Wash bike after every ride, yes or no ?

rockhopper353

Having recently puchased a lovely Trek Fuel ex 8 I am wondering is it doing more long term damage getting everything wet washing it after every ride or will more damage occur leaving it for a few rides between washes with sand and grit attached to all the moving parts.

I am lucky in that I live 20 yards from a large heathland where I can just go for a quick blast if limited by time, but crazily since getting my shiny new chariot I have been reluctant to do this because of getting it all grimed up with crap when I have just cleaned it the previous day...mental I know !!!

boogercj

Nah, just as and when I think it needs it really. It's good to keep the drivetrain relatively free of gunk and grit but I don;t mind too much if it gets a bit dusty. That'll probabyl all change when the autumn rain starts and every trip is a mud-fest!

RichMTB

Depends how dirty it is i suppose. If you clean it correctly (ie don't jet wash it) there is no reason why cleaning would do the bike any harm

joec1

i hose pipe it with a brush attachement (the water trickles rather than jets)

then re lube it ready for next time

ratty2k

Dark Peak riding is riding through grinding paste, wise to wash after every ride. Pay special attention to keeping the chain and drive system free from shite.

rockhopper353

I only ever use a gentle spray, just concerned that could constantly getting water in certain areas be causing long term damage, I always attempt to thoroughly dry aftr washing and then spray gt85 everywhere as well as lubing the chain but I'm sure water must be hiding away doing some damage ?

bluechargeboy

I nearly always clean the drivetrain and discs, the rest of the bike depends on what kind of dirty we are talking about:

Trail centre mud = no
Animal droppings (especially dog :evil: ) = yes

I prefer the bike to look a bit lived-in, whilst avoiding crunchy gritty stuff. Luminous green sheep poo everywhere is not such a good look...

Northwind

I do... Well, depends on the ride, if it's just dusty I don't care but if the frame's muddy then the mechs and chain probably are too, and if I'm cleaning them I might as well point the hose at the rest of the bike.

jmillen

Yeap...washed, dried and re-lubed after pretty much every ride.

paul.skibum

No I don't wash it after everyride. When I was a guide I was "encouraged" by my boss to have a clean well maintained bike and good appearance which meants I'd drag the bike to the hoses 10 mins before meeting guests for a sprinkle and a wipe down where my compadre stowed a sponge and a toothbrush out of sight behind the lift base for retrieval at the end of the day so he could polish the paint of his bike.

His looked better than mine but it was newer and probably more deserving of the cleaning efforts. Mine was still better maintained!

allthegearnoidea

every ride! :shock:
unless its really bone dry and no crud has gathered then it may receive a tempry reprive!!

always like to have th bike ready for a ride at any time after ive been out so like to keep it sparkly!
hate nothing more tha seeing dirty drivetrains lol! my cassette and chain sparkle hahaha! i knowi'm sad with a hint of ocd!
but my excuse is living close to the coast and often riding down to the beach cafe i'd rather make sure all the sand that gets blown around isnt working its way into a nice grinding paste for my gears!!

rockhopper353

allthegearnoidea wrote:

every ride! :shock:
unless its really bone dry and no crud has gathered then it may receive a tempry reprive!!

always like to have th bike ready for a ride at any time after ive been out so like to keep it sparkly!
hate nothing more tha seeing dirty drivetrains lol! my cassette and chain sparkle hahaha! i knowi'm sad with a hint of ocd!
but my excuse is living close to the coast and often riding down to the beach cafe i'd rather make sure all the sand that gets blown around isnt working its way into a nice grinding paste for my gears!!

Im down in Bournemouth and a lot of my riding involves sand so similar thinking really.

Going back to my original post what are the general thoughts of continually getting the bike wet with constant washing, is it likely to cause damage over a period of time or is it negligible, especially if a decent dry is carried out after and some water repellant is sprayed around as well ?

scotto

jmillen wrote:

Yeap...washed, dried and re-lubed after pretty much every ride.

+1, though i never use a hose, I always use a sponge and some hot water.

Dancake

I pretty much used my tounge when it was brand new, but now it has some scapes, the sponge, LP hose and relube every other ride is what it gets. if it is dry.

If covered in filth, then its every time

Sir HC

Over the summer it was every couple of rides, unless the chain got really gritty. Once winter comes its after everyride.

When you wash the bike, make sure its dry and use GT85 to get to any bits you cant dry (bolt heads for example)

KonaKurt

I would not wash and clean after every ride, but definatly once or twice a week. A clean bike is a happy bike!! A quick once over with a simple dry rag cannot do any harm, but I would not add water to the equation more than once a week, if that.

I too hate seeing dirty drivetrains, especially if solid grit or sand is involved.

I would never jet spray any sealed unit, inc forks.

KK.

snotty badger

If its shit up enough after a ride it gets washed, so that pretty much 95% of the rides this year!

Hose pipe, bucket of soapy water, sponge and small soft brush are my weapons of choice, oh and some Fenwicks too.

Just washed my bike after its ride today, wasn't particulary dirty but had't washed it for the last 3 rides so gave it a quick rinse and a lubing.

cat_with_no_tail

I clean it when it needs cleaning, not always after every ride, but I do keep the drive train gleaming and lubed at all times.

On a side note, I just switched from Muc-off to Fenwicks and Fenwicks is about a million times better as well as being effectively 10 times cheaper.

Also been using White Lightning Epic ride for lube, which is perfect for the riding conditions we have over here.

rockhopper353

Think I probably am over doing with the washing at the moment, but the trails are so sandy round here, Im definately going to give Fenwicks a try when the muc off runs out.

lawman

:shock: dont be silly, my bike often goes weeks with out a clean, even in winter sometimes. it gives it character imo, but tbh the main reason is i dont have time and i dont really like the idea of washing a bike in 0 degree weather in winter when you cant feel a single bone in your body

Hercule Q

i wash after a mucky ride or if i'm bored

Hercule Q

and i clean the bike

rockhopper353

lawman wrote:

:shock: dont be silly, my bike often goes weeks with out a clean, even in winter sometimes. it gives it character imo, but tbh the main reason is i dont have time and i dont really like the idea of washing a bike in 0 degree weather in winter when you cant feel a single bone in your body

Thats fine with a bit of dust and general muck but not with sand stuck to every moving part, bonus in cold weather is if the water freezes to the bike it saves on drying

projectsome

I use to clean the bike every sunday after a saturday ride but now I just clean the mechs (depending on how dirty) after every ride, which takes 2 mins.

the rest of the bike gets a good 40 min clean and polish every month or when necessary

Louis84

Haha dont be daft!

just wash it when it gets really dirty or when your particularly bored!

Plus, if it's always clean people will think your a wuss who dont like getting his hands dirty. You dont want that now do you!

ride_whenever

clean seals and chain post ride.

big wash when i can be bothered, but fully sealed cables that i replace fairly often mean things don't get grindy.

starsky007

yep i do. well i did pay £4500 for my baby. so i should keep it looking nice.

reluctant

As and when required for me. I do feel all that water does more harm than good and never use the likes of GT85 on my bike. Aerosols atomise to such a fine mist, that some of it will end up on the discs sooner or later regardless of how careful you are.
Muc off etc fades anodising over time too, so use little and dilute 50/50.

spongtastic

used to clean every time, full bucket and brush job.

Now I usually make sure there's no crud around bearings, the forks or shock and clean chain, cassette and mechs when they get a bit dirty, but then I do taken them off and plop them into a jar with a product that's designed to clean industrial stainless steel kitchens and the like.

SS will be dragged out if/when we get some rain down south and then all I have to worry about's the chain.

Daz555

Quick hose down and lube after each ride.