I just finished cleaning my bike from this past Saturday's outdoors ride....while the roads were primarily dry there were also many wet spots where I rode through melting snow mixed with sand and probably some salt too.

All that I did was spray some WD-40 into a rag and wipe the bike (mtn bike w/slicks) down as best I could, relubed the chain, front & rear derailleurs. I also pulled back the rubber cups on the front & rear hubs and sprayed some in there too. This took me about 30 minutes. This wasn't so bad but I would hate to have to do it a couple times a week.... I had ordered but then cancelled Freddy Fenders for my road bike (which I swear I will be getting soon.. ) because my new Felt F65 does not have any frame eyelets in the back and the fork is carbon, also no eyelets. When I spoke with the rep @ Planet Bike where I ordered the fenders I told him of my dilemma with the new bike and lack of eyelets. He said they are working on a new fender to work with these newer types of frames/forks. Here's the text of his reply:
So I have a question or 2. Would it be helpful to use some of that canned spray air that we have at the office to help spray out some of the gunk that gets in the nooks & crannies of the derailleurs. How about the bottom bracket? Could I risk actually pushing dirt past the seals ?
I am thinking more about when the new bike finally gets here and how to keep it clean. I know some folks are gonna tell me to ride the mtn bike til the roads are totally dry but that could be the end of April I couldn't find anymore good, easily removeable fenders for road bikes with no eyelets.....

Help

I used the air spray cans you are asking about, mostly on derailleurs at piviot points. We get lots of wet stuff, so I do this once a month, some times more. I take an eye dropper with a very mild solvent, put a drop or two on the pivot points and wait a few seconds (30 - 40) for it to work, then blow it out with the micro duster, and lube with tri flow.
I'd relax a bit if I were you, your mtb is pretty well sealed, in the spring have the bike shop clean and lube the freewheel and check everything out, you'll be OK. BTW the WD40 is OK on the rag to wipe the frame if it is steel, keep it away from bearings and moving parts, use Tri flow instead. Don't forget to have a steaming cup-o-joe on the work bench!

In chemistry there is a simple axiom we use to teach solubilities of different substances: "Like dissolves like." Water has a slight charge on it so it dissolves salt but not organics. Petrochemical solvents are charge neutral so it dissolves other charge neutral organic compounds but not salts. This is a long way of saying that spraying a solvent like WD-40 into an area that contains lots of lubricant (that you may need someday) is a bad idea! The WD-40 will dissolve the grease in the hub leaving you with nothing but clean, shiny and unlubricated bearings with grit, usually some kind of quartz, present. A good way of grinding the bearing surfaces and the bearings to dust.

I'd suggest soap and water and a brush next time and don't peel back the rubber cups. Also you might want to repack those bearing before your next ride.

[/QUOTE]
So I have a question or 2. Would it be helpful to use some of that canned spray air that we have at the office to help spray out some of the gunk that gets in the nooks & crannies of the derailleurs. How about the bottom bracket? Could I risk actually pushing dirt past the seals ?
I am thinking more about when the new bike finally gets here and how to keep it clean. I know some folks are gonna tell me to ride the mtn bike til the roads are totally dry but that could be the end of April I couldn't find anymore good, easily removeable fenders for road bikes with no eyelets.....

Help [/QUOTE]

I wouldn't use an air gun of any kind to blow the gunk away. Neither would I use a water spray. The water in the grease is not the problem, blowing all those little rocks into the hubs is.

Stuart Black

Frame is steel....what's up w/WD-40 & bearings & moving parts ???
I've heard this bandied about somewhere before where some people think WD is bad and others think it's fine.....

So I have a question or 2. Would it be helpful to use some of that canned spray air that we have at the office to help spray out some of the gunk that gets in the nooks & crannies of the derailleurs. How about the bottom bracket? Could I risk actually pushing dirt past the seals ?
I am thinking more about when the new bike finally gets here and how to keep it clean. I know some folks are gonna tell me to ride the mtn bike til the roads are totally dry but that could be the end of April I couldn't find anymore good, easily removeable fenders for road bikes with no eyelets.....

Help [/QUOTE]

I wouldn't use an air gun of any kind to blow the gunk away. Neither would I use a water spray. The water in the grease is not the problem, blowing all those little rocks into the hubs is.

Stuart Black[/QUOTE]


I appreciate your feedback but if you're saying the WD will dissolve the grease in the hub won't there at least still be WD in there ? If it's still bad then how do I go about putting grease or whatever back in there ??

WD-40 is only a light lubricant at best. Light lubs and oils have a low viscosity which means that they tend to flow out of places they are put, like water versus corn syrup. Some WD-40 will remain as well as some grease but the grease is now diluted and may start to flow out of the bearings, actually making a bigger mess than before.

Assuming that your hubs are caged bearings you can find out how to overhaul them here. It's not really that hard and it's kind of satisfying to do it yourself. Before you go tearing them apart however, pull the wheel off and look in around those seals. If the hubs look like they still have grease, you may be able to get away without repacking them. If the hubs spin freely by hand and don't have a gritty feel you could also be okay.

Keep the WD-40 for squeaky hinges. That's about the only thing I've ever found it good for.

Stuart Black

Just not when you're working with solvents.

Sorry that's the chemist in me.

Stuart Black

Wow....thanks....dopey me I guess

I took my new road bike out this Sunday on some sloppy New England roads and got it pretty messy. I spent about 30 minutes cleaning it later that night. I used a damp rag to wipe off the road salt, making sure to rinse the rag frequently. For the sand and grit I used a quality paint brush that's probably about 1/2" wide. This seemed to get most of the grit off the chain, chainrings, bottom bracket and derailleurs. I'll probably take it out in the daylight this weekend and give it another wipedown.

The thought of not being able to ride the road bike until early or mid-April really sucks. I don't think my Lemond has frame eyelets either for easy fender set up. I'm going to my LBS this week and seeing if there's a better way to keep the bike clean. There's a guy there who rides his Seven Axiom (titanium, more rust resistant) throughout the winter. I'm pretty sure he uses fenders to keep the crap off his frame, but I'll find out what he uses to clean the derailleurs, chainrings, etc..

Bearing should only , repeat, only be lubed with grease. The grease in your bearings will never be removed by general riding in conditions you describe, besides they are probably sealed. WD 40 leaves a sticky residue when it dries, I'm with Stuart, use it for the door hinges. Test this by taking a piece of scrap metal or plastic. Spray it with WD40 and check it the next day. I think you'll find a sticky surface, not slippery.

The steel frame will be cleaner with warm water with a touch of Simple Green in it. If you have chips in the paint, touch it up, paint protects the steel from rust.

Maybe you guys in the crappy weather should just get beaters and not worry so much.

You could always use zip ties and/or p-clamps to keep the fenders in place. Lowes sells nylon p-clamps for next to nothin' which shouldn't mar the frame or you could get vinyl padded ones from any bike shop.

Stuart Black

Amen on the zip ties. If you're riding in the slop, it makes no sense to go fenderless, provided you've got the clearance for them (if you don't, hang that bike up for the rainy season). I zip-tied ESGE/SKS fenders on my Masi 3V (the bike that made oversize tubing COOL) and had no problems in 2+ years of all-weather riding here in SEA. I had to cut the front fender off in front of the fork, and used a reacharound from River City Bikes to get the rear to work with the small clearance at the seatstay bridge.

agreed, but this weekend was the 1st 50 degree day since November(?) and i just got my bike a few weeks ago ----- i was DYING to take it on its "maiden voyage". i'll be on the beater mtb bike 'til April and a few days on the road bike w/ fenders when i just can't resist the temptation.