Cleaning Mountain Bike

gercon

Hi all,

Is there any good advice on cleaning a mountain bike after a trail?

I checked out some vids online and the standard process is to wash it down with water, dry off an lube the chain every now and again.

How important is it to hand dry the bike? Will leaving it to dry off in a garden shed leave it prone to rusting or cause any long term damage to the chain etc?

Any advice or tips welcome.

Thx

blorg

I wouldn't imagine there is any need to hand-dry the bike itself, but you would want to re-lube the chain immediately after cleaning it as yes, it will rust if left to dry by itself. I just wipe off with a cloth and re-lube. The oil repels the water anyway.

Morgan

The chain is the part most prone to rusting - make sure you dry it with a rag and oil it immediately after washing (and after any wet rides). The rest of the bike should be fine - just drop it a few time to shake off some of the water and let it dry outside.

gercon

Good to know, cheers....

Morgan

Morgan wrote: »

and let it dry outside.

Assuming it's not raining.

'68 Fastback

Depends on the kind of bike really. If its a full sus frame you should be careful when it comes to the pivots and bushings. Hot water, pressure washers and degreasing detergents can remove the grease. Not a good thing.

Same care should be taken around your fork seals, headset, hubs, anything with bearings and grease.

Use WD40 or something similar on your cables to get any water out of the outers and prolong the cable life. I'd usually spray a bit into those little holes in the frame if its a steel frame. Keep the sh*t away from pivots and bearings cause it'll break down the grease like a degreaser. keep it away from disk brakes too cause it'll f*ck 'em up.

If it's been a particularly soupy ride i'd clean the chain and cassette properly to get all the grit out of the links.
Lots of degreaser and a good chain cleaner make this far easier than soap and water. Make sure the chain is dry before you re lube it.

I know all this sounds like a pain in the swiss but it'll prolong the life of your components and reduce the chance of you walking home from the hills.

Gavin

I use one of these

Refill it with water, pump it up with track stand and Hey Presto, it's a portable bike washer!

What fastback says goes too though. I only use it to rinse the frame quickly.

'68 Fastback

Yeah, forgot to mention that bit. Most important of all the wash techniques!

SetOverSet

'68 wrote:

Depends on the kind of bike really. If its a full sus frame you should be careful when it comes to the pivots and bushings. Hot water, pressure washers and degreasing detergents can remove the grease. Not a good thing.

Not to mention the danger of forcing water into bearings

CursedSkeptic

I usually use a garden hose to get the heavy dirt off and then use a cloth on the small parts. A pen knife can be useful for getting dirt out of any small parts.

snollup

Without trying to hijack your thread can I ask what is the best way to generally maintain the underside of the frame and in and around the front & back derailers? I seem to get a fair build up of oil and general gunge that seems a bugger to shift without taking the thing apart. I wouldn't have the confidence to go messing with the gears. It's one of my reasons for considering getting a single speed. Cheers all.