How many of you clean your bike??

kona

I ask this question because i fixed three bikes at the weekend all with the same problems and all covered in dust and road crap.

The cassettes and chains both needed replacing and one bike had its hubs in a jocker, they could probably do with a new rear mech too, i couldnt even adjust the front mech so id to take it off and clean it up(all this takes too much time, especially when another 5 bikes are looking at you:D:D)

i put it down to dust and crap accelerating wear.
now i always have my commuter sparkling clean and it gets stripped bare cleaned and regreased bi-monthly.

why dont people save themselves money and clean their bikes???

seamus

I wish I had time to strip and clean mine twice a month (or is that every two months?). I'd try go for a clean (read: decrud, degrease and bath) every two months, but particularly in the winter it's tough to get a good day to do it. Last thing I want to be doing on a cold winter's day is sticking my hand in a bucket of water

I completely stripped, cleaned and rebuilt my drivetrain over the weekend and she's running sweet. But it took me the best part of two hours so I can't see myself doing it more than once a year.

I would imagine most people don't do it purely out of laziness. Few people link "bike not working" to "bike filthy" so just put up with it.

Ciaran500

I've no set plan but usually do it when it needs it. That varies from once a week to every couple of months.

kona

once you know how to strip it you become faster with experience. also bits come off easier when well maintained!.
i forgot to mention what lubes to you use and how do you apply it??
I use wet lube for the wet and dry for the dry all with teflon. I always wipe the excess off with a rag.
i never touch 3 in 1 oil, horrible stuff!!
i attribute 3 in 1 to the state of most bikes lol!

niceonetom

see this is where the fixie really comes into it's own. all i ever really clean is the chain. about ever 2 or 3 weeks it gets taken off and fully degreased and restored to pristine shininess. while it's off the cog and chain-ring and hubs get a good buff and that's it. job's a good un.

i keep the frame as dirty as possible as the bike spends a reasonable amount of time locked up in town so filth acts as camouflage.

i just got a new road bike yesterday though. that's going to be treated very differently. i've stocked up on q-tips and evian.

bitemybanger

I spent well over a grand on my bike and i look after it like i do my car. very well

kona

niceonetom wrote: »

i just got a new road bike yesterday though. that's going to be treated very differently. i've stocked up on q-tips and evian.

:D:D:D:D:cool:

E@gle.

weekly, when the bike cost the best part of €3000 i'd want to be keeping it clean

Johnny Jukebox

MTB after every spin. Hosed down first, under light pressure so as not to impact the bearings, then washed with a brush. Concentrate on the drivetrain. This makes sure no crud builds up. Dry it off afterwards. Its a hassle but it really does make a big difference to the longevity of your components. Use a combination of wet and dry teflon lubes. Will occasionally degrease with WD-40 (yes, its a degreaser not a lube).

Ghost Rider

Is there any danger of weakening a chain if you're removing it on a regular basis?

niceonetom wrote: »

see this is where the fixie really comes into it's own. all i ever really clean is the chain. about ever 2 or 3 weeks it gets taken off and fully degreased and restored to pristine shininess. while it's off the cog and chain-ring and hubs get a good buff and that's it. job's a good un.

i keep the frame as dirty as possible as the bike spends a reasonable amount of time locked up in town so filth acts as camouflage.

i just got a new road bike yesterday though. that's going to be treated very differently. i've stocked up on q-tips and evian.

niceonetom

Ghost Rider wrote: »

Is there any danger of weakening a chain if you're removing it on a regular basis?

i suppose there would be if i was breaking and rejoining the chain each time. but i'm not. it's a KMC chain at the moment which comes with a powerlink style dohickey which you can undo with a pliers. different to the sram ones but same general idea. v handy. v recommended.

BeardyGit

Removable chain link's are the business. I pull the chain regularly and leave it in a paint-kettle with a bit of gunk degreaser for a few minutes. A supple paintbrush works the degreaser in, followed by a lengthy wash under hot running water. Really hot. Dry with compressed air before lubing up (straight away) with LOTS of Finish Line wet lube. Wipe off all excess and refit to bike, after cleaning down the rest of the drivetrain with a combination of WD40, old tooth brushes, paint brush and tea-towels (the terry cloth ones)....

Then once every couple of months, pull the drive-train to bits and give it the same treatment as the chain, with appropriate lube. Rebuild the lot with new Clarke cable kits each time, inner and outer. I'd give the chain maybe half a dozen of the above cleaning cycles, using a NEW quicklink each time....

I hate dirty bikes. They're such a pain in the arse to use compared to a clean and well maintained rig. That said, I'm getting no time on a bike at all these days

Ghost Rider

Sounds like a good idea. Those "powerlink" gew-gaws - can they be attached to any chain?

niceonetom wrote: »

i suppose there would be if i was breaking and rejoining the chain each time. but i'm not. it's a KMC chain at the moment which comes with a powerlink style dohickey which you can undo with a pliers. different to the sram ones but same general idea. v handy. v recommended.

niceonetom

Ghost Rider wrote: »

Sounds like a good idea. Those "powerlink" gew-gaws - can they be attached to any chain?

think so. certainly any shimano compatible one, dunno about campy. has to be the right size though, ie. 9speed or 10speed etc.

Civilian_Target

Hmm... depends what you call clean. Removing the chain is muchos effort without tools (on a hub-geared bike) but I do clean and grease it every 2-3 weeks, as well as a tyre pressure check, movement check and brake pad replacement as necessary. Its amazing what a difference those simple things can make!

But I never ever ever clean the frame. The more mud the better!

peterk19

i clean it when ever it become noticably bad or if ive been cycling in overly dusty conditions the chain and gears get scrubbed and oiled with finish line

Ghost Rider

What if it's a singlespeed bike (as mine is)?

niceonetom wrote: »

has to be the right size though, ie. 9speed or 10speed etc.

kona

Ghost Rider wrote: »

What if it's a singlespeed bike (as mine is)?

they do SS ones too, use a BMX one
(this wont do hub geared bikes tho)

or you can buy one of those plastic contraptions that cleans the chain on a bike

DirkVoodoo

I'm really bad at doing mine, which is even more of a crim because I cycle a road bike everywhere and it should be treated a bit nicer than my old carrera.

I found the casette and chain a pain in the proverbials.

I was tempted to get one of those chain cleaning doo-whackeys, but I heard they go through cleaning solution like its going out of fashion.

fish-head

God bless my fixed wheel and it's lack of components!

niceonetom

Ghost Rider wrote: »

What if it's a singlespeed bike (as mine is)?

there are at least two sizes of single speed chain - 3/32 and 1/8.

i use 1/8 and KMC do quicklinks for them, i think sram do a 3/32 singlespeed powerlink.

Bicyclegadabout

Well, I have to attribute the rapid deterioration of my old bike in some part to my use of 3in1. Sorry guyz, I’m still green. Though I do like how utterly filthy that bike looks. I would give it a good scrub down every month maybe.

Still, despite my own naivety, it saddens me to see people riding around with rusty grinding chains, worn brake pads, etc etc. I don’t think people quite realise that a well maintained bike is way more fun to cycle, which I reckon sort of discourages cycling. Or, general poor maintenance doesn’t do cycling any favours as a mode of transport.

Finish Line lube seems to be the one that gets mentioned most on this thread, that’s what I should be going for yes?
I want to treat the new bike better than the old, so this thread is handy.

flickerx

Yeah I'm on two fixies now, so never really need to go through the same cleaning routine as when I had the derailleurs. Christ that was always a nightmare cos the trip to work involves going through a road with a lot of construction work constantly happening = dirt in every groove of the bike.

Although I should really give my yellow fixie a wipe down, its bleedin mingin at the moment. Still though, dirt makes a bike less attractive to thieves - one has to take this into account also.

Those KMC chains are great - that linking link is easy, so much less hassle than a normal chain (see my other recent post about a reconnected chain being "sticky" - a real pain in the hole if you cant get it back to its normal looseness..)

Hermy

Gil_Dub wrote: »

I pull the chain regularly and leave it in a paint-kettle with a bit of gunk degreaser for a few minutes.

+1
GUNK is the business for cleaning mucky drive trains. Apply with a paint brush and wash away with plain water.

http://www.gunk.eu.com/html/products/733.html

joemc99

Hermy wrote: »

+1
GUNK is the business for cleaning mucky drive trains. Apply with a paint brush and wash away with plain water.

http://www.gunk.eu.com/html/products/733.html

Yeah, gunk or jizer (5 litre) is your only man. Plus a proper chain cleaner, CRC have differnet ones.

I have a permo bike wash area, raised, and it drains away. Jet wash is also there, permanatly wired and plumbed, covered to project from frost. All wasing items are there too, brushes, degreaser, soaps, etc. Must take a pic some time, changed my life!

fish-head

joemc99 wrote: »

Yeah, gunk or jizer (5 litre) is your only man. Plus a proper chain cleaner, CRC have differnet ones.

Call me immature but 'jizer' made me giggle..

oobydooby

Not quite off-topic, any recommendations for dealing with minor rust issues? Dinks in the commuter are picking up surface rusting in handlebars and forks.

kenmc

At the risk of releasing the worms again, how about WD40?:D

kona

wd40 will prevent rust, it wont treat it.

first of all where is the rust??

if its bolts, dont bother, just replace them.
if its the frame, you will have to rub it down, treat it with kurust or another cheamical neutraliser, prime it with acid primer, then regular primer and then paint.

chain and cassette...just replace them,
wheels as frame, except for rim braked bikes.

if rim braked, just replace.
if discs, replace the discs.


oh just re-read, treat both as per frame.

Hermy

oobydooby wrote: »

Not quite off-topic, any recommendations for dealing with minor rust issues? Dinks in the commuter are picking up surface rusting in handlebars and forks.

If you're dealing with alloy parts that have been dulled or corroded by weathering I'd recommend Autosol, available from most good motorfactors.

unionman

I had to vote myself in to the lazy bum category, even though I spent a couple of hours on Saturday cleaning, degreasing and putting in a new tube. I only do it every couple of months, and pre-fixie I used to only clean the Hybrid about once a year (the shame), so don't get me started on the derailleur / chain situation, it was hopeless. Hell, I was hopeless.:o:o:o

Between one thing and another (rear flat tyre mostly), I've been off the bike for a few weeks. It pains me to admit that what I saved this winter on servicing and repair (the Hybrid would usually be in for something at least twice in the dark months while the fixie needs little maintenance, which I can do myself), I managed to spend twice as much in those few weeks on petrol and public transport.:o:o:o:o

I am back on the bike now and plan to stay that way.:D

DirkVoodoo

Right, so where does one get this "GUNK"?

Also, I was cleaning the cassette there today and I found that the toothbrush approach doesn't work for me, it simply greases up after one stroke and then spreads grease over the clean parts.

I should probably post a pic of my bike and the condition its in, I think I may receive some threatening PMs from ye!

kona

muc off do a box with everything you need, degreaser, brushes, cleaner etc, its around e50, most bike shops do it.:)

when i clean my cassette its soaked in degreaser for a hour, then a rag cleans it up, almost back to silver:) the rag fits between the gears too:)

fish-head

I cleaned my bike just the other day.. seems a waste now in this weather!

wowy

I voted that I'm too lazy. Reason for that though is thatmy bike is now on its last legs. I've had problems with the frame (rear dropout), so there's no chance at all of selling it on, so I'm just going to ride it into the ground, and buy a new one once I finish college. I can assure you that that one will be cleaned weekly though!

kona

wowy wrote: »

I voted that I'm too lazy. Reason for that though is thatmy bike is now on its last legs. I've had problems with the frame (rear dropout), so there's no chance at all of selling it on, so I'm just going to ride it into the ground, and buy a new one once I finish college. I can assure you that that one will be cleaned weekly though!

the rear dropout is ment to break, you can buy new ones they are about e30 for most types:)

www.betd.com these lads do them

Hungrycol

Funny this topic has come up because I just cleaned my (drop bar) commuter over the weekend. Someit I haven't done in over a month. I wanted to change the cassette to a smaller ratio too cos I wasn't using 1st, 2nd or 3rd gears on my current setup. Anyway, I ended up hosing down the bike, took off the chain (SRAM) and cassette and bunged the chain into some degreaser (Park Tool Chain Bright.jpg) in an empty coke bottle and shook like mad (yes the bottle has to be cut open to retrive the chain but I knew that before I did it). Took apart the cassette and cleaned to spank me new. Washed and dried chain and lubed both with Purple Extreme.jpg. Ended up cleaning the whole bike but left the headset regrease until another time.

Haven't cleaned my good bike Six 13 - Ultegra.jpg just cos I haven't been out on it much and it's still Mr. Sparkle.

milod

I clean my commuter (Specialized Sirrus Sport) every three months or so with the power hose in the local garage. It's all alloy, so it never rusts and I bring spray grease, chain wax, etc to recoat the important parts immediately after washing. I usually drop the chain off the cogs and give it special attention with the hose - seems to get the gunk off no probs.

Tips: spray degreaser before going to the garage, and remove the saddle/lamps etc...

wowy

kona wrote: »

the rear dropout is ment to break, you can buy new ones they are about e30 for most types:)

www.betd.com these lads do them

The problem is that my frame is shaped into the dropout (that's not a very accurate description, but I can't think properly). Anyhoo, I had an incident with a branch in the chain, and the whole lot bent. I got a new dropout no problem, but the problem is the small bit on the frame had also bent, and had to be heated and bent back into place, so now it's very weak, and once that goes the whole frame is useless.

kenmc

milod wrote: »

I clean my commuter (Specialized Sirrus Sport) every three months or so with the power hose in the local garage. It's all alloy, so it never rusts and I bring spray grease, chain wax, etc to recoat the important parts immediately after washing. I usually drop the chain off the cogs and give it special attention with the hose - seems to get the gunk off no probs.

Tips: spray degreaser before going to the garage, and remove the saddle/lamps etc...

I've read that pressure washers/power hoses can force water into places where it wouldn't ordinarily get during rain or normal hose - e.g. bottom bracket, hubs etc, also downtubes and saddletubes. Once in it can't get out.
Never having done it myself I can't comment, but it seems plausible, and a risk I wouldn't personally be prepared to take. But if you're happy fair enuff

Hermy

DirkVoodoo wrote: »

Right, so where does one get this "GUNK"?

Also, I was cleaning the cassette there today and I found that the toothbrush approach doesn't work for me, it simply greases up after one stroke and then spreads grease over the clean parts.

GUNK is available in Halfords and probably most motor factors aswell. Trafsol make a similar product if GUNK isn't available.
If you apply GUNK the grease breaks down almost on contact. Don't be afraid to apply liberally and use a paintbrush.

kenmc wrote: »

I've read that pressure washers/power hoses can force water into places where it wouldn't ordinarily get during rain or normal hose - e.g. bottom bracket, hubs etc, also downtubes and saddletubes. Once in it can't get out.

Completely agree. Garden hose should be sufficient.

kona

wowy wrote: »

The problem is that my frame is shaped into the dropout (that's not a very accurate description, but I can't think properly). Anyhoo, I had an incident with a branch in the chain, and the whole lot bent. I got a new dropout no problem, but the problem is the small bit on the frame had also bent, and had to be heated and bent back into place, so now it's very weak, and once that goes the whole frame is useless.

was it steel or aluminium frame??? the frame shouldnt bend because of a stick tbh.

kona

kenmc wrote: »

I've read that pressure washers/power hoses can force water into places where it wouldn't ordinarily get during rain or normal hose - e.g. bottom bracket, hubs etc, also downtubes and saddletubes. Once in it can't get out.
Never having done it myself I can't comment, but it seems plausible, and a risk I wouldn't personally be prepared to take. But if you're happy fair enuff

very very true, you can get it out of the frame as there are holes, in the bb casing where the main tubes join.
although power washers use little water.

also this myth about aluminium....it will corrode, just not rust, it turns into a white powder when corroding, also the chain, cassette, random bolts, hubs , forks are not made of aluminium so will rust.

you could use a power washer....just as long as you regularly strip the bike apart and grease every few months, i wouldnt personally use one though, a bucket of warm water and muc off is just as easy:)

Hermy

kona wrote: »

also this myth about aluminium....it will corrode, just not rust, it turns into a white powder when corroding, also the chain, cassette, random bolts, hubs , forks are not made of aluminium so will rust.

That's where Autosol comes into it's own.

Hermy wrote: »

If you're dealing with alloy parts that have been dulled or corroded by weathering I'd recommend Autosol, available from most good motorfactors.

DirkVoodoo

kona wrote: »

very very true, you can get it out of the frame as there are holes, in the bb casing where the main tubes join.
although power washers use little water.

also this myth about aluminium....it will corrode, just not rust, it turns into a white powder when corroding, also the chain, cassette, random bolts, hubs , forks are not made of aluminium so will rust.

you could use a power washer....just as long as you regularly strip the bike apart and grease every few months, i wouldnt personally use one though, a bucket of warm water and muc off is just as easy:)

Aluminium reacts with oxygen to form aluminium oxide, or alumina. Its much less harmful than rust and a thin layer will form almost immediately.

petethedrummer

vegetable oil will get bike oil off your hands.

has anyone ever tried it for cleaning their gears/chain?

Hermy

And then use what to remove the vegtable oil?:-)

kenmc

Washing up liquid and warm water, just like when you wash the dishes after a fryup.
It seems to be that a light oil will break down a heavier one, washing up liquid will break down light oil.

For general bike dirt/grease/oil I tend to use warm water, washing up liquid and sugar, to give a bit of grit. Works well. "Fast orange" is a delicious smelling alternative, but swarfega smells the best.

Hermy

Don't mind me. I was just thinking of the time Homer got stuck in quick sand. He pulled his legs out with his arms and his arms out with his teeth and I can't remember what happened after that.

dub_skav

Hermy wrote: »

Don't mind me. I was just thinking of the time Homer got stuck in quick sand. He pulled his legs out with his arms and his arms out with his teeth and I can't remember what happened after that.

Stampy saved him.

On Gunk etc, do you just apply liberally to cassette and everywjere else, then wash off and just apply normal chain lubricant, or is there a step I'm missing

petethedrummer

Hermy wrote: »

And then use what to remove the vegtable oil?:-)

I supposed i could use olive oil and wipe my hands in bread and then eat the bread.
It does remove oil from stuff though. I was just wondering would it be a more environmentally friendly substance to use than degreasers.