Road Cycling · Public discussion

Cleaning the bikes

Started by Claire Petersky · · Last activity · 15 posts · 525 views

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Road Cycling
Published
1 January 2005
Last activity
4 January 2005
Original author
Claire Petersky
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15
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  1. OK, so I just finished cleaning my bike. I haven't done it for a while, so
    it was quite a chore. There seemed to be fir needles wedged into nearly
    every component. Slug guts seemingly permanently stuck on the inside of the
    fenders. Schmutz everywhere.

    Now, the drivetrain is gleaming, and freshly coated with some heavy-duty
    rainy day lubricant. The rims have been scrubbed and you can once again read
    the logo on the tire. The frame, while not perfect, at least is not
    encrusted with grit and mud.

    Time for lunch, and then I'll bring down my husband's bike next.

    --
    Warm Regards,

    Claire Petersky
    please substitute yahoo for mousepotato to reply
    Home of the meditative cyclist:
    http://home.earthlink.net/~cpetersky/Welcome.htm
    Personal page: http://www.geocities.com/cpetersky/
    See the books I've set free at: http://bookcrossing.com/referral/Cpetersky

  2. "Claire Petersky" wrote: (clip) Slug guts seemingly permanently stuck on the
    inside of the fenders.(clip)
    ^^^^^^^^^^^^^
    Would spraying the inside of the fenders with something like Armorall or
    silicone spray make the cleaning easier next time?
    ^^^^^^^^^^
    Time for lunch, and then I'll bring down my husband's bike next.
    ^^^^^^^^^^
    Why can't he do his own? (Or is he busy making your lunch?)

  3. Part 2:

    I made lunch for my husband and me, and after we were done, I then started
    in on his bike. His bike took about an hour and a half to clean, and I
    didn't even do the frame cleaning that I did on mine. He doesn't clean his
    bike very often -- maybe we both do it a couple times a year. He also
    re-lubes a dirty bike, something I wouldn't do. Oh, and he also doesn't wipe
    down the chain after lubing. He doesn't ride as often as I do, and he rarely
    rides in the rain, but still, his bad habits (or lack of good ones) meant
    that the drivetrain was a piece of work.

    After that, it took me a half hour to clean the downstairs bathroom. I don't
    clean bikes in the garage this time of year -- too cold. It makes a mess of
    the bathroom, but it needed its floor scrubbed anyway. Even without the bike
    grease it was pretty disgusting.

    Leo wonders why my husband doesn't clean his own drivetrain. I'm more
    thorough when it comes to drivetrain cleaning, and apparently I enjoy it
    more, since he does it so rarely. So I might as well.

    --
    Warm Regards,

    Claire Petersky
    please substitute yahoo for mousepotato to reply
    Home of the meditative cyclist:
    http://home.earthlink.net/~cpetersky/Welcome.htm
    Personal page: http://www.geocities.com/cpetersky/
    See the books I've set free at: http://bookcrossing.com/referral/Cpetersky

  4. "Claire Petersky" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    news:PKFBd.4254.

    Quoted message said:


    After that, it took me a half hour to clean the downstairs bathroom. I


    don't

    Quoted message said:

    clean bikes in the garage this time of year -- too cold. It makes a mess


    of

    Quoted message said:

    the bathroom, but it needed its floor scrubbed anyway. Even without the


    bike

    Quoted message said:

    grease it was pretty disgusting.

    do you not have a garage (I guess not)? If you can ride in the cold, why
    can't you clean in it?
    personally, I just can't see cleaning a dirty drivetrain inside my house.
    If I were in your shoes, I'd take mine to the LBS.

    Quoted message said:
  5. In article <[email hidden]>,

    Roger Zoul said:

    "Claire Petersky" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    news:PKFBd.4254.

    Quoted message said:


    After that, it took me a half hour to clean the downstairs bathroom. I


    don't

    Quoted message said:

    clean bikes in the garage this time of year -- too cold. It makes a mess


    of

    Quoted message said:

    the bathroom, but it needed its floor scrubbed anyway. Even without the


    bike

    Quoted message said:

    grease it was pretty disgusting.

    do you not have a garage (I guess not)? If you can ride in the cold, why
    can't you clean in it?

    Let me take this one: physical activity keeps the blood pumping, and is,
    for most of its participants, an inherently desireable activity. Bike
    maintenance is essentially sedentary in character, and you want dextrous
    use of your fingers. It's just no fun to do such things at 0-10 degrees,
    where your fingers are either well-gloved or chilled. A careful layer of
    newspaper will allow clean bike maintenance on just about any hard
    floor, so why not do it inside?

    Quoted message said:

    personally, I just can't see cleaning a dirty drivetrain inside my house.
    If I were in your shoes, I'd take mine to the LBS.

    You have to prep your work area, but I've done bike maintenance in my
    kitchen once or twice. Then again, it caused my lovely bride to buy me a
    bike shed, so you know, win-win.

    --
    Ryan Cousineau, [email hidden] http://www.wiredcola.com
    Verus de parvis; verus de magnis.

  6. "Claire Petersky" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    news:[email hidden]...

    Quoted message said:

    OK, so I just finished cleaning my bike. I haven't done it for a while, so
    it was quite a chore. There seemed to be fir needles wedged into nearly
    every component. Slug guts seemingly permanently stuck on the inside of


    the

    Quoted message said:

    fenders. Schmutz everywhere.

    Now, the drivetrain is gleaming, and freshly coated with some heavy-duty
    rainy day lubricant. The rims have been scrubbed and you can once again


    read

    Quoted message said:

    the logo on the tire. The frame, while not perfect, at least is not
    encrusted with grit and mud.

    Time for lunch, and then I'll bring down my husband's bike next.

    --
    Warm Regards,

    Claire Petersky
    please substitute yahoo for mousepotato to reply
    Home of the meditative cyclist:
    http://home.earthlink.net/~cpetersky/Welcome.htm
    Personal page: http://www.geocities.com/cpetersky/
    See the books I've set free at: http://bookcrossing.com/referral/Cpetersky


    You ride with him and work on his bike?
    I married the wrong woman!
    Do you have a sister?

  7. "Roger Zoul" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    news:[email hidden]...

    Quoted message said:

    If I were in your shoes, I'd take mine to the LBS.

    You want to pay for our bikes to get cleaned? It's a deal!

    --
    Warm Regards,

    Claire Petersky
    please substitute yahoo for mousepotato to reply
    Home of the meditative cyclist:
    http://home.earthlink.net/~cpetersky/Welcome.htm
    Personal page: http://www.geocities.com/cpetersky/
    See the books I've set free at: http://bookcrossing.com/referral/Cpetersky

  8. "Claire Petersky" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    news:[email hidden]...

    Quoted message said:

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

    Quoted message said:

    If I were in your shoes, I'd take mine to the LBS.

    You want to pay for our bikes to get cleaned? It's a deal!

    🙂 Sure. Bring them to SC and I think about it.

  9. On Sun, 02 Jan 2005 02:41:20 -0800, Ryan Cousineau <[email hidden]>

    Quoted message said:

    In article <[email hidden]>,

    Roger Zoul said:

    "Claire Petersky" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    news:PKFBd.4254.

    Quoted message said:


    After that, it took me a half hour to clean the downstairs bathroom. I


    don't

    Quoted message said:

    clean bikes in the garage this time of year -- too cold. It makes a mess


    of

    Quoted message said:

    the bathroom, but it needed its floor scrubbed anyway. Even without the

    Quoted message said:


    Quoted message said:

    personally, I just can't see cleaning a dirty drivetrain inside my house.
    If I were in your shoes, I'd take mine to the LBS.

    You have to prep your work area, but I've done bike maintenance in my
    kitchen once or twice. Then again, it caused my lovely bride to buy me a
    bike shed, so you know, win-win.

    Yep. I live in an apartment, no garage or other work area. Clean the
    wheels in the bathtub, chain in various jars under the kitchen sink,
    and a stand set up in the kitchen with a drop cloth for the frame.

    It ends up being the only reason I clean regularly, but I'm a guy.

    Eric

  10. "Claire Petersky" <[email hidden]> wrote in
    news:[email hidden]:

    Quoted message said:

    OK, so I just finished cleaning my bike. I haven't done it for a
    while, so it was quite a chore.

    Claire, Claire, Claire don't do it now, it will just get dirty again,
    wait until spring.

  11. EXCUSE ME? I think after all that work your husband shuld get off his
    duff and do his OWN bike, don't you think????

    - -

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

    Chris Zacho ~ "Your Friendly Neighborhood Wheelman"

    Chris'Z Corner
    http://www.geocities.com/czcorner

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

    Quoted message said:

    EXCUSE ME? I think after all that work your husband shuld get off his
    duff and do his OWN bike, don't you think????

    Are you married? Do you ever do things for your wife?

    My husband is more experienced with power tools, so he's the one that uses
    them. A long time ago I was electrocuted in my kitchen, so I am really
    freaked out about electricity. He replaces light fixtures. He's the family
    tech guy, and has set up the household computer network. He is completely
    and one hundred percent in charge of the VCR and knowing what's on TV.

    But if he knows what's on TV, I'm the one that reads all the movie reviews
    and know what movies are good right now. I am the one that schedules the
    kids for things like trombone lessons and basketball practice, and makes
    sure that they have things like music stands and gym shorts. I do most of
    the cooking.

    This is what relationships are about, aren't they? You don't keep a little
    tally sheet of who has done what, you both take care of each other, and
    appreciate each other's efforts.

    And I enjoy riding with my husband, and know he's happier when he gets
    exercise, so I don't mind encouraging him along with giving him a clean bike
    every so once in a while.

    You wouldn't help clean or fix your sweetie's bike?

    --
    Warm Regards,

    Claire Petersky
    please substitute yahoo for mousepotato to reply
    Home of the meditative cyclist:
    http://home.earthlink.net/~cpetersky/Welcome.htm
    Personal page: http://www.geocities.com/cpetersky/
    See the books I've set free at: http://bookcrossing.com/referral/Cpetersky

  13. Chris Zacho 'The Wheelman said:

    EXCUSE ME? I think after all that work your husband shuld


    get off his

    Quoted message said:

    duff and do his OWN bike, don't you think????

    Aren't you wandering into sex-role stereotyping here?

    --
    Mike Kruger
    (whose older daughter took auto shop in high school)

  14. "Claire Petersky" wrote in message
    SNIP

    Quoted message said:

    A long time ago I was electrocuted in my kitchen<

    yar...

    -a

  15. In article <[email hidden]>,

    Mike Latondresse mikelat@no_spam_shaw.ca said:

    "Claire Petersky" <[email hidden]> wrote in
    news:[email hidden]:

    Quoted message said:

    OK, so I just finished cleaning my bike. I haven't done it for a
    while, so it was quite a chore.

    Claire, Claire, Claire don't do it now, it will just get dirty again,
    wait until spring.

    My poor ol' workhorse, Ol' Pig Iron, has seen better days.
    So today I begrudgingly festooned my pretty little latest
    acquisiton (the Norco Mountaineer w/ V-brakes & grip-shifts)
    with the commuterata from the old bike.

    Sigh. I really wanted to keep Diana The Lizard Queen
    special; maybe make a polo bike out of 'er. Oh, well.
    At least I haven't yet subjected her to the ignominy
    of hauling a trailer full of shovel, grub hoe, asphalt
    rake, wrecking bars, etc. Only 'cuz I can't afford a
    trailer. And she's clean as a whistle, with like-new
    rims.

    I want a raise! :-) :-)

    cheers,
    Tom

    --
    -- Nothing is safe from me.
    Above address is just a spam midden.
    I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca

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