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Who commutes on their MTB, and how often do you clean it?

BelphegorBelphegor Posts: 154
edited November 2008 in MTB general
Those who ride their main MTB to work and back, do you clean the chain/mechs each evening? Assuming that your commute isn't through the grittiest off road route you know, I doubt you need a full clean, but road salt is probably just as abrasive than mud if not more so, so commuting in winter can't be easy going on your bike.

But can you be bothered each evening? By the time I get home from work (and it's up hill on the way home, of course) I'm shagged. Should I be getting away with a chain clean every couple of nights, weather depending? It's a couple of miles into work.
Welcome, to my bonesaw!

Posts

  • pilsburypiepilsburypie Posts: 891
    Don't know if I'm lazy but that seems excessive to me. I give my chain a good clean and oil after each "proper" dirty ride, but would not really do anything to the chain after a weeks worth of commuting, which happens to be when I go on a "proper" dirty ride.....

    Am I a bad boy?!
  • The Northern MonkeyThe Northern Monkey Posts: 19,174
    i only use 1 gear on my commute...so i can't be arsed cleaning :lol: it gets a wipe down every week/2weeks but with this weather it seems pretty pointless.
    Santa Cruz Butcher
  • Swansea-jackSwansea-jack Posts: 15
    The old mongoose gets a little love once a week, but will be picking up my new machine next week so expect things to be very different... Well, for a while anyway :lol:
    www.visitswanseabay.com
  • Surf-MattSurf-Matt Posts: 5,952
    Every ride if it's wet - just a blast off with a (low) pressure hose, then a Muc Off Bike Spraying and a bit of GT85 on the chain. Takes about 3 mins.

    Once every week/fortnight it gets the full cleaning works - after muddy MTB rides.
  • riggsy81riggsy81 Posts: 281
    mines usually gets a wipe down after I get in then after the weekend ride it gets the full monty...
    I̶m̶ ̶t̶i̶r̶e̶d̶
    I̶t̶s̶ ̶r̶a̶i̶n̶i̶n̶g̶
    I̶t̶s̶ ̶t̶o̶o̶ ̶l̶a̶t̶e̶
    NO EXCUSES
    JUST RIDE!!!
  • mark1892mark1892 Posts: 77
    dont get in until after midnight, so just wash mine when it needs it. usually after a weekend ride in the mud :)
  • dracadraca Posts: 2
    I tend to give mine a full clean every Sunday afternoon and just a quick once over if its manky during the week.I don't use any of these chain cleaners or anything either all i do is stick the chain in a can of petrol for an hour and it comes out gleaming.
  • johnsavjohnsav Posts: 775
    yeah i probably do mine once or twice a week.

    i tend to pay more attention to the drive gear though
  • BelvBelv Posts: 866
    It doesn't get any cleaning until after the muddy rides.
  • nealgsnealgs Posts: 44
    tend to do mine at weekends or when i'm off work (every 4 days) - give it a wipe down, and check chain and cables, lubricate them if seeming dry etc.

    Gary
    Claud Butler - Olympus D2 :)
  • hucking_fellhucking_fell Posts: 1,056
    I work 0800 - 2000 or 2000 - 0800. I do 3 or 4 shifts a week and cycle 20 min either side of each one.

    If I've done my sums right that's 1 hour and 40 min or 2 hours and 20 min of road salt left to dry on the bike for 3 or 4 days before it gets cleaned. During the day.

    I do put some Finishline wet lube on the chain if it's screaming at me.
    More freerange chicken than Freeride God
    Bighit , 5 , BFe
  • passoutpassout Posts: 4,425
    I commute 5 days and clean the bike on a Sunday evening. I refuse to do anymore due to time constraints.

    I use another MTB for off road and my old heap for commuting.
    'Happiness serves hardly any other purpose than to make unhappiness possible' Marcel Proust.
  • JackBenson59JackBenson59 Posts: 118
    No need to clean mine until after a long muddy ride. Road riding? I sometimes put sometimes put some oil on the chain after a ride but the main clean waits until it is properly muddy. That way it is more satisfying when you have finshed! :D
  • dav1dav1 Posts: 1,298
    when i commuted by MTB i used to clean it once a week after covering it in mud on a saturday.

    Now i have a dedicated road bike for the commute i clean the commuter every 2 weeks. (still cleaning the MTB weekly after covering it in mud :p)
    Giant TCR advanced 2 (Summer/race)
    Merlin single malt fixie (Commuter/winter/training)
    Trek superfly 7 (Summer XC)
    Giant Yukon singlespeed conversion (winter MTB/Ice/snow)

    Carrera virtuoso - RIP
  • singlespeedexplosifsinglespeedexplosif Posts: 1,564
    I do, and I don't clean it ever. This is another reason why singlespeeds are great.
  • RelaxitscoolRelaxitscool Posts: 103
    Normally after every set of shifts (4 to 7 days depending to shift cycle), or if its been wet (my commute is Chesterfield to Sheffield on the TPT) when I get to work with a jet wash, well the brush attachement anyway and a bit of lube.

    Some nights I may not get home till 1am so cleaning then is out of the question.

    Regards

    Rob
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