bike wash

After every wet ride, to get the grit out.

After almost every ride, it goes in the shower .. with me. Then I wipe it clean with a cloth so it looks nice and shines like new. Then I go throught the mechanics and/or lube chain and other parts, if nessecary.

I wipe my Madone 5.9 frame down after everyride with Meguaires Quick Detailer. I wipe down the all the other parts and the chain every other ride and relube. Tires are wiped down after everyride and inspected for imbedded particles.

Strid said:

After almost every ride, it goes in the shower .. with me. Then I wipe it clean with a cloth so it looks nice and shines like new. Then I go throught the mechanics and/or lube chain and other parts, if nessecary.

Yeah, they tyre inspection is mandatory. Noumerous times I've caught a sharp of glass and pointy flicks of rock sitting there just waiting to [censored] my tyre at 50 km/h.
I do that between every ride. Flats, what could be more anything??

About once every five rides (or if it's wet outside) I'll wash my bike with dish soap, a cloth, and a garden hose with a fairly gentle spray nozzle. Everything gets wiped with the soapy cloth, especially the tires, rims and drivetrain. Afterwards, I wipe the bike dry and re-lube.

Oh, and Strid. Isn't Åland technically part of Finland?

John Swanson
www.bikephysics.com

if caught in the rain, I'll clean the drivetrain and wash off the wheels/tires etc before I even come into the house - after all, I'm wet, it's wet, it's not going to get any better, and I'll have to wash it shortly anyway. 15 minutes doesn't kill me. I'll spray WD-40 and make sure chain has that and not water sitting on it. normally I use white lightning for lube.

I actually don't ride outside a lot due to time constraints. so I'll wash the bike every half dozen outside rides. that could be a while. as a general rule, if the chain is even slightly dirty on the outside plates, I'll wash the bike. gleaming chain means no need to wash.

cdr

Mine gets washed a lot less than it gets ridden. Maybe I wash it once a month? Maybe not. Chain gets lubed 'bout every 5-7 days, and at the same time, everything gets a good look-see. The only time my chain "gleams" is right after a lubing.

I'm not terribly concerned about it being clean....I mean, it's gonna be dirty once I ride it, again. You'd be surprised how dirty a bike can get in the desert. I mostly focus on keeping things lubed, in good nick, and green side up.

did try ride my mtb bike through water fountain once, a waste of time.Don't do it if you have disc brakes once grit gets in it can be a chore to fix and it moans like a b*#$h.
As for general. when I get sick of looking at the dirt, I use a bucket and cloth and just wipe down everything and no hosing.
Chain maybe once a month if it cakes up in dirt and lube weekly and wipe down the brake discs after every other ride or as needed.
Roadie- Hardly gets dirty on pavement, I don't do anything when it comes to washing. just usual maintenance.

I get the impression that hosing a bike is bad for water under pressure can get into and get trapped into bearing cavities. If there's degreaser/soap in the water, then it's even worse.

I polished some car wax on the frame and it works wonders when it comes to cleaning the thing. Road grim comes off with a single wipe.

thank you all for the good info and experiences. I am new to cycling and have been riding my new bike and have never clean it except the chain and lupe.

achu717 said:

thank you all for the good info and experiences. I am new to cycling and have been riding my new bike and have never clean it except the chain and lupe.

If you just take care that the moving parts are well lubed, you should basically be fine. Also keep the frame and surfaces somewhat free from sand and dust, so it doesn't rubs in and makes scratches that will cause corrotion and stuff. 🙂

Cheers!