I had to clean the bike (my LBS is fussy).
 

I ride in the rain often enough so that cleaning the bike is kind of futile :innocent: .

My bike was a build project, lovingly specified and built by this very good LBS. They basically provide free lifetime service on the original bike. They know their customers also love bikes and suffer from N+1 ;) .

I had requested new set of compact handlebars to reduce the drop. Being the perfectionist they are they want to check my bike fit to see if the handlebar is consistent with my fit requirements before I will be allowed to change anything :eek: .

So I spent two hours cleaning the bike. I feel like I own a Ferrari and Enzo will be watching to see if I'm taking care of one of his children :twitchy: !

Am I the only one with this situation?

Michael

Probably.
That said...It is good manners to clean your bike before taking it in for work (if possible).

Not me. I am my own mechanic, and my LBS provided me with the hardcopy and e-copy (.xls) of my Serrota Fit data so I can use it in any of my future builds. If I want new handlebars, I'll put them on in my shop.* My LBS mechanics love the fact that I buy parts and don't need them installed; I'm sure they get their fill of work with all the shop tickets I see lined up in the bin.
As for cleanup, I've seen people bring their mountain bikes in fresh off the trail and dropping muck from the front door to the service desk.

*OK, "shop" is stretching the definition. It's 1/3 of the spare bedroom we use for a computer room.

I'm kinda anal when it comes to cleaning my bike. The bike gets wiped down after every ride, brake pads inspected, tires inspected for glass or other oblects, wheels get looked at, drivetrain gets cleaned, not wiped off but cleaned. This is after every ride and if it gets dirty during ride I will wash bike off including bars, wheels, spokes and tires. This is with all my bikes not just my nice ones. My nieghbours all think I'm nuts!

I brought my Hardrock into the shop a year or two ago, dirty, dusty, greasy, and generally beat to hell. The shop guys commented positively on it; apparently they see so many bikes that never / rarely get ridden, they were glad to see one that had obviously been given a thorough workout. ;)

-DR

I ride at least one of my bikes every day. Sometime two of them if I take one bike to work and then a different one on errands in the evening.
I don't have the kind of spare time necessary to inspect and clean my bikes after every ride.

I actually found a loose spoke while cleaning the bike. I should do this kind of cleaning & inspection more often. They will fix & true while installing my new handlebars.

Michael

The shop I took my Cross Check to for a tune up recently included cleaning in the price. I made them earn their money.:innocent:

It's like the guy who buys the new car and washes it all the time, after a few years, when it's dinged up and the paint has faded and the odometer has seen the high side of 50,000, he decides aw forget it, and it gets washed only when it rains. Bicycles are the same, when your bicycle is new, you wash it every ride, then after a while it's once a week, then once a month, then it's only when your shamed into it. Seriously though, once a month is probably best, as part of the process, do a complete inspection. Reminds me, I need to clean and inspect both bikes, tomorrow is a rain day, so I may do it then.....

I wash once a year from the beginning. Every time I pull my bike from the hay storage in the spring - don't ask, I am a redneck:)

I clean my bike before taking it to the shop. I have to admit, I don't keep it clean all the time because it's time consuming. I do the maintenance part of cleaning -- dry it off after it rains, get rid of mud before dragging it through the apartment, lube the chain, and make sure the rims are clear. But my bike gets a full cleaning only a couple of times a year, but definitely when I take it to the shop.

I also give my teeth an extra brush, floss, and use mouthwash twice before going to the dentist. I do oral hygiene regularly, but give the fangs an extra polish before heading out.

... I ride MTB's... a clean drive train is all that matters :)...

but I will kick the heavy dirt and mud off before I put the bike away... :)

I currently own the most expensive bike I have ever bought in my life. So, I try to keep it clean. Sure, I have had it less than a month, but I am hoping my enthusiasm will not wane as the months/years go by. I check the tires, and the drivetrain before a ride, and after. I wipe the frame of dirt and dust. I try not to ride in the dirt, but sometimes that is not possible. After the accident, I double checked everything, and will be taking it into the LBS so they can also check it out.

I bet you break a spoke within a month of them FIXING AND TRUING your wheel!:eek:

I don't let any shop dudes touch my wheels. Everytime I've had them touch my wheels, I've broken a spoke within a week or two.:mad:

I clean my bikes after every ride. I can't sand the thought of a dusty bike sitting in the room. The bikes have a bedroom of theirown!:D

I always put my bikes away clean, dry, lubed, adjusted if needed, and test ridden. I like being ready to go for the next ride!

Well the LBS did their usual great job and charged me $15 to retensioned & redish the rear wheel to perfection after 2000 miles since It's initial tensioning.

I took my nice clean bike out today, it rained.
.:roflmao2: