Cleaning-Maintaining your bike

blueslim03

Afternoon all, quick question regarding cleaning and maintaining your bike, and whether i am doing missing or doing the wrong thing. I clean it everytime i ride it (maybe buying a white bike wasn't the cleverest idea!), i clean it with hot water and washing up liquid, spray that off with a hose, i also clean the chain which i'm not too sure if that is the done thing? I dry it with a chamois leather then i spray the chain, cables, pedals, the gap between fork and frame, and the wheel axles with a thin layer of ac-90.

Does sound alright or am i missing anything?

Thanks for reading

markos1963

Don't use washing up liquid for washing your bike(or any vehicle for that matter) as it contains salts which will dull the paintwork and corrode metalwork. Get some car shampoo and use that instead.

blueslim03

i've got car shampoo but it has wax added to it, would this be ok to use?

markos1963

Yes

Neillyy

You can wash with fairy washing up liquid - it contains no salt.

All the cheaper brands are thickened with salt,

I know cause its my job, how exciting!!

andyrr

Gap between the frame and forks - the lower headset ? This is lubricated with thick grease and best not to use anything that might wash that out. Every so often drop the forks through the headset and clean/re-grease.

Tonymufc

markos1963 wrote:

Don't use washing up liquid for washing your bike(or any vehicle for that matter) as it contains salts which will dull the paintwork and corrode metalwork. Get some car shampoo and use that instead.

I've used washing up liquid for years and never had a problem. And my hands are as soft as a babies bum. "cos hands that do dishes........"

Tonymufc

I always clean my chain and cogs first. Leave the de-greaser on for a couple of minutes then hose off. A bucket of warm soapy water and a good sponge. Hose down bike first, that'll loosen any stubborn dirt or grime. Wipe down afterwards with a dry cloth aswell as chain. Lube chain when dry.

Slow Downcp

andyrr wrote:

Gap between the frame and forks - the lower headset ? This is lubricated with thick grease and best not to use anything that might wash that out. Every so often drop the forks through the headset and clean/re-grease.

+1 to this - the same with the wheels axles and pedals. Penetrating fluid will just dilute the grease that keeps bearings running. The only thing you need to lube regularly is the chain, everything else maybe once a year unless anything seems to be less smooth than normal.

sheffsimon

blueslim03 wrote:

Afternoon all, quick question regarding cleaning and maintaining your bike, and whether i am doing missing or doing the wrong thing. I clean it everytime i ride it (maybe buying a white bike wasn't the cleverest idea!), i clean it with hot water and washing up liquid, spray that off with a hose, i also clean the chain which i'm not too sure if that is the done thing? I dry it with a chamois leather then i spray the chain, cables, pedals, the gap between fork and frame, and the wheel axles with a thin layer of ac-90.

Does sound alright or am i missing anything?

Thanks for reading

The thing you are doing wrong is cleaning it every time you ride it. Totally unnecessary, a bit of muck wont cause it to rot away overnight, just lube chain when required, hosing it down is washing grease out of where it should be, like front/rear mech, brake pivots etc, and I guess you arent stripping these down and regreasing them every time.

kingderham

I clean the chain and relube after most rides and use baby wipes on the frame if it is not to dirty if it is really bad i use muck off and then rinse the bike off in water.

Mister W

http://www.trinewbies.com/tno_bikeclean/welcome.asp

sheffsimon

Mister W wrote:

http://www.trinewbies.com/tno_bikeclean/welcome.asp

'kin 'ell !!! Thats about a weeks fannying about.

All that degreaser and toothbrusing should ensure that there is no grease left in the jockey wheels, derailluer pivots etc. Then he gives them a bit of teflon spray - should last about 30 seconds in winter.

Get a winter bike with proper mudguards, some decent grease and get things properly covered in grease - then strip it right down once you have finished with it for the winter and you are back on the best bike, degrease it, clean it, and put it back together regreased. Job done.

blueslim03

I was only cleaning it after every ride as it was filthy, what with the bike being white doesn't exactly help! Thanks for all the tips and advice,