winter cleaning
 

i don't want to do it. it's cold outside. i don't want to get wet outside in the cold.

But my bike is so grimey even without the moutains of snow and ice that other areas have.

End of whine. Thanks for listening.

Brave lad posting that on here.

http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos..._4739967_n.jpg

Use wet rag, clean in bathroom

Why bother?

It's a pain and I don't like doing it mainly because I don't have that much time so I focus on the drivetrain and the areas that are caked with road salt; I save the detailing for the weekend.

it seems that i spend almost as much time cleaning as riding when winter comes...:notamused:

http://img119.imageshack.us/img119/2338/img2160zz0.jpg
A clean bike is a happy bike.

I feel your pain, but I know you'll get out there and ride anyway, then clean your bike.

You sound like my father in law God bless him. Where are my Q-tips?

holy effing s***!!! that's one clean bike indeed. the real question, however, is how many qtips did you run through to clean the cogs?

you need help. At least 10 sessions of therapy, maybe more.

that would be suicidal. might be just the right move.

Hey coasting,

How did your bike get dirty?

Has it been that long since you dusted in the storage closet?

That the best you got? why am i even asking? i know that's all you can manage.

Actually, there was a lot of horse poo around the park this morning. park riding...all 3 hours of it. i'm scared of the icy country roads.

eff that. Bikes are happiest when they are treated like bikes rather than museum pieces. My rear tire (which already has 2 boots on it and smaller gashes "fixed" with electrical tape) is so shredded from the stupid chips the DOT throws down on the slick stuff, I'm hoping I'll be able to make it to the LBS before getting another flat. BTW, this was taken more than a week ago. It actually looked far worse before I spent about 5 min cleaning it today.

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_UKbxZrvJYVw/Sy...2008.11.10.jpg

I have to admit, your bike looks pretty happy.

Snowed last night. Rode 30 miles today on the mtb on a kinda-scraped highway shoulder. 16 degrees out.

Attachment 131182

Banerjek, you seem like a fender type of guy. Are you not running any fenders???

Some downright abuse going on here. My fenders should arrive late this week (hope they work). I never want to do this to my bike.

fenders are wonderful. did some cleaning today. used a solvent to degrease my rims and stunk up the whole house. been wondering about maybe using some water in my basement near the sump pump drain.

There is no point in cleaning your bike in the winter. It just gets dirty again. Its a waste of time and money.

The only time I would clean the bike if I were to drop it off to get fixed. Mechanics hate working on dirty bikes.

It took me 40 mins. to clean the Ibis yesterday.

Take a pump sprayer to the big stuff. run the chain through the chain cleaner with just water, dry with a rag. if i know i'm going out again soon i don't get too much more advanced than that for my winter bike. even race blades made that a bit easier last winter. has been too snowy (for my comfort) to get out this year so far :(

There is cleaning to make sure you aren't shortening the life of components/making sure the bike is safe to ride, and there is OCD cleaning that takes the whole damn day to clean out your cassette. I tend towards the former option. I usually go over the tires after every ride and pick out glass and rocks and pump them up if I am going riding again soon (takes about 5 mins), then wipe down the drive train and add a little lube. More infrequently I put some time into cleaning the frame, really getting the drive train free of gunk, and other cleaning tasks, which takes about an hour or so.
I really don't think I spend all that much time cleaning my bike, and yet I am constantly passing people who clearly never even bother with basic maintenance...pro tip: If I can hear your drive train from a quarter mile away, it needs some work pronto. :)

Twelve hour night shift on a Sunday after a holiday, a good cold commute, and yeah the bike is spotless...

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_tEFrwxclVzo/Sw...peeweebike.jpg