Does anyone here actually ride their bicycle?
 

I only dare to ride on Sundays anymore. Want to see how it looks on the trainer?

I detect some sarcasm by the OP but the logical explanation is that most people are posting pictures of their brand new or low mileage CL finds hence the shininess. There's also a difference between wiping off the dirt/dust (which I do rarely) and being careful not to scratch up the paint.

I think it's only human nature to want to spiff up, before taking pictures.

Would you wash, before presenting yourself to the public?

Would you wash your car, before taking its picture to show your friends?

Ever been to a dog show?

Of course, they clean their bikes up, before taking pictures! :)

I clean my cassette on my roadie twice a month (after ~200 miles) and rarely clean the freewheel on my hybrid because it's much harder to clean a freewheel than a cassette. On a freewheel, you can't take off the individual cogs.

Yes mine are riddin on a regular schedule, every time I get a chance. I blow them off with air and wipe them down with a lightly dampend soft cloth after every ride without fail, I keep the drive trains spotless. To much money invested. I personaly like to keep my bikes like new..some don't..to each there own. I do not lean them against things unprotected, do not throw them on the ground, keep them away from people that do those kinds of things. I do not let the local LBS touch them, scratch them or sevice them I do it all myself. And yes to your question I keep them that spotless plus I ride them. I have the bar set pretty high here.

Ride Safe,
Bill G

I keep my Hybrid and Road Bike in perfect condition and they are always clean. The roads are clean, the bikes stay clean....simple.

My MTB / Rain bike doesn't look like that. It's my crapper and looks like a crapper.

It doesn't take more than a few minutes to wipe down the frame and easily cleanable parts. I don't think the photos here have enough resolution to know exactly how clean the chain and cassette are. And I bet most people take pics of freshly cleaned or mostly new bikes.

I like to have a clean bike. I'm not obsessive about it, but I do wipe it down and have been known to wax and polish the frame periodically. I like it when someone says that my bike looks like new and then I get to tell them where it's been, how old it is and how many miles are on it. But that's just me. YMMV.

I do dust off my bikes after ever ride, wipe down the frames and do "try" to keep the drive train semi-clean. We have "grit", everywhere, especially in the Bike Lanes here in CO. Spgs., it seems the sweepers like to clean for the cars and dump the crap in the lanes for the bikes, arrrrrrrugh! :( Still, I DO NOT OWN A CAR so my bikes get ridden "every day", unless there's ICE on the roads so I can't keep them, "pristine clean" as we live in a 3rd. floor, 1 bedroom apartment with NO outside water source.

I try to rotate between bikes and choose ride destinations suited to that bike so it can be weeks before riding the same bike. Each bike is prepared cleaned lubed and adjusted also choose a set of tires before nearly every ride, often this means tearing the whole bike down and reassembling it.
I'm use to this from racing motorcycles offroad for 22 years where it was essential to do weekly, bicycles are simple things in comparison to motorcycles so it's nothing for me.

That's a pretty hot selection of bikes there Bill. :thumb:

Thank you for kind words about the bikes.. I only own the one two tone green fade Co Motion Tandem now and a few other singles not shown but listed. I only posted the pic's of the other two Tandems to show how I have cared for all the Tandems I have owned throughout the years and I just happen to have pic's of them handy..

Ride Safe,
Bill G

About the only time I really clean mine is if I'm going to sell one.

when i ride during a light rain or after a rain, my bike gets cleaned ;).

My bikes get a good clean every week and a quick spray/dust off after each ride. Sure they aren't new or pretty, but I like to get the road dirt off them.

I put at least several thousand miles a year on my bike/s as there is riding 365 days a year here. There isn't much here that thrashes a road bound hybrid or road bike estetically and I care for my bike's condition and appearance so not much time goes by before I bring my bikes back up to emaculate or as close to it as I am able.

Sadly WC89 hasn't come back to chat about it. Trolling.

Agreed; didn't want to state the obvious (post #10). Another one for the 'ignore' list.

So you assume we don`t clean our bikes as you did with your road bikes? I too used to clean my road bike after every training session and every race and after my years of racing continued the same. I just guessed the other members did the same. Most of us probably have dirty bikes somewhere around our house, but choose not to post them on the hybrid thread.

:hug: I`ve been thinking throught the day that we need a group hug.. Clean bike riders and dirty bike riders. lol :thumb:

GROUP HUG

Yes as long as the dirty bikes don't get next to my clean one's He He !!!!!! To funny everyone ride and enjoy clean or dirty & Get Her Dun...

Ride Safe All,
Bill G