how do i clean my bike?
 

i notice theres dirt on my cassete, crank, f&r derailleur, and brakes, is there a good way to clean it or do i just use water and a toothbrush:confused:

Ok, short question, long reply:

If you have a stand that's great, if you don't, find a way to suspend the bike or put it upside down.

You will need:
- cloths (lots)
- toothbrush
- Q-tips
- empty spry bottle
- dish soap
- degreeser
- lube
- chain breaker

First, if using a stand clean the seat post by spraying it with a combination of dish soap and hot watter in a spray bottle and wipe it clean with a cloth. Put it up on the stand, take off wheels and chain. Lay the chain out on a table or a hood of a car on a cloth. Go at it with a bottle of degreeser and a toothbrush, get it as clean as possible. Then soak it down with a hose to get the degreeser off.

Now, back to the bike. If it's a muddy mountain bike, spray and wipe until clean, a road bike could just be run over with a damp rag. Now that the frame is clean go on to the drive train. Degeeser and a toothbrush should take care of the chain rings and rear dérailleur, but break out the Q-tips for the front dérailleur.

On to the wheels, wipe down the front one, that's nice and easy. The back one start by spraying the cassette with degreeser and get the toothbrush going again. Spray and wipe the rest of the wheel with the soap mixture. Put the bike back together, pedal the bike back-wards and spray the chain and dérailleurs with lube.

Now you bike is as good as new...maybe.

-Middi-zon

could i use wd40 for a degreaser?

NO! It doesn't do the same thing. It will corrode the chain.

-Middi-zon

well what is a good degreaser or lube?

I like Pedro's stuff, but I get whatevers the cheapest at the LBS.

Watch .... the cheapest thing at the LBS is WD40 :p

All of the LBS around me have discontinued the use of WD40... well at least the few shops I've been in.

-Joe

A good lube/degreaser is Tri Flow, out of all the stuff I tried, this works the best. Also stay away from the crap Ritchey offers, nasty smell, and it does not do a good job.

Finsih Line has a great citrus degreaser that for some reason, I just love the smell. However, you can save about 50% by visiting your auto parts store and getting a citrus degreaser there. Also, Simple Green is very good, but it'll dry out your skin on your hands, so wear some latex gloves.

L8R

How do you clean your bike?

um c'mon over and you can practice on mine.. trust me, I'll make sure you do a good job, then you can go home and practice some more on you own! :D

Just remember to NOT directly spray water at anything with a bearing!! Botom Bracket, hubs, headset. Dry your chain off with a towel/rag and lube it right away.

Scoob

so let me get this straight, i use a chain breaker, break the chain, get it off, degrease it, wash it with soap and a spray bottle, and dry it for a night and lube it? and put it back on the bike?

btw are degreasers and lubes the same things?

Lube the chain within 15 mins of degreaseing it, and they're not the same thing.

-Middi-zon

whats the fastest way i could dry my chain? would a blowdryer work? or do i just soak it in water after i degrease it and thenlube it?

After degreasing, spray or wash the chain in water to remove as much degreaser as possible. I then wipe the chain with a rag along its entire length several times to dry it and to remove any excess degreaser/conaminants still left on the chain. It'll take a little while based on how dirty the chain was to begin with, but when dried this way and then relubed properly, you will notice a difference.

-Moab

As far as breaking the chain each time. Go to your LBS and order (or go online) and buy a SRAM Power Link. It's a master link that will allow you to easily remove the chain from your bike.

I've used them for years without have the link come apart unexpectadly. However, I've heard a lot of people don't like them. For me, I won't have a chain without one.

L8R