Do we all Take Pride in Cleaning our Rides?
abarth_1200
Posts: 370
Just picked my bike up from lbs (was in getting its first sevice) and the guy said it was really clean!
He also asked if I had just changed the chain because it was so clean, he told me he lubed it for me too, wish he hadnt because I was using rock and roll lube which says to apply then wipe all of it off to minimize dirt sticking to it.
How many take pride in cleaning and looking after their bikes
He also asked if I had just changed the chain because it was so clean, he told me he lubed it for me too, wish he hadnt because I was using rock and roll lube which says to apply then wipe all of it off to minimize dirt sticking to it.
How many take pride in cleaning and looking after their bikes
0
Comments
-
I do, when I clean it properly it takes me like 2.5 hours and every tiny little bit gets done and it comes off gleaming
Then the next day it gets all dirty again
0 -
My bike gets a gentle sponge bath and towel dried after ever ride
A little lube and she's put to sleep...awwwww.0 -
Yes, just spent an hour and a half cleaning my ride while listening to the Championship play offs on the radio
Its spottless. I also use the time to fix any squeeks or rubs.0 -
Depends on how new the bike is & how arsed I can be to clean it.
2010 Cube is spotless (till tomorrow!), '07 Orange 5 has dry mud splattered on the frame but the drivetrain is clean, '98 Clockwork is cleaner than the 5, but not spotless.
Bare minimum is clean/lube the drivetrain
0 -
I clean the worky bits, not too bothered about the rest though. Having said that the Soul's absolutely pristine just now but only because it got so utterly saturated with mud at 10 under the ben, almost every singly component stopped working properly so I gave it a wheels-up clean and lube when I got home. But it'll soon be hanging again.Uncompromising extremist0
-
I give mine a quick hose down when it's completely and utterly covered in muck, apart from that I never bother. It's only going to get dirty again anyway.0
-
I am with the clean crew ... although I do not have the time to clean my bikes after EVERY ride (I have friends that do). The process is meditative for me. I too am often complimented by my favorite shop monkeys on how clean my bikes are ... there's probably meds for that!
My current rides: Serotta custom steel and a vintage TREK for those rainy Seattle days.0 -
cgarossi wrote:Yes, just spent an hour and a half cleaning my ride while listening to the Championship play offs on the radio
Its spottless. I also use the time to fix any squeeks or rubs.
So I'm not the only one who disappears into the garage with a radio for a few hours then...0 -
oh yes, my baby gets a quick hose down, then an application of muc-off. then another hose down to be followed by a warm soapy bath. then towelled dry and oiled up ready or the next outing.
After all, you wouldnt want a dirty ride in your bedroom would you???? 0 -
I never used to, but I have learnt my lesson now! After seized seatposts and ruined drivetrains, I now keep everything lubed and clean, not after every ride, but often. 0
-
I don't have anywhere to hose down sadly so I have to go over the entire bike with a damp sponge and cloth, takes bloomin' ages!
So I stick it in the bike stand, remove the wheels and stick something on TV.0 -
Yes when its nice and shiney and all lubbed up for a ride.
No when your mates borrowed it, and you find a weld on the chainstay snapped...0 -
NDawn wrote:I don't have anywhere to hose down sadly so I have to go over the entire bike with a damp sponge and cloth, takes bloomin' ages!
Get one of those Hozelock garden sprayers, it's not as good as a hose but not too far off and you could just do it in the street.Uncompromising extremist0 -
Ah its good to see im not the only one who looks like I have just bought the bike when im out on it because it looks so clean.0
-
Northwind wrote:NDawn wrote:I don't have anywhere to hose down sadly so I have to go over the entire bike with a damp sponge and cloth, takes bloomin' ages!
Get one of those Hozelock garden sprayers, it's not as good as a hose but not too far off and you could just do it in the street.
Sadly I live in a 6th floor apartment 0 -
Just trying to clean a Triumph "Palm Beach" ...wot a loada crap!
3 SPEED Sturmey Archer internal rear hub, and what looks like Woods valves.
Don't think it's been cleaned since it was made about 1965.
Car oil on the chain, and steam cleaner and jet wash has hardly touched it.
On my 3rd bucket of boiling water/fairy liquid, and still lots to go.
Funny thing is, the front hub - with oil port thingy - comes up like new.
Springs on the seat look like Zebedees butt..0 -
Splottboy wrote:Just trying to clean a Triumph "Palm Beach" ...wot a loada crap!
3 SPEED Sturmey Archer internal rear hub, and what looks like Woods valves.
Splottboy I expect to see photos of this vintage beast in the CrudZone
First I attack the brakes with brake cleaner then bike gets soaked in either MucOff, Sh1tShifter or Fenwicks bike cleaners *(I am not brand loyal, they're all overpriced and work well)
I allow the spray on gunk to soak in then wash it with a hosepipe. I use bike cleaning brushes to get into the areas I cannot clean with a cloth. I brush the tyres clean as the bike is stored indoors.
Thereafter a towel dry, a 20 minute or so drip dry and a short ride to get all the water out.
Lube the chain and drivetrain, lightly lube the stanchions (and CB Joplin) with MucOff silicone spray. Apply some dry lube to the derailleurs.
Lastly, after every ride and clean, I check the torques on all the suspension linkages, stem, bars and lever and then it's all done...0 -
Mine goes in the bath, with front wheel off, and then gently showered with scrubbing brush and cloth, no soap. If its really muddy It'll get the hand garden spray pump on it out side first. Otherwise you end up blocking the bath waste pipe (from experence).
Cleaning is the best way to check out whats about to break etc and has save me from riding disasters many a time.Don't think, BE:0 -
mine gets a nice brush down with a soapy brush then dried off and any noises get fixed and then she gets a good polish 8)
Love cleaning it , Just it gets dirty the next day Specialised Carbon Stumpjumper Pro FSR Brain XTR Groupset Fox RL F120
http://www.youtube.com/user/BigBadJohn1 ... s7zFMw3biU
My Specialized FSR Carbon Stumpjumper Pro0 -
I give mine a once-over with a sponge and clean the cassette out with a toothbrush. Haven't got a pressure washer or anything because I'm in Uni halls, and my mum won't let me have one at home :P
My mate learnt a valuable lesson the other day: Didn't wash his bike the weekend before and apparently it was like "riding through custard" with all the muck embedded in the drivetrain0 -
depends.
The dh bike gets used maybe once or twice a month. it gets a hose down and check after every days riding.
the 'normal' bike gets ridden literally every day. So no. it doesn't get kept spotless. I keep the drivetrain clean and lubed, the for stanctions get rinsed out but the frame....yip...covered in mud splatters.
It gets a proper wash maybe once a month.Whenever I see an adult on a bicycle, I believe in the future of the human race.
H.G. Wells.0 -
Ha! The drivetrain is sterile and the sliders are lightly lubed but the rest of it is hanging in dust and dirt and streaked with sweat.abarth_1200 wrote:How many take pride in cleaning and looking after their bikes0 -
.blitz wrote:
Ha! The drivetrain is sterile and the sliders are lightly lubed but the rest of it is hanging in dust and dirt and streaked with sweatabarth_1200 wrote:How many take pride in cleaning and looking after their bikes
...and blood, bits of skin, snotters, half an energy gel and sheep shoot!.
there...fixed it for you!Whenever I see an adult on a bicycle, I believe in the future of the human race.
H.G. Wells.0 -
0
-
I almost never clean my bike. I occasionally do the chain when it gets particularly shitty and spray some gt85 on it. My bike is covered in scratches and dents but I don't care. Apart from that I lube things if they squeak, but I can't be arsed with cleaning it, it's a mountain bike 0
-
As mentioned before, its meditative. I think I have a OCD when it comes to cleaning it. I know it'll get dirty again.0
-
I clean it when it needs it ( it may get a gentle hose tonight say to get some dust from her, Or a proper blast off and wipe down if she is real muddy, this is to make sure drive train stays good and doesn't start to grind lol.
But as for extreme cleaning, no its a bike and my is covered in scratches scrapes and all sorts so will always look a bit tatty
a way a bike should be.. used! 0 -
If its dusty, I just brush it off with a dry bike brush or wipe it off with a rag0
-
If the bike's really dirty then I'll try and plan a ride that incldes a ford, failing that riding through puddles is about as close as it gets to a wash.
Edit - Drivetrain and fork stantions are kept clean.Northwind wrote: It's like I covered it in superglue and rode it through ebay.0 -
I clean mine a bit more than I used to, especially paying attention to keeping the pivots clean, but I don't keep it continually sparkling clean. In dry conditions like at the moment I just dust it off thoroughly, keep the chain oiled with dry lube, and check everything over, but don't bother with washing it. Not much point in doing a chain clean as it's relatively clean anyway (just avoid wet lube in the dry as all the dust will gunk up in the chain).
If you wash clean, you need to lube up everything immediately after to avoid rust and replace the oils you've just washed off.0
