General maintenance/cleaning

Thorpey_on_a_bike

Before the winter properly sets in with wet weather rides etc., just wondering what a good simple cleaning regime is at the end of a muddy ride. I know as much as to wash the bike down for the most part with warm soapy water, but the last thing I want to do is do that much and then leave the bike wet to start rusting etc, especially the drivetrain (gears is a whole new world to me at the moment, and I want to keep them running as nicely as they are the moment).

So after the majority of the crap has been washed off, what do you recommend from then on...? I can unbuild/rebuild/setup a bike quite competantly, but I don't want to be doing this every week, so what do you guys recommend to keep it running fresh between when I would rather be servicing the bike than riding it one Sunday.

What cleaners/lubes/greases and where to apply them do you recommend?

tmg

Never put your bike away wet, dry the bike down after a wash using a rag or chamois. I also use Muc Off Bike Spray after a wash on my drivetrain as it disperses (sp?) the water

then next day go and lube everything up with a dry lube

dav1

If i haven't got time i brush off the mud and re-lube.

Not ideal but enough to last till i can get a proper clean at the weekend.

My proper clean involves this:

stage 1 - general clean
Brush off the worst mud
spray bike with fenwicks (avoiding discs and fork sanctions)
Brush the whole thing after 2 Min's
hose down

Stage 2 - clean drive train
Muc-off degreaser on the drive train
leave for 2 Min's and brush
hose down
Use chain cleaner with muc off chain cleaner and hose

stage 3 - finish off
Use bike spray all over (avoiding discs) and wipe away water.
re lube chain (and fork sanctions if its been 10hrs riding since last time)
adjust breaks [damn fixed pad]
inspect bike for obvious damage
put away

takes me 30 - 40 Min's total depending on how dirty it is and weather anything else is in need of maintenance / adjustment.

Another thing i do from time to time is leave the bike upside-down overnight with the seat tube removed in case any water has found its way in there and down to the BB.

Just for info. Bike spray is basically like a thin oil (that wont ruin the paintwork and such). it will stick nicely to the metal parts but is hydrophobic so it causes the water to stop sticking to the bike making it easy to wipe away. Its like mixing oil and water in a container where the water all seperates and floats to the top.

Thorpey_on_a_bike

Thats the sort of thing I was thinking, bike cleaner sprays. So you reckon a good cleaning spray, degreaser and chain lube will do the job just fine? What do people recommend apart from the ones already mentioned? I've heard mixed reviews on lots of stuff, and some of it is a little pricey, so the better start I can get with a good product that works well at a reasonable price the better really.

tmg

Muc Off Cleaning products I've found very good, especially the chain cleaner

Lube wise again muc off or finish line for both wet and dry lubes

dav1

I got the muc-off ultimate cleaning kit to start, it comes with brushes, degreaser, bike spray and a bike cleaner.

When the cleaner runs out buy some fenwicks concentrate and dilute it in the old muc-off bottle. Way cheaper and just as good.

after that i added a chain cleaner, an old toothbrush for the hard to get places and a few rags.

Andy B

Muc Off is alleged to eat anodising! Plus it's not nice to the environment we all love to ride in!

Fenwicks FS1 is a safer cleaner (doesn't eat anodising) and is environmentally safe, it works better than Muc Off & it's cheaper if you buy the concentrate, you get a litre of concentrate for ~£10, which makes ~10 litres of cleaner!

stevebrock

Would be inclined to use GT85 over Muc-Off bike Spray! and its smells nicer (totally irrelevant)

stevebrock

Would be inclined to use GT85 over Muc-Off bike Spray! and its smells nicer (totally irrelevant)
When bike and drive train is clean i spray the whole rear mech/cassetterfront mech with GT85 and leave to dry. I lube the pivot points on the rear mech, and each roller on chain with Finish line dry/wet lube!

stevebrock

I actually enjoy cleaning my bike, it cost me a lot of cash so i look after it.

I always give the paintwork a coat of wax as well.

Nothing worse than turning up for a ride with the bike filthy!

Anal, yes! My clean bike makes me feel good!

clarkson

i ususally start the clean with cleaning the chain/drivetrain. white spiit and a toothbrush works for me. then give the bike a hose off, then use muc off to clean.

leave it to dry a bit and then re-lube. in the winter i use wet lube, in the summer dry lube. just cahnged over to wet lube actaully, the trails were a bit skanky last time i went out. that does mean more drivetrain maintainence though.

every so often i strip the drivetrain down and clean it all, and ocasioanlly the headset, but not too often.

im with steve on this, i actually do enjoy cleaning it, a bit of tlc, and it looks briliant. plus ive spent so much ££ on it its worth it, and gives you a chance to look for and damage/knackered parts.