Why Clean your ride?
Bikes pick up all sorts of stuff from the roads and trails…dust, dirt, splattered road kill, even cow poo!
Giving your bike a little TLC helps your parts last longer reducing the chance you’ll be caught off-guard by a mishap, it also protects your bike’s paint work and improves overall ride quality.
LET’S GET DOWN TO THE NITTY GRITTY (LITERALLY!)
Start with two buckets of warm water—one for your bike, and one for your drivetrain.
Tools of the trade:
Hard-bristled brush, a soft-bristled brush, a cone brush (you can make do without brushes and use old soft cloths), Ideally
bike-specific degreaser and bike wash , a clean dry towel, and chain lube.
You can put your bike in a stand, or lean it up against a wall.
Soak it up!
Soak the drivetrain, frame, and wheels with a pre-wash of cleaning solution. Then spray the drivetrain with degreaser, carefully avoiding spraying directly into any bearings or disc brakes. Then, spray the frame, wheels, and tyres with bike wash, again avoiding spraying into any bearings or disc brakes.
While the bike is soaking, fill two buckets with a few ounces of bike-specific degreaser and enough warm water to submerge your brushes.
Don’t be shy!
Start with your drivetrain. Use the drivetrain bucket and hard-bristled brush to clean the entire drivetrain. You can also use a chain cleaning device filled with degreaser instead.
Next, wash the frame and fork from the top of the bike down using a soft-bristled brush with the clean bucket of degreaser solution. Clean the tires with a hard-bristled brush, the wheels with a soft-bristled brush, and use the cone brush for cleaning your hubs. When cleaning your wheels, avoid contacting the brake system
for the finishing touches…
Once the entire bike is clean, rinse it with a light shower spray. Finally, wipe down the frame with a clean soft towel until dry and add lube to the chain.