the tire tread for embedded glass or big cuts. Two days in a row, I've dug multiple pieces of glass or wire out of my T-Servs' tread. Which reminds me, time to use Shoe Goo on my front tire, which has a pretty big slice in the tread.

If I arrive home from a rainy (or snowy) ride, I'll wipe down the chain, oil it, wipe it again, park it, and stick the lights on the chargers. My commuting bikes aren't very "special," so I don't worry about the cosmetic aspect beyond how it impacts my reflective tape & sidewalls.


Does water get inside the bottom bracket and hubs?

It's possible. Some are quite well sealed, some are not.

wipe and lupe the chain after every really rainy ride.

try to do a more thorough clean 1x per week on the commuter in the winter.

I don't do anything. I'm lazy that way.

I just came in from riding in the rain. I picked up the bike about a foot and dropped it to dislodge excess water. That's about it. I didn't even take the wet leaves off it.

After every ride? I live in a frikkin' rain forest.

No cleaning after each ride but by the time I've had 3 or 4 wet rides the brake pads on the rims are sounding REALLY like pads of sandpaper on glass. When that happens it's time to pull the wheels off and wash the rims and brake pads paying special attention to the pad faces looking for embedded grit or possible galled metal balls embedded in the face.

Usually I run a couple of passes of solvent over the chain using one of the little snap on cleaning gizmos followed by a good wipe down and oiling. Lay on the oil and after a few spins of the crank wipe off most of it so it's more on the insides than the outsides.

The morning after my first rain ride I noticed some rust starting to form on the chain, so now I at least wipe down and lube the chain. Wiping the sludge off the braking surfaces is also a good idea. To keep it looking pretty/ok to bring inside places a good wipe down of the frame is a good idea to get all the road gunk off, although fenders are pretty good about keeping most of the frame clean.

I just a piece of paper towel and give the whole bike a quick wipe down after every ride. This is probably because it's a brand new bike and I want to keep it looking that way, after a while I'll probably tire of keeping it that clean.

Only takes about a minute though to give the frame and rims a quick once over, and another min for the chain.

I bought my $200 "gazelle dutch" hybrid in June. I didn't want to spend money in case I didn't keep it up. I love the bike, but if it dies I get to replace it with something with a bit better fit. Unfortunately, it has been a rock. One adjustment after break-in and the thing takes everything I throw at it.

I hear you. I bought a $300 Giant hybrid, thinking I'd ride it for a while until I knew what I wanted. Once in a while I get eyes for a "nicer" bike, but actually I'm starting to think that the $300 hybrid *IS* what I want. With nearly 16000 miles on it, there's not much about it I don't like (now that I've customized it a bit; brooks saddle, lights, rack and converted the front to disc brake).

If I ever do long distance touring, I'll get a more touring-capable bike (more lugs, longer wheelbase, etc).

I rarely clean my commuter, I like the grime, kind of a badge of honor for all the miles on it. I'll only clean if I'm working on it and it's convenient, otherwise, there's no point: I ride daily, in rain, snow, dirt, leaves, etc. I will also clean before a group ride (MS 100, Seagull, etc), make it look good and show of some recent bling :-) I lube the chain weekly and replace; chainrings, cassette, chain once a year. I go through brake pads like crazy and average a rr. wheel replacement every 3 years from wear and tear. Front wheels last longer.

If it rains on the bike (I lock it outside during work) I will run a rag over it when I get home. If it starts to develop surface rust, I will rub it off with steel wool and some oil. I lube my chain with Teflon spray every week or two. That's pretty much it for me.

I keep an old towel near where I park my bike in the garage. When I get caught in the rain while riding, I just dry off my bike with a towel. Then I take a paper towel and dry off the chain. That's all I do. I'm not obsessive about drying every inch of my bike (I ignore the rims and spokes), but drying off the frame does help keep your bike clean and rust free.

I keep an old towel near where I park my bike in the garage. When I get caught in the rain while riding, I just dry off my bike with a towel. Then I take a paper towel and dry off the chain. That's all I do. I'm not obsessive about drying every inch of my bike (I ignore the rims and spokes), but drying off the frame does help keep your bike clean and rust free.

I use a towel to dry myself. The bike chain gets a spray of silicon or teflon once a month or so regardless of rain. That's it for after rain clean up.

I dry it off when it comes into the house, because I keep it in the dining room. I lube the chain too, because I don't like the noise when it's dirty.

When I arrive at work, I spend a couple minutes wiping down the bike while I cool off. If it has been dry out, I clean with cleaning wipes, and if it was wet, like today, a rag.

I clean them up ... eventually