ceiph

so i waited way to long to clean my bike but it made me think. how does everyone keep there bike clean? i just hung mine from the ceiling in my laundry room and used soapy water...

CastIron

Depends how bad it is, of course. Generally I just put it in the work stand and hose it down with window cleaner after knocking the big stuff off with a dry brush. Pulling the wheels makes short work of the process.

snowy

I used soapy warm water, rag, toothbrush. I never spray down my bike, cause then you have to make sure you go re-grease everything. I have a patio and often just take it out there, turn the radio on and start cleaning. LOVE IT.

Abneycat

I just clean and re-grease/lube the important stuff and pretty much ignore the non-moving, non-corroding parts. On my new bike, thats most of the bike. Citrus/orange based cleaners work well.

Velo Dog

Me, too--Maybe once a year I wipe down the paint, alloy etc., but most of the time I just clean and lube the moving parts. ProLink in the chain every 50-100 miles keeps that clean and working--I used to remove the chain and clean it Old School, but it's been years since I did that.

Allen

At the same time I wash my car, in the backyard with a hose, brush, and bucket of soapy water.
Which means not as often as either need it.

Garfield Cat

I think you're asking how to keep it clean, how to be proactive rather than letting it accumulate with road grime and stuff.

I wipe down the bike after each ride. 2 gallon bucket from Home Depot with detergent and cold water. While doing the wipe down, I put my sweat drenched jersey in the soapy water. This keeps the jersey from getting stinky. If the down tube and seat tube are covered with mud or grit, then I'm careful not to scratch up the paint. The wheels and spokes I do less frequent and when done, I use a separate rag. I rinse the rag often wih the garden hose during the wipe downs.

As a final step, I use a car spray finish like Mother's or Meguiars. Keeps it shiny and slick.

If you do the wipe down often, your bike will always look good and the paint job will last longer.

ajmstilt

microfiber cloths are your friend. if you catch the right sale you can get a pack of 8 for 10.00 USD. that'll last a long time, i keep one in my bag, at home, and in my bike locker at work.

every day or two a quick wipe down with the rag keeps most of the bad grime to a minimum. once a week, I'll give it a good wet rub down, and once a month a full bath. The full bath is when i regrease everythign and get out the Q-tips for a full detailling. I take everythign off the handlebars/fram.

I've found that just like most things, if you spend a couple minutes keeping it clean(ish) the big washes are much easier. I get to spend my monthy cleanign do a fun detail job , rather than picking out crud and getty myself dirty.

jhota

clean?

rogerstg

I just use Pledge and a microfiber cloth most of the time (unless it's muddy of course). In the winter, with all the salt, sand and freezing temps, I wash the bike in the garage using soapy water and rinse with a pressurized garden sprayer.

HauntedMyst

I just put on my speedo and ride it through the car wash. Most of it is fun, its the hot wax application that really burns if I forget to slip on my tee shirt.

demoncyclist

Jeez, a guy asks a serious question, and you all make fun. We all know that the best way is to use a 0000 artists brush and a bottle of San Pellegrino.

Kyle90

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Qk0PKq9UuU

https://www.jimlangley.net/wrench/bikewash.htm

I just blast it with a hose and grease everything back up..

RomSpaceKnight

I take mine to carwash port weekly. Use foaming brush on drive train and then hose off without pulling trigger for hi-pressure. High pressure spray can force water in bearings.

no motor?

Alfster 

Usually I keep the bike relatively clean, but once in a while I become a bit anal about it and clean my bikes similar to this:

https://www.parktool.com/repair/readhowto.asp?id=85

bkaapcke

I wipe it down with a towel and windex. bk

Siu Blue Wind

Oooooooo bad question for someone with OCD. I'm outta here!!

frmsncyclst

I use a garden hose, Simple Green, a Park Tool Bike Cleaning Kit & rags & an old retired Cycle Ops trainer frame, with out the resistance mechanism.

Spray it with water, spray the Simple Green on drive train, brakes, etc. use brushes from cleaning kit, rinse. Fill chain cleaner with Simple Green & clean chain, rinse.

I dry as much as I can with dry rags, use my shop air compressor to blow the water out of places it is hard to dry from, let the rest air dry. This also includes flipping the bike upside down to let any water drain out of the frame.

After it is dry I lube appropriatley.

I clean the bike at least once a month in the spring, summer & early fall. More often if needed.

JaRow

I hose it down and then clean it off with car wash soap and a sponge.

Every so often I'll take off the chain, degrease it, and relube it. I grease/lube everything that need grease/lube and thats about it.

Timtruro

methinks you have too much time on your hands.

Alfster 

I wish. If I had too much time on my hands I'd follow the washing with a wax

stevesurf

A few damp paper towels and that's it...why I like Ti

I really concentrate on the drivetrain, now that I have a chain cleaner again.

caloso

Dawn, a couple of old sponges, and a garden hose. After it dries, I'll wipe it with a little Pledge. That helps keep it cleaner for the next time.

aikigreg

anything special for carbon fiber?