Cleaning bike - water

Water is fine. Just don't spray any hard streams of water at areas that have bearings like the
bottom bracket, hubs and headset. I use a spray nozzle that has a "shower" setting. I use water
sparingly. I start by spraying degreaser on the chain, chainrings, derailleur and rear cassette. I
use De-Solv-It. There's absolutely nothing better. It's kinda hard to find, but it's worth looking.
Again, I'm careful to avoid getting degreaser into areas with bearings 'cuz it'll eat at the grease.
I'm careful about the angle of the spray when I'm around the bb and rear hub. With the drivetrain
sprayed down with degreaser, I put some De-Solv-It in the chain cleaner and give it a thorough
cleaning, reversing the chain cleaner and direction of chain travel part way through. As soon as I'm
done, I hit it with a shower from the hose to rinse away the degreaser. Now I go at the rest of the
bike with soapy water, a brush, a toothbrush and a rag. Then I shower it down again. I use a
fingernail brush with soapy water on the chain to really dig the dirt out of the chain. I remove the
wheels to dry before I wash and rinse the frame. You can clean the wheels better off the bike and
you can clean the inside areas of the fork and stays that really collect dirt. You can also clean
the brake shoes better.

I dry everything down with an old towel. I use some of those blue "shop towels" on the drivetrain to
really soak up water. I use a little spray lube on all the pivot points of the derailleurs and on
the pulley wheels. I use a good drip lube on each pin of the chain. I wipe away all the excess.

That's it.

This all takes me from 35 to 45 minutes. I do it every other week on average. I use a spray lube to
touch up the chain every 120 miles or so between the major cleanings.

I almost NEVER have mechanical problems because of this routine. I spot problems before they become
problems and I take care of them. Plus, it's amazing how far a little cleaning will go to eliminate
those funny sounds and sloppy shifts.

Bob C. "derng" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

For some reason I am concerned about using water to wash my bicycles.

These

Quoted message said:

are not super expensive but nevertheless I do try to take care of things.

I

Quoted message said:

avoid taking them out in the rain so for the most part they have not been wet. When I was a child
I would often spray degreaser all over my bikes

and

Quoted message said:

spray them off with a hose but I am wary about doing that now with these bikes. First I will have
to remove the wiring for a cyclometer. What other considerations are there? Is it acceptable to
wash down a bike with a hose or is this considered a poor way to maintain bikes? Is there a
degreaser product I should look for in the bike shop? Any advice is appreciated.

"derng" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

For some reason I am concerned about using water to wash my bicycles.

These

Quoted message said:

are not super expensive but nevertheless I do try to take care of things.

I

Quoted message said:

avoid taking them out in the rain so for the most part they have not been wet. When I was a child
I would often spray degreaser all over my bikes

and

Quoted message said:

spray them off with a hose but I am wary about doing that now with these bikes. First I will have
to remove the wiring for a cyclometer. What other considerations are there? Is it acceptable to
wash down a bike with a hose or is this considered a poor way to maintain bikes? Is there a
degreaser product I should look for in the bike shop? Any advice is appreciated.

You don't need any kind of spray though a gentle spray (like shower head) is nice and convenient. A
bucket of water and a rag/sponge is sufficient to drizzle a sufficient amount of sudsy water.

--
Robin Hubert <[email hidden]

wiping off with armor all and a soft cloth or papertowel werks gud.

That's the way they clean the bikes used in Le Tour, It's the way I clean mine.

A bucket of soapy water to wash and a fine spray to rinse. Take off the computer itself, as well as
your tool bag. Don't worry about the pickup assembly, it's completely sealed. You may wish to remove
things like pump and water bottles too, just to make it easier on yourself.

If you have a leather saddle, you'll want to wrap a plastic bag around it before spraying
off the bike.

May you have the wind at your back. And a really low gear for the hills! Chris

Chris'Z Corner "The Website for the Common Bicyclist": geocities.comczcornerOpen ↗

"derng" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

For some reason I am concerned about using water to wash my bicycles. These are not super
expensive but nevertheless I do try to take care of things. I avoid taking them out in the rain so
for the most part they have not been wet. When I was a child I would often spray degreaser all
over my bikes and spray them off with a hose but I am wary about doing that now with these bikes.
First I will have to remove the wiring for a cyclometer. What other considerations are there? Is
it acceptable to wash down a bike with a hose or is this considered a poor way to maintain bikes?
Is there a degreaser product I should look for in the bike shop? Any advice is appreciated.

Cheap furniture polish works well. Spray it on . Wipe it off.

"derng" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

For some reason I am concerned about using water to wash my bicycles.

These

Quoted message said:

are not super expensive but nevertheless I do try to take care of things.

I

Quoted message said:

avoid taking them out in the rain so for the most part they have not been wet. When I was a child
I would often spray degreaser all over my bikes

and

Quoted message said:

spray them off with a hose but I am wary about doing that now with these bikes. First I will have
to remove the wiring for a cyclometer. What other considerations are there? Is it acceptable to
wash down a bike with a hose or is this considered a poor way to maintain bikes? Is there a
degreaser product I should look for in the bike shop? Any advice is appreciated.

OMG! You're supposed to wash them?

"Chris Zacho "The Wheelman"" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

That's the way they clean the bikes used in Le Tour, It's the way I clean mine.

I'll have my bike a lot longer than those guys will.

I buy some bulk "orange clean" type stuff from wal-mart which seems to work pretty well, then spray
down with a garden hose. Make sure you dry the chain really well and lubricate it right after doing
this or it will rust. Most other parts (at least on my bike) seem to be painted or plated with
something and I haven't had a problem.

Oh, my cyclometer pops off... I just leave the wires and sensor in place and just avoid spraying the
handlebars.

"James Messick" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"derng" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

For some reason I am concerned about using water to wash my bicycles.

These

Quoted message said:

are not super expensive but nevertheless I do try to take care of

things.

Quoted message said:

I

Quoted message said:

avoid taking them out in the rain so for the most part they have not

been

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

wet. When I was a child I would often spray degreaser all over my bikes

and

Quoted message said:

spray them off with a hose but I am wary about doing that now with these bikes. First I will
have to remove the wiring for a cyclometer. What

other

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

considerations are there? Is it acceptable to wash down a bike with a

hose

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

or is this considered a poor way to maintain bikes? Is there a degreaser product I should look
for in the bike shop? Any advice is appreciated.

OMG! You're supposed to wash them?