Can someone tell me the "right" way to clean a bike, and how often.



GrowingStronger

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Aug 22, 2013
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Took it to REI a while back for a minor repair and tune up. The mechanic kind of chewed me out because it was dirty, I had washed it off and took a sponge to it prior, but I guess there was too much dirt in the tight spots, chain was too dirty, etc. So, what is a good cleaning method and routine?
 
Only the CampyBob way! All others are...er...

There is no 'right' way.

Seriously, as long as you get the **** off and the lubricants on...all else is just hype.

Soap and water are still our friends, although I prefer to keep water away from Mr. Bearing. Mr. Bearing and Water are not friends. If your bike is really, really filthy dirty you might have to start with a bucket of warm water and something like dish washing detergent or car/motorcycle cleaning soaps. When I use water, I always mix in a little kerosene in to help cut tar, road grime and leave a light oil film.

One of the plastic chain cleaners from Park Tool or Pedro's and some Simple Green get the filthiest chain like new in about five minutes. A decent selection of brushes will reach damned near every crack, crevice and corner on a bike. What they miss, rags, compressed air and elbow grease will get. A lot of us use Q-Tips to clean small areas the fingers or even a rag can't get to...and they can also be used to apply oil and grease to small areas.

Fresh grease and oil are your bike's best friends. While re-lubricating things, make a point of carefully eyeballing every square in of the frame and parts. Look for everything from cracks in the frame to loose/missing parts to bent pieces. Check your fasteners every so often to make sure they're still tight.

Use rags to floss out the small gaps. Work your way down the order of grease after cleaning the chain by wiping down the chainrings and then the cassette/freewheel gears. That rag can sill be used to polish off the derailleurs. Do a repeat wipe with another, cleaner rag if you have to. Save the cleaner of your rags to get the dirty stuff at the next cleaning and trash your filthy rags.

How often? That depends on how often you ride and under what conditions. A weekly quick clean and chain touch-up lube at the least for the bike that hits clean roads every day. A rain rider in Seattle might lube and wipe his chain daily due to gritty road spray. Same with a rider training in sandy areas. A full detail job might be a once a month thing and it might be an every week event for the racer.

Bikes get dirty and you don't have to be obsessive about always keeping it spotless. Once you get in the habit of cleaning, you'll develop a schedule that works for you. A clean bike will usually ride better and wear longer than one that is constantly put up dirty and ridden with a bunch of dirt and crud on it.

BTW, it's part of a mechanic's job description to ***** about dirty bikes. Nothing personal...he does that to everyone!
 
Thanks, a great detailed answer. No, I didn't take it personally, I kind of laughed, it reminded me of the Seinfeld episode where the mechanic kidnaps Jerry's BMW because he thinks Jerry is not taking care of it properly.
 
If my bike doesn't get terribly dirty on a ride and I am riding again the next day, I use cheap baby wipes (without lotion). Other wise I use Simply Green. You can also use Pledge as a polish.
 

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