Road Cycling - proper way to clean...

I am really sorry and I know this question has been asked before...What does everyone do after their long rides?? Does anyone clean their bike right after their long rides or atleast before their next ride? I am pretty anal about keeping my ride clean and running smooth.. What do you do when to clean your bike, or what is the proper way to clean all parts gears, derailers, bearings, chain...etc. Thanks

I dont worry TOO much about the microscopic stuff but just clean it when it looks dirty. Rather than disassemble during the riding season I'll poke around with a thin cloth and some mild cleaner.



Olds

Garden hose

alright???

I am really sorry and I know this question has been asked before...What does everyone do after their long rides?? Does anyone clean their bike right after their long rides or atleast before their next ride? I am pretty anal about keeping my ride clean and running smooth.. What do you do when to clean your bike, or what is the proper way to clean all parts gears, derailers, bearings, chain...etc. Thanks

I'm NOT an expert.

...BUT...

I get one or two rides from one chain lubing.

I re-lube and get maybe 5-10 rides between any major cleaning.

At some point, the chain just looks cruddy, and I MAY spray some Finish Line degreaser on it before heading to the car wash.

I have a hitch mount rack, which turns my car into a portable repair stand.

I drive that portable repair stand to the do-it-yourself coin-operated car wash and clean the bike.

Recently I've used the car wash's "tire and engine" cleaner selection (the stuff with green dye) and sprayed that on my chain. I suspect it's a form of degreaser.

I then turn to "soap" selection and spray the bike w/o pulling the trigger; the "idle" (non-trigger flow) on those wands is generally sufficient. Avoid direct, high-pressure spray on sealed bearings (bottom bracket, hubs)

The chain gets an amazing 75%-95% clean with this method; much cleaner and faster than using a brush and bottled degreaser.

On the wheels, I pull the trigger, and the spray gets the wheel spinning fast, for a thorough clean. Ditto for the pedals.

I then drive to the vacuum/drying station and wipe off the excess water using inexpensive Wal-Mart terry cloth.

The drive home adds a touch of air-drying.

I bring the bike back into the house and lube all the components. Sooner than later, to displace any trace of water that may remain on corrosion-prone parts like the chain.

I currently use Prolink for the chain and Finish Line Teflon spray for other parts like brakes.

I spray: The chain, while backpedaling by hand, until all links are coated; every pivot point I can spot on the brakes and derailers; the pulleys on the rear-der; every pivot point I can spot on the SPD pedals; and any friction cable guides or cable supports that the cable slides over; any pivot points I can spot on the shifters/brakes. I wipe off excess with paper towel.

I'm NOT an expert.

...BUT...

I get one or two rides from one chain lubing.

I re-lube and get maybe 5-10 rides between any major cleaning.

At some point, the chain just looks cruddy, and I MAY spray some Finish Line degreaser on it before heading to the car wash.

I have a hitch mount Saris rack, which turns my car into a portable repair stand.

I drive that portable repair stand to the do-it-yourself coin-operated car wash and clean the bike.

Recently I've used the car wash's "tire and engine" cleaner selection (the stuff with green dye) and sprayed that on my chain. I suspect it's a form of degreaser.

I then turn to "soap" selection and spray the bike w/o pulling the trigger; the "idle" (non-trigger flow) on those wands is generally sufficient. Avoid direct, high-pressure spray on sealed bearings (bottom bracket, hubs)

The chain gets an amazing 75%-95% clean with this method; much cleaner and faster than using a brush and bottled degreaser.

On the wheels, I pull the trigger, and the spray gets the wheel spinning fast, for a thorough clean. Ditto for the pedals.

I then drive to the vacuum/drying station and wipe off the excess water using inexpensive Wal-Mart terry cloth.

The drive home adds a touch of air-drying.

I bring the bike back into the house and lube all the components. Sooner than later, to displace any trace of water that may remain on corrosion-prone parts like the chain.

I currently use the Finish Line Teflon spray. The spray is a nice focused stream for fast application with minimal overspray. It's cheaper and maybe longer lasting than the wax stuff. I think the wax stuff is controversial in terms of longevity. The Finish Line is supposedly "dry" but leaves a moist residue feel over time.

I spray: The chain, while backpedaling by hand, until all links are coated; every pivot point I can spot on the brakes and derailers; the pulleys on the rear-der; every pivot point I can spot on the SPD pedals; and any friction cable guides or cable supports that the cable slides over; any pivot points I can spot on the shifters/brakes. I wipe off excess with paper towel.

What a great idea, the car wash, gotta give you props

http://www.parktool.com/repair_help/FAQindex.shtml

Here's a great web site - go the the Bicycle Cleaning link

Garden hose


I don't think this is a very good idea.

thanks for all the help....I wasnt really asking how to take the bike apart and clean "every single" part - but just a quick maintenance. thanks again

thanks for all the help....I wasnt really asking how to take the bike apart and clean "every single" part - but just a quick maintenance. thanks again


Heck, I knew that....just couldn't resist teasing a bit.


I like the idea with the bike-on-the-rack drive thru washing. Great idea.



Olds

Heck, I knew that....just couldn't resist teasing a bit.


I like the idea with the bike-on-the-rack drive thru washing. Great idea.



Olds

Thanks! The idea might seem so uncoventional it may scare off a few people. After all, cycling attracts anal-retentive types (such as myself), who appreciate the details, like how light a bike is, how smoothly it runs mechanically, and how expensive (and thus, how protective its owner must be).

But, some of the conventional approaches I have read about cleaning just seem way too tedious -- like removing the entire chain and soaking it, being sure to have plenty of spare pins on hand to reassemble. And the assortment of brushes and cleaners of every shape and variety. Really, the main concern is to clean the desired parts off and replace their lube before anything rusts. Well, so much on a bike is corrosion resistant (aluminum, titanium, rubber, and plastic), that not much is extremely vulnerable to H20. The exception being that alot of small pivot points comprise ferrous (i.e. iron/steel -- corrosive) nuts and bolts. Prompt reapplication of lube would seem to minimize risk to these corrosion-prone parts.

The other main concern is to retain the presence and cleanliness of lube in longer-term maintenance parts, like hubs and bottom brackets that get serviced and cleaned less frequently. These parts are typically sealed or semi-sealed, and although submerging in a swimming pool may not be a good idea, I think indirect hose spray is not likely to infiltrate these areas significantly.

I have tried stuff like Park chain tools and degreaser. These products are definitely effective, but not ideal in a practical sense in most of our home environments. The degreaser, for instance, definitely displaces grease well -- but to effectively get it off the chain without soiling a kitchen or garage floor is painstaking. The little chain tools collect alot of dirt, but much remains, and it likes to drip onto chain stays, tubes, and/or the ground. And a few ounces of the fluid is nowhere near as effective as a virtually limitless supply of pressurized water. The convenience of an outdoor carwash and drain is unmatched by the typical home environment -- there is no worry about getting the carwash floor dirty or draining the water -- it is designed for that.

The convenience is further enhanced in that your bike is already on the mobile repair stand after your ride -- which is precisely the moment when people realize it's time to clean the bike (after a dirty ride). And you can kill two birds with one stone, wash both your bike and car in one trip.

Degreaser, clean rag, low pressure rinse. Then I put some WD (water drying )40 on wet parts, then clean rag, than lube. Anything that gets lubed, gets WD 40 first.

I put a little shot up the cable holders, also.

As far as the car wash goes. Just don't use the high pressure sprayer near the hubs, BB, or headset. You can flush the grease out of the bearings.

Degreaser, clean rag, low pressure rinse. Then I put some WD (water drying )40 on wet parts, then clean rag, than lube. Anything that gets lubed, gets WD 40 first.

I put a little shot up the cable holders, also.

Err. This is probably common knowledge but...what exactly does the WD40 do?

It acts like a degreaser.

Err. This is probably common knowledge but...what exactly does the WD40 do?

Ah Grasshopper..you should ask not what WD-40 does but what it does not do...

http://www.twbc.org/wd40.htm

Ah Grasshopper..you should ask not what WD-40 does but what it does not do...

http://www.twbc.org/wd40.htm


I especially like "Cleans Ostrich eggs for craft use"

I clean my bike after every ride, but I only use a damp cloth. I'll only use the hose (trickle stream, no force) if things are really muddy. I should say, though, that I built all my bikes myself, and everything (except rims) got multiple coats of quality wax before being put on the bike, and the frames got no less than 10 coats, so cleanup is easy.

I also don't worry about keeping the chain and gears like-new looking. I use White Lightning lubricant, and only give things a really good scrubbing when there's a lot of buildup.

vrkelley - WD40 is a spray-on cleaning solvent. A lot of people think it's a lubricant, but that's not the case*. Notice that jukt indicates correctly that parts to be lubed get WD40 first (as in they get lubed after being cleaned with WD40.)

*Just looked at the official website - they do call it a lubricant. It also makes installing storm windows easier. I'm not sure how.

I dunno about the wd40 before lubing idea... wd40 is a degreaser. unless you got it all off, then wouldn't it affect the lube too? I also find that one of the things wd40 does extremely well is make my parts pick up dirt - exactly what I'm trying to avoid. I still hand clean my components with degreaser and lube the chain only - my LBS tought me a good trick too - put the lube on and let it sit for two hours then wipe off the excess (of course prior to discovering this board and learning some of the techniques I hadnt touched a single part in about 8 years). With that LBS trick, my chain stays really really clean and the lube seems to work better -- haven't cleaned it since June and still looks great.

Clean your bike? What's that? Never heard of it.

Seriously, I hardly ever clean my entire bike. I do keep an eye on the chain and drivetrain. When they get dirty, I pull out the Simple Green, spray it on, and wash it off with the garden hose. I then relube the chain. That's about it. Oh, and it works perfectly--thanks to Campy Record bits and a titanium frame. (Jeesh, clean your bike. What will they think of next?)

Baby wipes are a quick and EZ way to clean up a not too dirty frame.

I think WD means Water Drying, or Water Dipersant. Water is a no no on steel.

Let's get it right, folks.

WD-40 literally stands for Water Displacement, 40th attempt. That's the name straight out of the lab book used by the chemist who developed WD-40 back in 1953. The chemist, Norm Larsen, was attempting to concoct a formula to prevent corrosion -- a task which is done by displacing water. Norm's persistence paid off when he perfected the formula on his 40th try.

Baby wipes are a quick and EZ way to clean up a not too dirty frame.

I think WD means Water Drying, or Water Dipersant. Water is a no no on steel.

I"m not sure Baby wipes are good for carbon frames. Experts what do you say???

About a month ago, the tech writer for the roadbikerider.com newslatter recommended using Pledge on your frame after each ride. Pledge dissolves sportsdrink drips and generally cleans and shines. I've been using Pledge (or Endust) after each ride and I am very happy with the results on my new bike. I clean my chain with WD40 after each ride and then oil.

I recently took my chain off and soaked it in concentrated Simple Green. No scrubbing needed, everything came off after leaving it in there for awhile.

I keep my bike very clean. Here's what I do.

Mount it in the stand.

Chain, chain ring and cassette - I use automotive brake cleaner spray and a rag to degrease. Let dry and re-lube. If it's really grungy - I have a Park chain cleaning tool - I fill it with degreaser and run it over a drip pan to keep from making a total mess.

Frame - High quality automotive car wash soap and water - soft rag. Rinse with as little water as I need to get the soap off. Sometimes I use an air compressor to carefully dry parts like around the headset, rear dérailleur, etc.

I re-lube as necessary and wipe the clean bike down with a bike wax spray.

Yes, I do have a lot of time on my hands AND a garage to do it in.

I like the WD-40 idea - thanks.

So how do you apply the WD40 to the chain? also, I want to take my cassette off to give it a good cleaning.........is this hard to do and how do you do it?

So how do you apply the WD40 to the chain? also, I want to take my cassette off to give it a good cleaning.........is this hard to do and how do you do it?

Easy. For starters, you'll have to buy a chain whip.

So how do you apply the WD40 to the chain?

I just spray it on, and spin back a little. Wipe with a clean rag.

I use the little tube to shoot in the cable housings.

I recently took my chain off and soaked it in concentrated Simple Green. No scrubbing needed, everything came off after leaving it in there for awhile.

Thanks for endorsing the use of Simple Green. Amazing stuff. If you use it frequently enough, before your chain becomes too cruddy, you need not even take it off the bike. I haven't broken a chain for cleaning purposes in years.

Any bike cleaning operation that takes longer than 1 minute is too much of a chore, and the bike doesn't care anyway.

Some of the suggestions like using a penetrating oil (WD40) on a chain is, I think, harmful because it will displace and thin-out the good oil and invite grit to form a grinding slurry on your chain. WD40 is recommended for stuck parts, only.

Soap + water is great because it destroys the dirty oil, draws out the slurry, and then evaporates. Motor oil or triflow (appropriate lubricants) can then wick into place and keep your chain operating properly.

As a rider of steel, I try to avoid bathing the bike with its arch enemy, water. I degrease the bad grease, with WD or some other Degreaser, then replace it with good grease. If I have been lazy and hateful toward my bike for a couple years, I will bust out the Gumout carb cleaner and watch it sizzle.

wd40= water displacment . that is what it was intended for when developed