Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Do you wipe down your bike?

Just wondering. Lots of people ride older road conversions or steel frames and with the snow and salt, that could theoretically damage a steel frame. So, does anyone or everyone wipe down their frame from time to time or always or what?

-Wiegle's (sp?) frame protectant inside
-car wax outside
-nice and greasy, but not too much, on all bearings, etc

I wipe mine down a couple of times a week depending on conditions. Clean the drive train, too. You need to worry about components much more than the frame. A rusty frame is just ugly, but stuff like brakes and cogs get really rusty really fast.

I cleaned a bike with windex once. It was for an internet bike porn shoot. I shouldn't have told anyone this, because I've been asked if I used windex every time that I mention cleaning a bike now...

how does aluminum deal with salt? should one be more or less concerned about aluminum vs. steel in the winter?

i'll be wiping down my bike regardless...but it would be nice to know.

Back in the late 80's when I thought my bike was just a toy to get me from A to B, I had a friend who owned a Bianchi road bike. After every ride, he would wipe it down. We would make fun of him everytime as we thought it was silly. He still has that bike hanging in his garage in practically mint condition!!

I try to wipe my bike down after every other ride, but most times forget. I haven't ridden in the snow and salt yet though...

I've been giving my Bianchi a shower & drying it off after every ride. I wasn't going to ride it through the winter, but I like riding it too much to stop.

how does aluminum deal with salt? should one be more or less concerned about aluminum vs. steel in the winter?

i'll be wiping down my bike regardless...but it would be nice to know.
Aluminium and salt..........Bad
Salt on popcorn.............good

i just wiped mine down.
20 mile winter ride = 1/4 inch of sand built up around the bottom bracket shell. gross.

Definately when there's salt out there and occasionally when I'm out in the rain or it's wet and muddy out there.

been wiping down the tires with a wet rag, there's been a bit of snowy slushy salty crap all over the roads. don't know if it really helps, but doesn't road salt corrode tires faster?

Fenders are really handy for keeping salt off your bike.

Gilby, do you actually put the bike in the shower? (serious question!) I think that might be a good alternative for me instead of the car wash across the street...(cheaper)

I have to keep my bike clean, it stays in my 250 sq. ft. apartment with me, and I don't want it getting everything dirty. (especially the clothes I hang on it!)

Gilby, do you actually put the bike in the shower? (serious question!) I think that might be a good alternative for me instead of the car wash across the street...(cheaper)

I have to keep my bike clean, it stays in my 250 sq. ft. apartment with me, and I don't want it getting everything dirty. (especially the clothes I hang on it!)Here is a cheap and easy solution:
Get a bug sprayer/deck sprayer at your local Home Depot type store - they run about $15. They are 2.5 gallons and you can fill them with water and they have a built in pump to pressurize. The spray is much milder compared to a car wash (you should never use that, bad for your bearings). The sprayer is easily portable for road trips/camping trips.

i like to use simple green soap and some warm water. then the tutle wax prouduct intented for cars is a nice finish. that's just me. call be nuts.

Here is a cheap and easy solution:
Get a bug sprayer/deck sprayer at your local Home Depot type store - they run about $15. They are 2.5 gallons and you can fill them with water and they have a built in pump to pressurize. The spray is much milder compared to a car wash (you should never use that, bad for your bearings). The sprayer is easily portable for road trips/camping trips.

Hmm, sounds worth checking into for sure. Thanks!

riderx is right, one should be careful when cleaning their bike by spraying it with something, i.e. using a hose. anything that's not sealed cartridge (headset, hub, whatever) could get the grease flushed out of it, and no grease is no good

Oh, I'm all sealed up, baby!

Yup, I take off the QR front wheel to make it more manageable. Then I just wipe off any remaining gunk & dry it off. I'm moving this week to a new place, though, and I have a feeling my new roommates might not be okay with my bike showers...

Oh, I'm all sealed up, baby!Even w/ full sealed bearings, the pressure from a car wash and even a regular garden hose will penetrate the bearings.

Here's an example of the sprayer (http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=6970&productId=200057124&R=200057124&cm_ven=TL&cm_pla=DF&cm_ite=grounds) I was talking about.

Arright, arright you guys, I've never pointed it at the bearings. I'm a sensible gal! (seriously, I know better.) Actually I'm so over-protective about them, I hated repacking, and now I'd hate replacing. I don't even want to ride my new wheels in the snow... :( (or I'm just lazy!)

Ooh, that thing's cheap! It sort of reminds me of a Super Soaker...hmm..... :D

Gilby, I may have to give it a try. The intimacy level of this is kind of frightening, though. LOL I only have a stall shower, though.

Regarding showers - I tried this a couple of times, and asked about it here (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=80441) in the winter forum. Rattking warned against it, as you can easily clog your pipes and the landlord will charge you a ton to clean it out...

Make sure to shut off your outdoor water supply if you live somewhere where it is below freezing for long periods over the winter. I was hosing off my bike regularly until last week, then the pipe cracked.

Never wiped down a bike unless I've been riding through ploughed fields and it's got ten pounds of mud on it. The commuter and the fixie toy just drip-dry and get stored indoors. Never had a frame corrode badly because of it. Paintwork gets ratty, but I trash paintwork anyhow. Each bike gets properly washed maybe once a month. NO pressure washer, just hot soapy goodness and a big sponge.

Do I wash down my bike? NO!
Here are a few pics of my bike after riding all winter in mud/rain/snow/slush/sand/salt
That is a mixture of grease, chain oil, dirt, sand, and salt on the BB area.
Spring is my bike wash. When things get wet around here, my bike will be washed for me. :D
Interesting little tidbit about the clip on rear fender that I have. It seems to funnel water/snpw/grit/etc. towards the BB junction. It never got this dirty last year, or any of the other years that I have had the bike.

Do I wash down my bike? NO!
Here are a few pics of my bike after riding all winter in mud/rain/snow/slush/sand/salt
That is a mixture of grease, chain oil, dirt, sand, and salt on the BB area.
Spring is my bike wash. When things get wet around here, my bike will be washed for me. :D
Interesting little tidbit about the clip on rear fender that I have. It seems to funnel water/snpw/grit/etc. towards the BB junction. It never got this dirty last year, or any of the other years that I have had the bike.

Oh! Dear god! I'm scarred for life!

I don't keep my bike clean, but it's never been like BostonFixed's. I don't wipe down after every ride. I just wipe down when it starts to look pretty dirty. Maybe once every three weeks?

Do I wash down my bike? NO!
Here are a few pics of my bike after riding all winter in mud/rain/snow/slush/sand/salt
That is a mixture of grease, chain oil, dirt, sand, and salt on the BB area.
Spring is my bike wash. When things get wet around here, my bike will be washed for me. :D
Interesting little tidbit about the clip on rear fender that I have. It seems to funnel water/snpw/grit/etc. towards the BB junction. It never got this dirty last year, or any of the other years that I have had the bike.

my bike looks like that after about 10km.

Scary thing is, my bike looks worse than that right now. But it's mostly black grit, and it's a black bike, so it's OK. The only clean parts are where my shoulder and side touch it when I carry it up and down the stairs.

I should probably clean it today.

Theres no salt or ice out here, just lots of road grime, and I figure it builds character. My bike has LOTS of "character".

I devote time to my bike collection...especially the six fixed-gears.
I find that baby wipes work very well and only take a few minutes to
keep a bike looking good. I try to avoid mud, unless it's on the Van Dessel.

For me a classic lugged steel conversion is a ridable work of art. :love:

I wipe down after ever ride. I hug her and put her to bed clean, oiled and fresh for the next ride. Essentiually I treat my bikes very well. I ask a lot out of them and expect few problems. I have few problems and I think part of that is because of the TLC factor.

I use Kawasaki or Honda (motorcyle) wipe down spray available from local Honda/Kawasaki shops. Cleans and shines....spray on wipe off.

I clean as needed, but i like a clean rig! Clean drive chain is key!

I devote time to my bike collection...especially the six fixed-gears.
I find that baby wipes work very well and only take a few minutes to
keep a bike looking good. I try to avoid mud, unless it's on the Van Dessel.

For me a classic lugged steel conversion is a ridable work of art. :love:


Aww, I agree!

Clean bike is a must.

I wipe down my bike numerous times a day as road grime ALWAYS manages to sneak around the BB shell and around the headset. I love my bike more than I love most (all) of my non-immediate family members.

I use Kawasaki or Honda (motorcyle) wipe down spray available from local Honda/Kawasaki shops. Cleans and shines....spray on wipe off.

since i have gotten off the motorcycle i have forgotten all about this stuff...i'll have to go and grab a can of hondabrite and add it to the rest of the stuff i have for cleaning...

I built a winter fixie from a steel lugged frame and parts laying around at the bike co-op. I packed all bearings with marine axle grease. I sprayed WD-40 inside the frame and forks. I do not plan to wash it for the entire season (except for an occasional chain lube and wipe). I will wash and inspect it in the spring.

There is nothing better for keeping your bike clean than using The Glosser. WWW.theglosser.com

It's a disposable microfiber cloth which has both cleaning and waxing agents that make your bike shine. When you've wiped down your ride, you simply toss the used glosser in the trash.

Works good on your car too. I think you can get them at Pep Boys.

I don't want to push my luck with the new roommates by cleaning my bike in the bathtub, so I put an old shower curtain down to catch the run-off, and have been cleaning off the bike with a sponge, water & Dawn dishsoap. Dawn cuts grease, including the nasty road sludge kind that gets all over my bike!

Simple Green; you can get it at most hardware stores. Full strength it is a degreaser; dilute it to wash frame, wheels, etc. It is biodegradeble (they say you can shampoo your dog with it). Great stuff.

You really shouldn't be riding a nice bike in the rain or snow. My fixie is my winter/rain bike - as is the tradition in British cycling. Therefore I clean it very rarely, and it's inexpensive enough to replace the frame and components as they get destroyed.

For some of us it is inevitable. I don't have many other options. My fixie this year is a little too nice for winter riding, and I've already had to replace the BB this year. I try to keep it somewhat clean, hoping that things will last a little bit longer on it...

When I ride and collect a lot of muck on the frame and moving parts I can't stand leaving it on there so I prop my bike in the shower and use a soapy sponge to clean everything then I lube the chain and all that good stuff, she is a much happier bike after the shower.

I wash my commuter bike after salty riding. Other than that no.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAHH....

Stop doing that!
I got halfway through the thread saying "oh my god! HereNT, schwinnbikelove, riderx. All back!!!"

Then I saw Mayo and checked the date.

This is getting to be too much of a shock for an old system like mine.

I wash my bike once a week. but there isn't much moisture here right now so the dirt doesn't really stick to much.

Just wiped the chainring/chain/cog and the bb shell down with a dry rag after a gross ride. I'll wait and really clean it when it looks like it'll be nice out...

I clean as needed, but i like a clean rig! Clean drive chain is key!

+1 on the clean drive chain! i take my bike apart every weekend or sooner and clean all the salt and gnarly buildup on the chain when it snows here (like everyday). scrub scrub scrub.

i'd also recommend cleaning your saddle if you got the monkey butt like the dudes in the aforementioned thread. ewww. clean that s h i t!

Holy ****, this thread is from 2004...
And I've been wondering about this. How can I go about cleaning my chainring, chain and cog? Does the bottom bracket need to be taken apart and cleaned as well, or is that a good job for the LBS?

AAAAAAAAAAAAAHH....

Stop doing that!
I got halfway through the thread saying "oh my god! HereNT, schwinnbikelove, riderx. All back!!!"

Then I saw Mayo and checked the date.

This is getting to be too much of a shock for an old system like mine.

I wash my bike once a week. but there isn't much moisture here right now so the dirt doesn't really stick to much.

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?p=6314521#post6314521

Holy ****, this thread is from 2004...
And I've been wondering about this. How can I go about cleaning my chainring, chain and cog? Does the bottom bracket need to be taken apart and cleaned as well, or is that a good job for the LBS?

Take your chain off, clean as you please (chain cleaning is a whole other thread/debate.) For the rest, take a hose sans hi pressure nozzle and mild soap to it. Get a scrub brush.

I used to rub down my rattlecan conversion with WD-40. Cleaned it up and shined up nicely.

Mine gets an Armorall wipe after each ride