cleaning

For the whole bike, an old rag/t-shirt and some water works. Use it every time, and you will only need a cleaner every once and a while when bad grime builds up. Focus on getting the sweaty parts on obvious dirt off. I also run it over my wheels and tires.

For teh drivetrain, you should splurge the $10 to get a good cleaner (search for cleaning the chain) and then use white lightning, or similar for your area. After you ride, whipe the chain with the same rag/t-shirt.

Clean your rag periodically too.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by The_Kid
I'm new to road cycling and want to know the most effective way to clean a bike w/o owning all the fancy/expensive tools and brushes. i can't let my lack of knowledge or tools turn into negligence. any advice you have on methods/supplies would be appreciated. thanks!

See
http://www.parktool.com/repair_help/BCB4.shtml

Learn what they suggest and improvise for the more expensive items that you don't have. A rope or 2 or a tree branch can hold the bicycle up by the seat and bars.
Rags and discarded toothbrushes can do a lot.
Wiping down the chain, "flossing" the cassette, and wiping the chain rings goes a long way towards keeping things working.
Keeping check of the frame, fork, cables, brakes, wheels, tires, and derailers is a good idea, even it you don't get them shiny clean each ride.

thanks for the advice. i'm assuming that you should clean the bike after every ride.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by The_Kid
thanks for the advice. i'm assuming that you should clean the bike after every ride.

No...as needed,depending on the [censored] you may or may not ride in. an hour of clean pavement on a sunny Sunday is different than a day of muddy single track with lots of stream crossings thrown in.

Get yourself one of these:

http://store.ineedparts.com/store/comersus_viewitem.asp?idproduct=2703

and some nitrile gloves, 3 gallons of mineral spirits and a sram or wipperman chain. You'll be able to clean your whole drivetrain sparkly clean in nothing flat.

I'm not a big fan of the chain cleaning gizmo's - they're messy and never do the job as well as removing the chain. I replaced my Shimano chain with a SRAM PowerLink chain. http://www.performancebike.com/shop/Profile.cfm?SKU=12099
The powerlink snaps off in like one second, allowing you to remove it as frequently as necessary to do the job right.

Here's my cleaning program, which I perform about once every 4-6 weeks, depending on conditions:

I use paint thinner to degrease the chain in an old rectangular tupperware container with a screen bottom and an old paintbrush and toothbrush for scrubbing. Hang to dry, lightly lube with Tri-flo spray, wipe dry and you're good to go.

Others use citrus-based cleaners and wax based lubes. I prefer solvents, as, (IMO) they clean better, and I find the wax based lubes collect dirt. Pour the used thinner into a plastic bottle, let the dirt settle, and a month later you can re-use most of it. When reusing it, just pour carefully as to not disturb the bottom sediment, and leave the last bit in the jug - just like pouring a bottle of home-bewed beer (which is good to have while cleaning your bike)!

Get a good set of hex wrenches, and when your chainrings get all gooped up, take them off and give them a good cleaning too. Be sure to use some grease (white lithium) on the bolt threads when putting them back on.

Depending if you have a cassette or a freewheel, either a set of chain whips (for the former), or a single whip along with freewheel removal tool (which will be sized specifically to your freewheel). Then you can remove your cassett/freewheel and give them a bath too.

Never lube the cassette or chainrings, just clean them and wipe them dry.

When I have the chainrings and chain off the bike, I use a diluted citrus degreaser in a spray bottle and paper towels to clean the frame. I usually follow up with a water spray and another wipe-down to thoroughly remove the cleaner. Wipe dry with a lint-free cloth. Then, optionally, use a little liquid car wax on the frame to shine and protect.

I usually wipe down the front and rear derailleurs, and put some drops of Tri-flo on the pivot points. Sometimes I remove the pulley cage and clean the pulleys with a rag lightly soaked with tri-flow as to not disturb the sealed bearings. With non-sealed pulleys, you can remove them and take them apart, soak and scrub them clean, lube with grease and reassemble. Other times, if they're not too dirty, I just clean the pullies with the soaked rag without removing them.

Put some grease in between 2 fingers and lightly lube any exposed cables.

I clean the rims, spokes , and hubs with the degreaser spray on a paper towel. Inspect tires for cuts and wear.

A spoke wrench will allow you to true your wheels. I use a truing stand, but it can be done using the brake levers as a guide. Make sure you get the right size spoke wrench or you'll strip them. Make small adjustments (1/4 turns) at a time.

A few drops of tri-flow to the pivot points on the brake calipers and you're good to go.

The cleaning I do most frequently is wiping down the frame with a water-moistened paper towel to remove the goo formed by dripping gatorade.

Hope this helps.

Jack

Good summary, Yak.

. . . and wax the hell out of your frame the first time you get it really clean. Just a good coat (or three) of a hard automotive paste wax (assumes your bike is painted, not carbon or Ti or anything fun like that).

Seems to keep it cleaner longer, and makes subsequent cleanings relatively easy. Gives a nice deep shine to the paint, too!

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by The_Kid
I'm new to road cycling and want to know the most effective way to clean a bike w/o owning all the fancy/expensive tools and brushes. i can't let my lack of knowledge or tools turn into negligence. any advice you have on methods/supplies would be appreciated. thanks!

I don't have all of the tools and brushes either so I try to make do with the usual garage items.

The SRAM chain with the reusable Power Link is a great idea. I'll never buy another Shimano chain again. I take the chain off the bike and put it into a clean plastic peanut butter jar with citrus degreaser and shake profusely. Then I pour out the gunky liquid rinse and repeat. No conditioner necessary! 😄

Cleaning the drive train is the most tedious and probably the most important part of the cleaning. Below are a couple of links to chain wear and maintenance that you may want to read.

For the rest of the bike I use some soapy water and a rag. Try to keep direct spray off of the bottom bracket and wheel hubs. When I dry it off I'll even use some 3M hand glaze for a little added shine and protection.

For the rims I use SOS pads. Finally for the brakes I use a medium grit sand paper and freshen up the surface a little bit. Makes 'em as good as new.

When all is done I let the bike sit for approx. 24 hours then lube the chain. You don't want to lube the chain while the degreaser or solvent hasn't had a chance to dry. Let the lube sit and give it a chance to soak in then wipe off the excess with an old rag and your good to go.

I do this to each of my bikes every 500 or so miles. This method only requires the usual garage and household items. Hope this helps.

http://sheldonbrown.com/chains.html (Good article by Sheldon Brown)

http://fagan.co.za/Bikes/Csuck/

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by The_Kid
I'm new to road cycling and want to know the most effective way to clean a bike w/o owning all the fancy/expensive tools and brushes. i can't let my lack of knowledge or tools turn into negligence. any advice you have on methods/supplies would be appreciated. thanks!

i've been using this for a while now......invest in an active fluid system (http://www.scottoiler.com/active.asp) and all you need is water and washing up liquid....then again i'm lazy and can't be bothered with all the fancy cleaning preps.....rode all through winter and bike still looks good 🙂