Bike got muddy today. Riding again tomorrow. Clean it?

dubcat

This is not a question for which the answer will change the world but im interested to know peoples thoughts anyway . Today i went on a ride and the bike got muddy. It was not stupid muddy but there was a clayey sticky mud jammed up in the front mech and leafs and mud on the tyres and frame.

I am riding again tomorrow. Would you have cleaned the bike?

My initial thought was to just leave it be as it's going to get in to the same state first thing tomorrow morning anyway. Then my OCD kicked in and i started to think about the mud jamming up the front mech (I've been suffering from a few front mech adjustment headaches anyway... But even if i hadn't i would still be obsessing about the mud). So, i took a hose to it. And since i was washing the drive train I figured i might as well hose the whole bike down. And since i was hosing the bike down i thought why not crack out the muc off. And since i had washed the bike and it was wet I thought why not use the gt85 to get rid of the water I couldn't get to with my drying cloth. And since i had done all that I thought why not oil the chain....

All that and I'm going to have to do it all again tomorrow

I suspect i know the answer to this but what would you have done?

Dub

Foobies

Left it

stumpyjon

Probably the same as you, start off intending to just give it a hose off and end up cleaning it from top to bottom.

I like having a clean bike at the start of a ride, at least you know it's going to be working for at least part of the time.

appy

quick blast with the jet wash

weescott

Brush off excess mud. clean/degrease/lube chain. Job done.

FSR Si

I'd of left it then just oiled up the moving bits tomorrow and squirted some gt85 on it

carbonfiend

clean it - would have drove me mad not to.

mossmotorsport

I'm lazy - I'd have left it

Was at Cannock Chase today and some of the bikes that were stopping off there after doing the trails were filthy!!!

lockrobnkel

Brush off the mud around front and rear mech wipe down chain add a dash of oil / lube leave to rest for at least 12 hours (minimum) then get it all filthy again tomorrow That’s all i’ve done after todays ride

MountainMonster

I've had a few times where I knew I was riding the next day so didn't really clean the bike much. Made a mess in the house but if I know it's getting really dirty, I don't see the point.

pilsburypie

Depends what mood I was in - sometimes I polish the sh1t out of the bike, other times leave the poor bugger to fester!

badly_dubbed

horse it in the garage and give it a oood seein to tomorrow - itll not hurt it

DCR00

quick hose down to get the worst off

when im cycling to work two days on the bounce, i dont have the time or can be arsed cleaning it properly, but a quick 5 min hose down means the mech etc wont be covered in crap when i go to use it the following morning.

Plus i wont drop mud on the floor when i put it away, which means the Mrs wont go postal, which is always a positive.

cooldad

appy wrote:

quick blast with the jet wash

Anything except this.

Normally I would clean it, wet mud is easier to get off, and big chunks of clay encasing the mechs don't make for smooth shifting.

dubcat

cooldad wrote:

appy wrote:

quick blast with the jet wash

Anything except this.

Normally I would clean it, wet mud is easier to get off, and big chunks of clay encasing the mechs don't make for smooth shifting.

This was exactly my thinking. Easier to clean when wet. I probably shuld have just stopped with the hose pipe though. I think the muc off and gt 85 was overkill

TuckerUK

Chain off, hose off gears and mechs, 2nd chain (precleaned, prelubed, pre wiped dry externally) on. Then removed chain gets a good thorough clean, then a spray down with GT-85 to remove the last of the fine grit, then bathed in car gear oil overnight. Hang up to drip dry in the morning before setting off. Just needs a wipe down on the exterior and the chains now ready to replace the one on the bike.

Simples.

weescott

Dry mud just falls off with a brush. Wet mud takes effort. It's one of those occasions when the "I'll do it later" approach pays off.

dan shard

You did the right thing

dubcat

Got home from my ride today and really went to town on cleaning the surrey hills sand off the bike . I even used my chain cleaning gadget today . I sense a pattern appearing here lol.

Still, I def leave it dirty after my night rides on Wednesday. Way too cold to be cleaning at 10pm.

capoz77

after yesterdays ride I did the usual purple extreme and kitchen towel stanchion clean on the front fork and rear shock, and was about to do the same on chain when I noticed the front mech was harbouring an unhealthy amount of gunk.

It just wouldn't come out, so got some fenwicks in a hot soapy bucket and then decided to go over whole bike, then the hose came out, then the chain was off and in degreaser.....

1 hour later

OCD IMPROMPTU BIKE CLEANING WIN WIN WIN

dubcat

Hahaha OCD brothers unite!

x-isle

I try and clean mine after every ride if I can, even in the dark :?

Cleaning by spotlight.


However, if I don't get a chance to clean it, I make sure I at least get the chain, cassette and rings dry and covered in spray (muc off, GT etc....)

That way you don't get the nasty suprise of surface rust when you go to ride it next.

thecremeegg

A quick jet wash to get the main mud off and that does me

spongtastic

Depends whether I can be bothered, yesterday full OCD, 6pm today just a clean rag and some gt85 on the chain and cassette.

cooldad

thecremeegg wrote:

A quick jet wash to get the main mud off and that does me

Too much pressure and it also does for your fork/shock seals and bottom bracket.

thecremeegg

cooldad wrote:

thecremeegg wrote:

A quick jet wash to get the main mud off and that does me

Too much pressure and it also does for your fork/shock seals and bottom bracket.

Just dont aim it at the seals and BB I dont buy into this treating your bike like its an OAP, seals and BB have survived a year + of jet washing so I'm pretty sure they'll be ok for a while to come

fletch8928

I have found a tap on a regular return home section, its after the moors/woods, so I stick the bike under that to get the thick of it off. It saves getting my yard full of filth and kitchen floor is easier to mop.

Usually take care of the moving bits.
My bike looks used, but it did after the first ride out. She shall never shine properly again.

dubcat

She shall if you blast her with gt85.

Mental Mickey

Some people I know clean once a week but then again, not all of them ride in muddy conditions all the time like I do, that can be a huge factor.

In the summer I often leave it if it's just a little dusty, simply cleaning the drive train only and re-lube, winter though, clean it after every ride as the bike is usually always filthy top to bottom.

boneyjoe

Totally sick and tired of all that cleaning, so have stopped riding off-road in winter! :x

Mental Mickey

boneyjoe wrote:

Totally sick and tired of all that cleaning, so have stopped riding off-road in winter! :x

Go SS or buy Alfine hub?