Cleaning your MTB.

frayz

Hey chaps,

Newbie here with a new bike. Ive already taken a few steps to keeping it as clean as possible. I purchased some Armourfend and placed a clear strip of it on the underside of my downtube, i also purchased a Scott chainstay protector.

As for the paint ive given it 3 coats of Collinite 915 auto wax. Im a bit of a tart when it comes to cleaning. What else can i do to ensure it stays in tip top condition.

ie what lubes, cleaners and regualr services should i be doing?

The bike is a Scott scale 50 if that helps

Thewaylander

Muck off(or similar degrease) hose, that will most.

I recoment a chain cleaner thingy too, they give great results to be fair.

I use dry wax lube for sumers, and a thick gloopy thing i cant remember for winter

KonaMike

I got some Weldtite bike cleaner cheap from Tesco Extra which does a fair job,I also apply a bit of good quality car wax because the frame is black and tends to go a bit dull in places,it comes up lovely after a polish though.

I degrease the chain with Citrus degreaser and then use Finishline Wet or Dry lube depending on the conditions .

epicEm

Muc-off or Hope Sh1t shifter and a standard hose (don't be tempted to use a jet-wash) and brush.

Finishline wet lube (green lid) when the weather is mucky. Finishline dry lube (red lid) when the weather is dry.

warm18

does a power hose damage the bike then? i use one on my bike when its really clogged up, i hten relube the chain and oil the necessary parts

stayhigh65

Excessive use of a jet hose can force grit into bearings and the like around key points on the bike ie BB and hubs which can then cause damage internally. If used carefully on a low setting then you should be fine. Some trail centres have a jet wash facility for cleaning your bike so it cant be all bad.

Muc Off and Sh1t Shifter are both good products though at £6 for a bottle they dont last particularly long IMO. Fenwicks do a concentrated bike cleaner that makes 11 litres from 1 for around £10 which offers better value for money.

I use a Advanced Car Wash from Halfords which costs around £4 and find this to be just as good at cleaning the bike as other dedicated bike cleaners.

After cleaning the bike I use a chain cleaner with some Finish Line Citrus degreaser and spray GT85 around the gear/brake levers including a squirt inside the shifters, the headset cups and where the stem mates with the bars, the seat post collar then the crank & BB and mechs. I do this to help drive water/moisture from these areas and then give the bike a good wiping down with an old tea towel to dry it off and also gives it a bit of a polish.

Finishline and Epic chain lubes are very good for both wet and dry types. I generally do a thin coat on the outside and inside of the chain, leave it to soak in for a minute or so then wipe any excess off on a clean dry cloth as too much lube can cause grit etc to clump together.

I normally do this once a week or after every ride in the winter or if its got particularly crappy over a ride.

Now I feel a little like Patrick Bateman ; I use an Almond cleansing lotion...

Cheshley

Yeah, using a high powered jet wash will force water past seals that are there to keep water out.

If I've been out and it's really muddy, I throw my garden pump sprayer in the back of the car and wash the worst of the muck off before it dries, I know it's still a pressurised spray but it's a heck of a lot less pressure than your average jet wash and I get to control the pressure by not pumping the thing up so much.

nicklouse

reading this might help. http://www.parktool.com/repair/readhowto.asp?id=85

warm18

haha i know what you mean about patrick bateman...theres a bit of him in all of us. i almost have a ritual when i clean my bike. i just skip past the chainsaw and sledgehammer

hickster5000

stayhigh65 wrote:

Now I feel a little like Patrick Bateman ; I use an Almond cleansing lotion...

Make sure you get your latex gloves on whilst cleaning, or remember to get a decent manicure afterwards!

frayz

Is there a set rule of how often you should degrease or lube the chain?

uk_mr_brownstone

I found the pedros bio degreaser works well and it's usually on offer at CRC. I only use it around really mucky / oily parts. Gentle (little bit) soapy water and a lot of time is the best way in my view.
Some people would disagree- but sometimes it's better to wait until the mud is dry and carefully brush it off- this works if it's not thick clay soil and you knock off the worst stuff with a stick first. Doesn't work on the drivetrain though

I never clean it so well that it's 'like new' in the winter as A/ it'll be 'like old' 10minutes into the next ride, and B/ it's too cold to stand outside for over an hour. Strangely- I've managed to pull muscles really badly (once did my shoulder real bad I struggled at work and couldn't drive for a week!) more times while cleaning my bike than riding it! e.g. from bending over to clean the other side of the bike after a long ride while I should've been warming down carefully or relaxing!!

Also, if it’s wet and cold and you keep your bike in the garage, I find it’s often better to let the mud dry on the way home and leave it, rather than clean it all off, leaving the bike, esp drive train wet. unless you have a sweet heated garage it’ll just stay wet all night- I’ve never managed the knack of being able to properly degrease and re-grease a chain fully unless its had time to dry out after washing and degreasing.

ChunkTT

muck off/hosepipe n hot car wash seem to do the trick.

stayhigh65

I normally give my chain a degrease and re lube ( :shock: ) once a week after cleaning or after every ride if the conditions warrant it i.e. wet, boggy, nasty so pretty much every ride at mo lol

As a rule of thumb if your chain looks dirty give it a clean, remember that this is the thing that makes your bike go and if not looked after it will rust and increase the chances of a link breaking which never much fun. Remember to give the jockey wheels a bit of attention too as they can clag up quickly.

Always use rubber gloves when cleaning, its a handy perk to being a nurse. Protectcs my manicure too lol

Now wheres my Huey Lewis and the News CD

shin0r

I use Fairy in a bucket, washed of with a hosepipe. White spirit on a rag degreases the chain brilliantly. Dry the bike off, apply a coat of gt85 to all surfaces (not the brakes!) then lube the chain with some fenwicks.

hickster5000

I've found a garage with a jet wash a short detour on the way back from my favourite riding area. £2.20 blast with the jet wash and it's good as new. I'm always careful not to blast anywhere near bearings though. It's a great way to finish a ride, especially as I live in a second floor flat (so no outside space to clean in easily) and bike lives in the flat (so needs to be clean). Bit of purple extreme on the chain before it goes into it's cupboard and Robert's your mother's brother.

manc_ian

This is what i do after every ride:

- Hose pipe off all the major clumps of dirt
- Spray entire bike with Hope Sh1t Shifter
- Scrub the bike with the various Muc Off Brushes i have
- Hose pipe the bike again
- Clean chain using a chain bath with park citrus degreaser
- Hose chain
- Give the bike a shake to get rid of excess water and then wipe down
- Spray some Muc Off Bike Spray onto a cloth and the wipe the whole frame with it. (this covers up all the minor scraths caused by peak district grinding paste)
- Spray other moving parts with the bike spray (avoiding brakes)
- Lube the chain with Muc Off Chain Lube

Jobs a gooden!

PS. Its a good job my LBS offers refills on Sh1t Shifter for £2.50 when you take your empty bottle in.

hickster5000

Sounds good - bike spray does leave you with a lovely shiny bike

manc_ian wrote:

- Spray other moving parts with the bike spray (avoiding brakes)

I cheat at this bit and use shower caps (liberated from hotel rooms) over my rotors, then just spray the entire bike down. Never had a problem with the brakes afterwards.

gtr mart

loving the shower cap idea.

If a jet wash is available then I will always use this. Obviously if you blast the jet directly at the seals / bearings your asking for trouble - but anywhere else is fine and the indirect spray from cleaning elsewhere generally cleans most of the crud away from the 'sensitive' bits.

I then bang the bike about a bit to get excess water off and give the cassette, mechs, cables, chain and gear / brake leavers the good news with the GT85

Then before riding the bike the next time, I will lube the chain depending on the conditions that day (either wet or dry finish line lube).

I recently regreased my hubs and the bb's and cones were fine.


One point worth making - be careful with the degreaser. It can apparently weaken plastic seals and if you spray it all over your cassette there is a real risk it will get into your freehub / hub bearings and breakdown the grease. This would be bad news.

frayz

Great tips guys, keep em coming.

Is there anything i can do to stop my brake rotors from rusting?

Im assuming the unswept area will rust?

Captain Turok

Surely I'm not the only one that "Mr Sheens" the frame?!..

Matteeboy

After each daily ride (mostly on the road):

Spray off with power hose (just attached to the tap)
Spray with Bike Spray.

After a proper muddy ride:

Full Muc Off treatment with the right brushes.
GT85 the stanchion seals.
Dry lube the chain.
Bike Spray it.
Disk cleaner spray if needed.

Captain Turok - I can go one further - I have black car polish that fills in scratches (bike is all black)!


Proper power hoses (the electric/petrol ones) can damage the bike so avoid spraying directly at the bottom bracket or hubs.
I just wash the whole lot - no faffing about masking the disks - I just make sure I don't get Bike Spray on them. Can't believe people avoid getting their disks wet -it's a MOUNTAIN bike not a porcelein doll!

Captain Turok

Captain Turok - I can go one further - I have black car polish that fills in scratches (bike is all black)!

Thanks. Sounds like great idea, but mine is matt black powder coated (stealth bomber! lol), not sure an auto polish would work?.

Might wait till I pick up a few more "trail kisses" before trying.

Captain Turok

Captain Turok - I can go one further - I have black car polish that fills in scratches (bike is all black)!

Thanks. Sounds like great idea, but mine is matt black powder coated (stealth bomber! lol), not sure an auto polish would work?.

Might wait till I pick up a few more "trail kisses" before trying.

HixX

I used to use WD40 nearly everywhere on my old bike and noticed that the rubber seals had perished over time, is this not the case with GT85 - is it OK to use on all parts (except brakes )

Anonymous

Finish Line make some great stuff, all bike only, and teflon based.

Matteeboy

Captain - mine isn't gloss black - it's sort of between gloss and matt. The polish works fine!

Hixx - someone posted stuff about GT85 a while back. I used almost nothing but GT85 on my 1997 Stumpy and it's still fine 10 years later. I'm sure it's okay on pretty much everything. A bit thin for the chain, but better than nothing.

Captain Turok

Matteeboy - Thanks I'll try it on the scratches (I had covered with black electrical tape) on my inner rear chainstay. Disc scratched when removing the rear wheel, dooah! :oops:

Surf-Matt

Captain (new username BTW!) - done exactly the same so polished it out and carefully stuck some black duct tape over the offending area so it doesn't happen again.

Nothing worse than seeing your pride and joy get gouged by a stuck brake disk!

HixX

Matteeboy wrote:

Hixx - someone posted stuff about GT85 a while back. I used almost nothing but GT85 on my 1997 Stumpy and it's still fine 10 years later. I'm sure it's okay on pretty much everything. A bit thin for the chain, but better than nothing.

That will do for me mate, 10 more tins on order then

williamw1987

Im going to get some cleaning products for my chain/cassette is getting a tad gritty. Just to clarify from what I have read here in the thread... I should buy -

Muc off degreaser
Muc off lube? or 3 in 1 oil? Recommendations?
And I bought a gear brush/comb thing the other day which is good for between the cassette etc...

Advice on anything would be lovely, thanks folks.