Originally Posted by penanaut
I totally agree with the WD40 guys! Do not use water. I spray the chain with wd40 while holding a rag behind the chain to catch the overspray and the crap that falls out. Then I wipe the excess off and move onto the next section of chain. Then I take the end of the rag and slip the edge into the rear cog set and go back and forth like I'm buffing a shoe. The ratchet with make this go fast the more you get used to doing it. Do this for every space. Then I turn the now WD40 sodden rag and flip it over to the "unused side" and wipe down the frame and other parts. I used to be careful on the rims but found that a couple rotations with real braking takes care of the residue that doesn't evaporate off.
Follow this with good lubrication on the moving parts... something other than WD-40. WD-40 is really a water displacement spray that is supposed help parts shed water. But it is not a good lubricant.
The other thing I like to do is wipe the painted frame parts with a liquid auto wax. Wait about 10 min and buff off. This helps shed water and dirt the next time around.