bike cleaning
mcowan77
Posts: 560
i know this has been covered many many times!!!
just bought my first road bike ( giant defy 3) for commuting
whats the best way to keep it clean and maintain the chain etc
bought some FS-1 bike cleaner and all season lube
all your wisdom would be much appreciated
just bought my first road bike ( giant defy 3) for commuting
whats the best way to keep it clean and maintain the chain etc
bought some FS-1 bike cleaner and all season lube
all your wisdom would be much appreciated
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Comments
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yes but there is that many different views...do you always answer a question with a question??0
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mcowan77 wrote:yes but there is that many different views...do you always answer a question with a question??
Do you think I always answer a question with a question?!!!
In this case I did because I'm not sure what you expect to get from your question. Yes, there are many different views and they have, as you say, been covered many times. So in what way do you think the answer will be different this time? Unless you live in (and are about to tell us), for example, a Bolivian rain forest where it is difficult to get cans of degreaser but monkey mucus is in abundance, all you'll get is the same response you've obviously seen already! There won't be anything special relating to your Giant.
For what it is worth, it doesn't matter how you clean your bike as long as it finishes up clean and you re-grease/oil anything you have removed the oil and grease from. It doesn't matter if you use expensive cleaners or washing up liquid, it doesn't matter if you use a chain cleaning tool or not - the only real difference is that some methods are cheaper or quicker than others but it all works out pretty cheap in the end as long as you actually do it; the main thing is to clean it after it gets mucky.Faster than a tent.......0 -
thanks for your informative reply...
id really appreciate some tips from the more helpful members of thge board,after all we are not all experts like yourself0 -
Look, you say, in your first post, that you know there is lots of advice on the forum but you still want people to write stuff down for you specially. I even go to the trouble of pointing out that it really doesn't matter - and I'm trying to help here - it really doesn't matter; you aren't trying to clean a particle accelerator - it is just a bicycle. Generally, all you'll get is opinions and you won't know whose opinion is more valid than anyone elses without going out and trying something. And the suggestions have already been made as you said.
Still, if what I said isn't good enough for you, do carry on. You won't be told anything you can't find anywhere else on this forum if you can only be bothered to use the search funtion.Faster than a tent.......0 -
Rolf F's right, really; in general it doesn't really matter much how you do it. I'd go further and say it doesn't really matter that much if you do it, to some extent. It's the winter grit and salt that is most likely to chew up your drivetrain, I reckon, and beyond that concerns are largely cosmetic. The coating of road muck on frame etc. isn't going to do a great amount of damage in my experience. Two of my bikes are more that 20 years old (steel frames) and are still doing just fine on minimal maintenance (a few spots of rust, admittedly). I gave my carbon fibre a hose and wipe down on Sunday, but before that it was caked in the previous month's muck. My commuter hasn't been washed since February or so; just the odd squire of 3-in-1 on the chain.
If you're interested, here are some threads which talk about bike cleaning in one form or other.
http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtop ... e+cleaning
http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtop ... e+cleaning
http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtop ... e+cleaning
http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtop ... e+cleaning
http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtop ... e+cleaning
http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtop ... e+cleaning
http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtop ... e+cleaning
http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtop ... e+cleaning0 -
I cleaned my chain and cogs on Sunday, but that was because I broke the chain on Saturday and got covered in the muck that was covering the chain. Hadn't really deep cleaned it before that, just chopped off some dirt and kept it well oiled.
Not sure if the muck really is a hinderance, or had led to the chain failing, but it probably wont have helped, keeping it clean will certainly help smoother running, and easier gear changing."Encyclopaedia is a fetish for very small bicycles"0 -
I don't mind threads that repeat others as sometimes you do pick up extra tips off them.
Personally for the chain.
First use a small screwdriver to pick off the large bits of cack off the cogs.
Then a chain bath. Whizz round with water first, then watered down muck-off a couple of times, then water. Then a toothbrush to get rid of anything left. Rinse really well.
Clean up stains on the chain rings using baby wipes.
I use Tf2 spray lubricant from Wilkinson.
Thinking about trying the chain cleaner brushes from Wilkos aswell as toothbrushes get skanky pretty quickly. The brushes from Wilkos also have longer bristles
--I find the best way to clean the cassette is by taking it off the wheel (need a chain whip + a cassette remover).
Everything remains shiny for about 3 days.0 -
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As an amendment to Godwin's Law, this thread will be over the first time someone mentions 3in1.0
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UndercoverElephant wrote:Then I use "Purple Extreme" to re-lube the chain,
It's a good thing this isn't an e-mail list; any posts containing the words purple, extreme and lube would surely be blocked by the spam filters.
Joking aside, though, the fact that it isn't an oil makes it less satisfactory as a lube. Once the solvent has evaporated, the lubricant layer isn't mobile; usage will create bare patches on the chain and bike which will remain unprotected until you relube. Waxes have the same problem. Oil, on the other hand, maintains a film over all surfaces and just thins out a little; the result is better overall protection.
I'm a big fan of the Green Oil cleaning/lube/grease products, by the way. The only drawback I've found is that the lube needs to be re-applied a little more often than some of the teflon-based lubes, but that's only an issue if you don't clean your bike that often; I clean mine every two weeks or so, which is less time than the green oil lube lasts.0 -
rml380z wrote:As an amendment to Godwin's Law, this thread will be over the first time someone mentions 3in1.
Hitler would have used 3 in 1 to clean his Fahrrad.0 -
Yesterday evening I spent a zen-like hour feeding babywipes through each and every link of my chain before wiping with a citrus degreaser and re-lubing. Ommmmmmmmm.0
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suzyb wrote:Doesn't really matter what you do, you'll never get the chain clean anyway. There is always crud left sticking in the inside to grind away at the chain :evil:
There are two schools of thought on chain maintenance
1) Don't try to remove all the lube because the internal stuff that you really want will go and it's not easy to replace it. Wipe it clean or remove it and soak it in diesel.
2) blast the chain with degreaser, pressure washers, soak it overnight and really really clean it. Then relubricate it twice and it will be as good as new.0
