bike cleaning
 

Hi, to begin i have to say that today I cleaned up my bike, it had a lot of dirt from the track, and I dont know what do i did today but it was amazing... it looked pretty good jaja, and my point is this, when i see other guy's bikes when they just get home back from the trail, and immediatly after that their bikes are very good looking, or at least clean, free from dust and any other thing. what do they do? i mean at least the grease and lube from the chain has to collect some dust or they just simply use a big shot of water and get it shinny? im i cleaning my bike too bad or what?

I hose my bike down after a nice muddy ride, no harm in that. After that I put it in the stand, tanks the cranks/wheels and what not off, give it a nice detailed cleaning w/ Simple Green. Repack any bearing necassary, rebuild hubs if they are gritty, then rebuild it. It sits in the garage for a few days and on the weekend it all starts over again :)

no harm for a hose?

A normal hosing from a household water supply doesn't have the pressure to do any real harm, as long as everything is properly greased and lubed. Just don't do what we used to do with dirt bikes - - hosing it down at the local quarter (dollar?) car wash. High pressures will force water many places it should not go.
I squirt Simple Green on the gunkiest spots, take an old toothbrush to it if I have to, then gently hose it down.

My bike has lots and lots and lots of wax on it. I use Zano, it comes in up to 15 stages (or steps) I use the 8 step kind. It's only for Corvettes, and you have to give them your VIN number to get it (to prove you own a Vette). I don't own one but my friend got it for me using his VIN number.

After a ride, I just pucker up, and literally blow the dirt and dust off of my bike!

For the chain, I always clean and relube after every ride. Call me crazy but my bike stays healthy that way.

You can take a little WD-40,spray it on a rag and wipe the bottom of the down tube. Dirt and mud will not stick to it like it would otherwise.

1. Degrease chain.
2. Hose bike down.
3. Lube chain.

I've read this in a number of "recommended" maintenance and shop manuals and it works well and more importantly quickly.

As long as everything functions normally, and the bike doesn't smell like cow *****, I don't bother cleaning it. Some wet conditions lube on the chain, but that's it. After all, it's just going to get dirty again... :D

I treated my old bike like crap. It never got washed. Lasted just as long as all my mates bikes which they babied. Although ill probably take better care of the new one when i get it.

Question though, is there any harm to getting degreaser around the hubs, bb etc? Will it eat the seals?

You don't need to own a Vette to buy Zaino. They don't check VIN numbers (what a crazy business model that would be!). It's not fifteen steps. It's a good product for cars.

Personally, I've never waxed a bike. I don't see any point to it.

http://www.zainostore.com/

OK, here is a video of super-erhan washing his bike :p:

movie or link

it's a 10 second time-lapse movie ;). It actually took like an hour as I was preparing the bike to put in a travel case. Just cleaning normally takes about 30 minutes.

Don't make too much fun of me :D.

:beer:

Then you still have to put it back together!

I cant see myself ever being that through.

Well, it looks like you are correct. I didn't order the product myself. My friend ordered for me and he had to use the VIN for his ZO6 (maybe he got it through Chevrolet and they gave him a break in price with VIN? - not sure). But then again that was last year and maybe they realized that was bad marketing! The one that I'm using is 8 steps, he told me that they go to 15 steps for his car, depending on color (?) and necessary blending of bonding properties. By steps I mean that you have to prep the area, put one coat of this, blend the bonder with that, apply the bonder mix wiping a certain direction, letting it set for 30 minutes, etc.....


Anyway, I put THAT on my bike.

no silly you!!!

i pressure wash my bike with 1200 psi

probably use pam cooking spray too

it won't eat the seals, but it can emulsify the grease inside should it get past

meguires is good enough

i can't imagine like waxing my car 15 times in a row...i wouldn't wax my porsche that many times if i had one

Then bears might follow you, licking their chops :eek: . Tho' WD-40 might keep arthritis from flaring up in the suspension pivots. :D

It's been available to anyone for a long time.

I bought my first batch at least four years ago.

Lucky you! I had to get mine the hard way. I learn something new everyday! That's why I'm a contributer here. Thanks for the tip! :D

The only part of my MTB I clean is the parts that need to be oiled, like the gears.

You get a reaction when you walk into school with a dirty and muddy bike.

It's all good fun,
Alex and Foxy