stapfam

We have a problem down here in the South East of England and it is water---We don't have any.

Last couple of years have been lacking in the "Wet fally down" stuff and this has led to the resoirvoirs being around 50% empty. Could have said full but not the way I am feeling right now.

By the end of the month we will have a hosepipe ban- so that will mean the end of our drought- but until the water companies are happy we will not be able to wash our cars- fill our Swimming pools- Water the gardens with a hosepipe and several other things

Car washing doesn't bother me but I now have about two weeks to De-Winter the pool and fill it up- Get in another 6 or so water butts for the garden- lay in plenty of Pledge for the polishing of the bike and the Whiskey is going to be neat from now on.

Artkansas 

Times like that lead to the wild skateboard tricks that they can do now and really paved the way for most extreme sports.

jimc101

Why not just use a bucket of water? according to the article on the BBC news site, there is not restriction for this.

stapfam

Have to keep in with the spirit of the "HosePipe" Ban.

contango 

I use a bucket of water anyway, it gets the water where I want it rather than all over the garden. I only ever use the hose sparingly to rinse off the suds when I'm done. If the hosepipe ban goes ahead I'll just have to use another bucket of water, which ironically probably means I'll use more water than I would with the hose.

Rx Rider

sounds naughty

BluesDawg

No need for a lot of water to keep a road bike clean. I brush off any loose dirt and wipe down the whole bike. No hose. No bucket.

bigbadwullf

I rarely/ever "wash" my bike. Occasionally wipe it down with a rag and maybe a spray cleaner. Water is the enemy of a (road) bike. Now, the mountain bike will get sprayed down but I watch where I spray. The dirt bike?....... Power washer all the way and lots of it

woodway

Bike washing is overrated. Keep the drivetrain clean and the rest does not matter. The dirt helps to protect the paint anyway.

bigbadwullf

Gotta agree with woodway. Nothing needs to be touched on road bike but the chain....occasionally. The only thing I regularly touch on the bike is the presta valve, well, and the bars . First cleaning of the bike was yesterday. The bike is about a year old. I sprayed some light cleaner on a rag(not the bike) and wiped it down. The rag was almost clean when I got done . The bike has over 1,000 miles on it.

OldsCOOL

Put the bike in the tub. You do keep the bike inside, dont you??

tsl

Works for me.

NOS88

The wiskey should always be neat.

On a serious note, hope you get some replenishing rain soon. As others have suggested, a wipe down after each ride and you may not need to wash it all the often.

John_V 

White bikes really show the dirt so, about every two weeks, I have been using a wet rag to wipe the bike down. I put Mcquires Quick Detailer on the bike on the day I got it and the dirt and grease doesn't stick to it. I used the Quick Detailer about once a month on the Defy and it cleaned up great with just a wet rag.

bigbadwullf

"White bikes really do show".....................

stapfam

Road bikes are not too bad although last sundays ride did throw up a lot of Mud Spray onto the rear end of the bike.

My problem is with regard to the MTB's.



And this was after we had washed it down to lighten the bike.

And if you want to see what we normally experience in the winter---

fasthair

stamfam: Funny when I first read this I went like others... just wipe it down with a rag and a bucket of water. Than after I thought a bit I remembered your ride MTBs too and they are not so easy after a good fun day in the mud and muck. Since I thought about it why not buy one of those hand pump weed sprayers and fill it with detergent and work with that? Not the most powerful sprays but will sure cut down on the amount of elbow grease required.

fasthair

BluesDawg

Definitely a different matter with mountain bikes, especially riding in muck like that! But I have cleaned mud caked mountain bikes without a hose. It takes longer, but it can be done. Sometimes I let the bike dry for a couple of days so the bulk of the mud will crumble and come off with brushing and dry wiping. Then I can finish it off with a damp cloth and some cleaning spray like 409. Like I said, it takes longer, often much longer.

VNA

England is becoming like California? Swimming pools and no water that is a very californian problem! Although we don't empty pools in the winter!

Always never enough water and it is expensive over here--although today it is raining, but we have had a very dry and mild winter!

Water and bicycles don't go well together--dry cleaning is safer!

bigbadwullf

Just leave the mtn bike muddy. Won't hurt a thing. It's only gonna get muddy the next time you take it out. But one has to ask. If the terrain is muddy, how can the water level be that low? And hopefully you don't have politicians that will show up in a drought and force the dam operators of a certain watershed to release water for a photo op on a river...

stapfam

Just thought of a new use for the Pool- but the wife doesn't like oil on the water

On the long enduros I use a 5 litre hand spray to get the muck out of the gears but on the frame it is just wipe it off with the hands. Luckily-I am in the Truck trade and manage to get some heavy duty truck wash that does dissolve muck off the trucks. Mix at about 10% and spray the bike and Hose off--Or watering can this summer- and the mud has gone. Then spray with water dispersion oil and leave for a day or so and then wipe down. Works all the time but Bearings have to be greased often and plenty of Chain oil used as the bike will be Oil free.

But even on the road bikes- Dirt and muck gets into places that cannot be cleaned with a cloth. Once a month I do wash the road bikes down to clean them and then it is polish time. People wonder why I do not like white bikes and the stupid thing is I have two of them. Perhaps it is the cleaning of them that I do not like.

stapfam

And just realised something about our Road ride last Sunday. Had a week without much rain but the backroads were very wet and lots of deep puddles. The Marshes were somewhere near full and the fields are giving a lot of run off. The resoirvoirs may be low but the amount of water in the fields and on the roads is high.

And the Offroad Running 1/2 marathon over the South downs had the slowest time for several years due to the amount of Mud on the course.

We don't have a water shortage---- it is just in the wrong place.

woodway

Exactly. Clean the drivetrain, the rest does not matter.

stapfam

err.
These bikes had to be dunked in a Cattle trough before we could ride them home.

woodway

The wheels are part of the drivetrain!