HiYoSilver

Did the normal chain maintenance yesterday and notices there is a ton of greasy stuff by the BB and the headset. So the question: how do you clean up those areas without breaking or disturbing the lube of those important parts. I didn't want to just spray degreaser all over the place and flood it with a garden hose because I thought I'd get some degreaser into the bearings. So what do you do, just wipe with mild degreaser, use the same degreaser you use for the chain, or what?

StephenH

Paper towel. What doesn't wipe off can just stay there. At least that's what I do. Of course, I'm also the guy that washes each car twice in it's lifetime.

DavidLee

Bike Washing & Cleaning

GP

Pledge wipes.

TalkingHead

dont spray directly at the bearings, or hubs etc. If your worried every couple of years take it to have everything overhauled and re-greased. They charge about 60 bucks usually

operator

Every couple years? Only if you ride once a week and never in foul weather.

JoeG

in the fall and winter i wash my bike / wipe it down after i've ridden it. Spring/Summer, not so much, just take the chain off, take the saddle off, spray down with simple green, then hose it all of after scrubbing with a sponge, then take the air hose to it and get all the water out of the small areas.

Nermal

Off topic, but welcome back, Silver.

redfooj

for regular cleaning i just power spray everything

once in a while i take things apart and degrease & re-grease / re-lube as needed

just takes a 10$ citrus degreaser, 10$ phils grease, and 5$ dry-lube from REI

jsmithepa

Is it just me or that parktool site feels like is running on dial-up?

I wipe off dirt WITHOUT pushing it into the crevices with qtips (gentle side-swipes) then may finish off with a slightly wd40 soaked rag, again, gentle lateral swipping. Where no crevice involve, clean away. If MTB and crusted then some other harsher method maybe required.

TalkingHead

ok so how long should one grease major areas that need grease then? I honestly dont know, the book that came with my bike says once a year to overhaul those areas, or sooner if problems crop up.

i ride 3-4 days a week.

rower

Park's Big Blue Book has an excellent section with detailed color pic's and all the right info you need. Best
Bicycle repair book I have ever seen.

redfooj

um, twice a year? or whenever things start to feel funny or make funny noises.

HiYoSilver

Thanks, I just haven't had much to say lately. I go in spirts and occassionaly jump on a topic.

CastIron

Go to a car wash and pop in a few quarters. Go to town. Replace chain, cassette, cables/housing and repack all the bearings. Repeat every spring after snow season. Hose down with WD-40 as needed (often daily) during winter.

Velo Dog

You don't really need another opinion here, but I have one, so here it is:
Bikes aren't as delicate as a lot of people think. I've used the coin-op car wash many times, and it didn't hurt anything. Bearings are pretty well sealed, and I've never found evidence of water inside even when I've ridden my MB through water up to the top tube, so that isn't a big worry, but I just decided not to do it anymore.
At races, I've seen pro mechanics doing this, and it works well for me: Wet the bike down, then use a detergent solution and a brush or rag to wipe down the whole thing. Rinse with a hose or clear water from a bucket, bounce the bike a few times to shake off the water, dry with a rag and lube the chain and the pivot points on the brakes and derailleurs. Takes 5-10 minutes max.
Water won't hurt the bike, so don't be afraid of it. If it makes you feel better, don't aim a forceful spray at the bearings, but otherwise use it freely.
As an aside, there's no reason to take your bike to a shop to have the bearings adjusted, repacked or replaced. It's easy to learn, requires only simple tools and you can be sure it's done right. To be honest, I'd be embarrassed to pay somebody to do it. Being able to work on the bike is part of the sport.

Garfield Cat

Preventitive maintenance is my motto. After every ride I wipe down the bike with a shop towel using a bucket of cold water and laundry detergent. So I never let crud get settled at the bottom of the bottom bracket nor the underside of the down tube.

Sometimes I spot clean. Using the shop towel, I use Simple Green full strength and wipe the part of the frame that's heavy with road grime or grease. In addition to Simple Green, I sometimes use a degreaser spray that I buy from the auto parts store. But afterwards, I try to wipe off those chemicals from the bike.

The Park Tools link is good. I have their chain cleaner.

CastIron

^^ You have that luxury in your climate. Commute every day in mine and it's a different story.