Cleaning and lubing ??
RandG
Posts: 779
Not something I've ever really bothered about, but this Winter I intend to make an effort, so need some advice on it all.
To what extent do you clean ? Like a hose down or a full valet ?
Lubing ?? What am I looking to lube, other than the chain, and what kinda lube should I be looking to use ??
To what extent do you clean ? Like a hose down or a full valet ?
Lubing ?? What am I looking to lube, other than the chain, and what kinda lube should I be looking to use ??
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Comments
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Opinions will differ, but this is my post-ride cleaning routine:
1) Hose down bike and give it a good scrub (Fenwick's Bike Cleaner I find the best, or use Muc-Off or similar)
2) Degrease chain using Parktools Chain Bath (using concentrated Fenwicks).
3) Add a bit of water to the leftover Fenwicks and use a toothbrush to scrub cassette, jockey wheels etc to get the crud out. Hose it off.
4) Dry chain with rag and lube straight away using wet lube
5) Dry fork/shock stanchions with a rag (some people lube them, I'm not sure yet)
6) A quick spray of GT85 on moving parts.
Good as new!0 -
I do:
hose down, scrub using car shampoo & a few brushes, clean everything
use some very dilute degreaser on drivetrain (not always)
use a chain cleaner widget with very dilute degreaser to do the chain
hose down bike, dry everything off with slightly oily rag, chain lube on the chain
gt85 on exposed bolt heads & other water traps + mechs
about 30 mins for the whole bike
gt85 is a bit controversial, its not a good lubricant, but it is excellent at getting rid of water, ie great at preventing rust but crap at really lubricating so for things that really need lube (chain, forks, bearings, etc) you need the right oil/grease.0 -
Leave to dry after riding.
Brush mud off with soft brushes.
Wipe fork stanchions with soft cloth.
GT85 on anything that might trap water (with plastic bags over brake calipers and discs).
Lube chain.
That's it.
Personally I stay away from degreasers and suchlike, they'l remove grease you don't want removing if you're not careful. Not such as issue on a hardtail, but with an FS there's bearings, bushings and pivots I'd rather not risk degreasing.
A bit of mud left on the bike is fine to be honest - it won't hurt it. It's more about keeping the moving bits clean and lubed.0 -
RyanCTJ wrote:Opinions will differ, but this is my post-ride cleaning routine:
1) Hose down bike and give it a good scrub (Fenwick's Bike Cleaner I find the best, or use Muc-Off or similar)
2) Degrease chain using Parktools Chain Bath (using concentrated Fenwicks).
3) Add a bit of water to the leftover Fenwicks and use a toothbrush to scrub cassette, jockey wheels etc to get the crud out. Hose it off.
4) Dry chain with rag and lube straight away using wet lube
5) Dry fork/shock stanchions with a rag (some people lube them, I'm not sure yet)
6) A quick spray of GT85 on moving parts.
Good as new!
Jeezy peeps, I'm not going do that at 9 pm at night after a night ride. :shock:0 -
After wet night ride...
Fire hose at bike to get rid of solid lumps of crud while standing shivering.
Put bike in shed and give chain a cursory wipe with a damp-ish rag
Get bike out next morning to find chain with surface rust and now have to stand outside in the cold again to clean it; and for longer than it would have taken last night....0 -
if it was late at night I'd probably fire some gt85 at the exposed bits and give it a proper clean the next day / weekend0
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Hose, Then lube chain.0
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I lube the chain every couple of months if it needs it, and keep it generally clean too0
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After ride, hose off loose mud then sponge wash, dry and lube chain.
Next day, detail clean and then polish.
An@l? Yes.0
