Is there a correct way to clean a bike?

stueyscott

I know this may sound daft, but I now have a very nice Boardman Pro FS which, unlike my last bike (Hard rock sport) I would like to keep in good nick.

After a ride whats the best way to clean the bike without damaging core componants such as the rear sus, rear mech etc?

I know most bike centres have power wash facilities but i'm presuming that firing a full on power washer at certain parts of the bike might not be the right thing to do!

ratty2k

Some light brushes to get in the nooks and crannies, and a car sponge for the rest... Washing up liquid is fine (plenty will say not...) but it will not do any harm and is lots cheaper than either of the big name specialist washes....
Saying that tho' I DO use Fenwicks, and that has the advantage of being able to clean the chain (in a chain bath) and water soluable.

GHill

Don't point a pressure washer at bearings. I try not to use a pressure washer at all, simple hose will suffice.

Park Tool have a cleaning section on their website.

nicklouse

http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/article/w ... bike-18259

might help.

Aldo001

There may have been an article in the workshop section of MBUK last month as well

Moomin23

I ruined a perfectly good pair of wheels as a noob, got the pressure washer to get all that nasty grease off the cones, 60 miles into the next ride, both hubs collapsed.

Pressure washer is okay on the frame from about six foot away, but a bucket, sponge and hose does the better job, and you get to spend more time soaping your baby up mmmmm.

Nothing nicer than a spotless well oiled machine.

delcol

start at the top and work your way down,...

try to avoid getting cleaner on the discs,,,

and get some bike polish, or just use car polish (turtle wax meguiars autoglym ect) it makes cleaning your bike easier in the future as mud tends to slide off..

i use a hardtail for wet days and through winter as they easier to maintain not as many fiddley bit to clean around,.. and my full susser for summer ..

dav1

everyone has a different way of doing this, most are perfectly valid TBH, just a variation on the order and products used.

My schedule:

1. Scrape off gunk from jockey wheels and between chain rings with a screwdriver
2. Spray whole bike with hose
3. Scrape out cassette
4. apply fenwicks to entire drive chain and scrub
5. Fill chain cleaner with fenwicks and run through chain
6. wash down rest of bike using a sponge soaked in washing up liquid (except discs)
7. Hose down entire bike thoroughly
8. Use bike spray and a rag to dry entire bike (except discs)
9. Put bike in work stand (not essential, just easier) and re-lube chain
10. clean disk rotors with a tissue covered in methylated spirit
11. (if not done for a while) apply Teflon lube to for stations, cycle a few times, wipe away excess with rag and polish to a shine.

Takes 30 mins to an hour depending on how dirty the bike is and how much effort I want to put in.


If there is very little time (or its freezing in winter and i'm feeling lazy) I use a shrter method to get the essentials

1. Hose bike down
2. Scrape out jockeys, cassette and chain rings
3. Apply fenwicks to drivetrain, and forks and use chain cleaner
4. Quickly scrub areas and leave for 2 mins
5. Hose down
6. use WD40 on a rag (very little amount as its not greaty for seals to dry drive chain, and forks and to wipe cables
7. re lube chain
8. use meths on rotors

Time 20-30 mins

deffler

Heres a question...............

When I cleaned my old bike I would turn it upside down so it stayed still whilst cleaning, lubing etc. I would do the same when fixing flats as much easier to get wheel off and on.

My new bike has hydro brakes & im sure I read somewhere that I shouldnt turn it upside down. Is this true?
Its just so damn hard to keep it still when its upright and I find it a right fanny on removing a wheel and putting it back on when the bikes upright.

andy46

also people keep saying don't get anything on brake discs, how would i avoid this? do i need to cover them with something or remove the wheels completly? just got my first good bike and i'm a complete noob. :oops:

stickygreen

can someone please answer the last two Q's as thats something i would like to know cos i'm a noob with bike too.Cheers

dav1

andy46 wrote:

also people keep saying don't get anything on brake discs, how would i avoid this? do i need to cover them with something or remove the wheels completly? just got my first good bike and i'm a complete noob. :oops:

you probably wont completely but keep it to a minimum, the less you get on the less there is to remove again and thus the less there is to cause a problem.

I always clean my rotors with meths for this exact reason.

Stu 74

There is no problem getting bike cleaner, such as Fenwicks or Muc Off, or water on the disks but you don't want to get any lubricant or water dispersant (WD 40, GT85 etc) on them as this may result in contaminated brake pads which is not good!

If you are spraying any lube on the bike it is best to remove the wheels and put them out of the way and cover the brake pads with small plastic bags or something.

I am not aware of any problems that are caused by turning your bike upside down to clean it!

Stu

el loco pollo

I don't clean mine unless it's absolutely full of grit and mud, where I'll jet wash it. Apart from that I clean the chain with white spirit and then applygt85 afterwards.

joshtp

Aldo001 wrote:

There may have been an article in the workshop section of MBUK last month as well

that is a really good guide, very helpful, it certainly makes a good job of making the beast sparkle again!

.blitz

stueyscott wrote:

Is there a correct way to clean a bike?

IMO it's best to avoid cleaning your bike unless absolutely necessary. I've cleaned my Cannondale twice this year and although it's dirty it runs great. I clean the fork sliders and shock body and use dry lube on the chain but apart from that I keep it away from water and chemicals.