Maintenance Advice

mr_eddy

Hopefully someone can help, I recently started MTB'ing again after a 5 year hiatus. I am loving the local trails (Sherwood Pines) but I am getting increasingly frustrated at the amount of post ride work required to get the bike running smoothly again.

Because Sherwood Pines is quite sandy I find that I have to do the following after each ride otherwise the drivetrain sounds like a bag of spanners:

* Get bike in the bike stand
* Hose off mud
* Citrus degreaser chain / cassette / cranks
* Scrub chain / cassette / cranks with old toothbrush & soapy water
* Clean Disc Brakes with disc brake cleaner then rinse with water
* Dry entire drive chain with cloth
* re-lube chain with wet lube oil & run through gears for 20 or so revolutions
* Dry off excess oil
* Using damp cloth clean rest of bike

The above process is taking me about 30 mins all in and its getting on my wick - I only go out for about 2 hours each time so I am spending 25% or more ride time on post ride cleaning. I don't actually mind the cleaning but the missus is moaning as she never see's me - I am always in the bike shed.

Are there any specific products out there that may help me save time or reduce the need to do the above ? Should I be switching to dry lube. Would a down tube guard help at all ?

Advice please ?

step83

You dont strictly need to scrub down the whole drive train each ride, I generally do 4-5 rides between drivetrain scrubs. Usual for me is wash the whole bike as per norm, use a water dispersing agent like GT85 on the rings chain an cassette which will drive away the soap an offer a light layer of protection, then lube.
Over winter ive been using a basic wet lube which while a bit messy an gunky has worked you just need to make sure you clean the jockeys well really. A dry lube may help it will depend which one you use as to how mucky the chain gets, I still stick with Shimano Dry PTFE, not the cleanest but has never given me any problems so far.

mr_eddy

Ok thanks will try the GT85. I will check the jockey wheels too.

The Rookie

Just don't get it anywhere near the brake disc!

oxoman

If you don't use one already get a chain cleaner and use it after wet/muddy rides. Cannock and Sherwood are both gritty and grotty when wet so I tend to just accept that you have to clean them a bit more. Usually a quick blast with a hose or pressure washer at a reasonable distance so as not blast grease out of bearings etc. A quick dry after and lube after doing the chain. As above keep lubricants away from discs. Takes me about ten minutes tops to clean mine after a muddy ride.

rockmonkeysc

GT85 does rot some plastics, particularly E-thirteen chain guides and some MRP guides. Avoid using it if you have any sort of guide or retention device.

step83

RockmonkeySC wrote:

GT85 does rot some plastics, particularly E-thirteen chain guides and some MRP guides. Avoid using it if you have any sort of guide or retention device.

I didnt know that, is it the solvent reacting on them? Id imagine if so it could do the same to rubber seals

Brakes yes good point I generally avoid by spraying down and away but you can simply cover the brake with a cloth (not the one you use with the GT85!)

Chain cleaners are good, never been massively successful with them when ive used them, but I get baffled by microwaves so dont read to much into that!