Cleaning bike

Scott_0001

I use baby wipes to clean the bike which seem to work great as it's never that dirty in the first place. I've done around 200 miles on the bike and was wondering what else i can do to keep the bike maintained. I've yet to oil the chain and was wondering if you only put the oil on the chain or if you put some on the back cassette etc too?

newtonuk

Can't comment on the baby wipes, but I believe that they are water based, which won't do any corrosion sensitive components any good. Can't see it doing any harm on the frame though.

With regards to oiling the chain and cassette... Just the chain only and only on the rollers on each invidual link.

indysmith

Firstly and most importantly: Never attack the bike with pressured water (hose, jet washer, throwing buckets of water over it etc.) as bicycle bearing seals are designed only to protect against water ingress from rain and the odd puddle.
This is because bicycle bearings need to be as low-friction as possible to save you energy.

Fit a Wippermann Connex master link to your chain so that you can take it off to clean it thoroughly.
The Connex link is one of the only links that is reusable (as it is a simple puzzle fit) and requires no tools to attach or detach. I put my chain in an old water bottle about half full with Finish Line citrus degreaser, shake it up, leave it 5 minutes, fish it out and rinse it thoroughly under hot water. Good as new every time.
The reason for fishing the chain out of the degreaser rather than pouring it away is that that degreaser can be reused over and over again. When it gets dirty, filter it through a rag and keep using it until it evaporates!

While the chain is off the bike, either remove the cassette from the freehub body to degrease it thoroughly, or just brush it off with a stiff, dry brush depending on how soiled it is. Also wipe down your chainrings and de-gunk those jockey wheels on the rear mech.
When you've refitted your chain, lubricate it with a good quality wet lube (I use finish line ceramic), leave it to soak in for a while (when lubricating your chain, you want to be lubricating the inside of the rollers so it needs to penetrate), before wiping off any excess from the outside of the chain. You don't need to lubricate the cassette. Look after the chain and the rest will look after itself.

Brake and derailleur pivots should be lubricated with an aerosol maintenance spray (I use Weldtite TF2, as it seems to have a higher lubrication content than GT85 et al.)

The frame of the bike doesn't need to be cleaned for any specific mechanical reason. I just wipe mine down with a rag, and then polish it with Mr. Sheen.
Shiny.

Camus

I take mine on a spa retreat every two weeks where we get treatments like a body scrub, exfoliation, aromatherapy then do a bit of tai-chi, reiki or yoga.

Actually no, I lightly hose it down, then car or bike shampoo and a big sponge goes over the whole bike, then for the cassette, crank and chain I use a nail brush or toothbrush, finally I hose it down again, bounce it up and down and use a bike spray to repel any left over water and a lubricant for the chain/cassette.

dwanes

Be carefull not to take your carbon frame out in the rain, especially during winter, as it may melt!

night_porter

dwanes wrote:

Be carefull not to take your carbon frame out in the rain, especially during winter, as it may melt!

Just like all of those carbon forked bikes have done for years NOT!

t4tomo

night_porter wrote:

dwanes wrote:

Be carefull not to take your carbon frame out in the rain, especially during winter, as it may melt!

Just like all of those carbon forked bikes have done for years NOT!

Ah but its the horizontal tubes that melt not the vertical ones. You have to be very careful about this.

16mm

See this video of OPQC mechanic cleaning a bike
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sf80DnCgHRQ

Camus

16mm wrote:

See this video of OPQC mechanic cleaning a bike
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sf80DnCgHRQ

Like a boss. I need that special brush.

Schoie81

@indysmith - thanks for the tip on the Wipperman Connex - have to admit I've been pretty lapse on cleaning my MTB and the chain now needs some serious attention - determined not to let the same happen with my new road bike and being able to remove the chain easily to clean it will make the whole job a lot easier. Good tips on the cleaning method too - shake, soak and rinse...

One question (which I hope isn't a stupid one) do you need to dry the chain before refitting and oiling to stop it rusting? And if so, how is this best done? Will it just dry itself, or will oiling it after re-fitting drive out the water and prevent rusting anyway?

Camus

Schoie81 wrote:

One question (which I hope isn't a stupid one) do you need to dry the chain before refitting and oiling to stop it rusting? And if so, how is this best done? Will it just dry itself, or will oiling it after re-fitting drive out the water and prevent rusting anyway?

Yes, get a dry rag, wrap it firmly but not tightly around the chain and turn the pedals a few times. Then apply lube (which also drives out water so best of both worlds).

drlodge

A full deep clean of the chain isn't require very often, depends how dirty it gets. For me this is about 500-1000 miles. Normally I just wipe the chain with a rag soaked in a little white spirit, then apply lube to each link. Done.

16mm

Camus wrote:

16mm wrote:

See this video of OPQC mechanic cleaning a bike
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sf80DnCgHRQ

Like a boss. I need that special brush.

Yup, I bought one of those brushes after watching this. And they are good!

goonz

Reminds me, I need to give mine a wipe down tonight.

Schoie81

drlodge wrote:

A full deep clean of the chain isn't require very often, depends how dirty it gets. For me this is about 500-1000 miles. Normally I just wipe the chain with a rag soaked in a little white spirit, then apply lube to each link. Done.

Must admit my road bike chain still looks brand new (although I've not clocked up many miles yet) but my MTB chain needs cleaning much more often - and being able to remove it easily to do so will make my life easier and make my more inclined to acatually do it!! Not that i'm saying i'm lazy or anything...

drlodge

Schoie81 wrote:

drlodge wrote:

A full deep clean of the chain isn't require very often, depends how dirty it gets. For me this is about 500-1000 miles. Normally I just wipe the chain with a rag soaked in a little white spirit, then apply lube to each link. Done.

Must admit my road bike chain still looks brand new (although I've not clocked up many miles yet) but my MTB chain needs cleaning much more often - and being able to remove it easily to do so will make my life easier and make my more inclined to acatually do it!! Not that i'm saying i'm lazy or anything...

MTB chains will get alot dirtier more quickly, as they're exposed to mud and all sorts of cr@p. They won't last as long as a result...

I deep cleaned my Campag Chorus 11sp chain at 500 miles, I had been using it during the cold winter months and had applied a ceramic wet lube which attracts the dirt more. Since then I've been applying Finish Line dry lube and 1000 miles later its still pretty clean. Once the Finish Line is used up (not long now) I'll be switching to proGold,

TheLoneCyclist

According to 'The Book', the lubrication that you put on the chain is deposited onto the components that it passes over, chainrings, cassette etc.

If the chain wants cleaning, some sort of degreaser on a toothbrush always works a treat without having to exercise my powerlink.

ricky1980

i would cut those baby wipes into perfect inch squares and wipe the frames down bit by bit after every ride to make sure the bike is in showroom condition...ya...OCD...ya

who uses baby wipes to clean stuff other than babies bottoms >.<

bike is a bike, spray some bike cleaner (if you want) or soak it in warm soapy water applied with a sponge then spray the thing down. use a sponge if the dirt is persistent. Tho from what OP's cleaning frequency it is more likely a gentle hose will do the trick.

but ya, after each water you should grease the chain and mechs.

ricky1980

16mm wrote:

See this video of OPQC mechanic cleaning a bike
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sf80DnCgHRQ

LOL that bike is spanking new, not a single speck of dust :?

simon_masterson

Drizzle a bit on the underside of the chain sparingly, spin cranks, wipe excess. This is best preceded by cleaning the chain. There are various ways to do this and you can get good results with the chain still on the bike. I find Green Oil's degreaser, used as directed, to work superbly. A stiff brush gets the muck out of the links; you can get chain cleaners that do the same thing. If you run your chain through a rag following a wet run, you will reduce the amount that you have to remove.

Contrary to what some might tell you, you don't need to relubricate every time you ride in the rain, or anything like that. If anything this just adds excess oil which accumulates more dirt. Just make sure to do it periodically; if you want good longevity and performance from your transmission then you'll want to be cleaning it regularly anyway, and you'll have to relube once you've done that. Simples.

As for cleaning the rest of the bike, a dedicated bike cleaner makes sense, though you can use car shampoo (which I daresay you might have in your garage) or washing up liquid (which I daresay you might have in your kitchen) as well. Just give it a rub or brush down. Some sort of lubricant is a good idea for your brake pivots. I've always used a drop of chain lube with no issues, but others use GT-85 and the like. Be careful spraying that around your bearings, though.

nicklloyd

I did a little guide on how I have always cleaned my bikes on the following site:-

http://www.romeroperformance.com/bikecleaning/

Similar to the above video, but my bike was dirty to start with!!

Hope you find helpful

Thanks

nick