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 protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> 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.
