A clean bike is a happy bike and mostly the riders ignore this point, you just need Colin and a microfiber towel to secure your bike from dirt and dust but what do you do when your bike is poured full of mud.
In this blog, we share a few tips and tricks to make the cleaning process less of a hassle.
WHAT DO YOU NEED:
You’ll need these everyday household items to clean your bike:
- Clean shop rags or old cotton T-shirts
- Bottle brushes
- Scrub brushes
- Bucket
- Soft, square-head brush for wheels
- Garden hose with trigger-style spray head
- Sponges.
DO’S AND DON'T’S
DO
• Recycle your dish sponges. You’ll get a couple of months out of them on bike-wash duty.
• Floss with a clean rag between chainrings, cogs, and other hard-to-reach places.
• Be committed. A clean bike rides better and lasts longer.
DON’T
• Mix your buckets, tools, and rags. You don’t want to cover your frame with drivetrain grease.
• Use an abrasive sponge or brush on your frame.
• Clean your bike with a high-pressure hose. Water will get into and degrade your bearings.
THE SETUP
Step 1:
Fill two clean buckets with water and a generous squirt of dish soap. Lay out your brushes, sponges, and rags.
Step 2:
Place your bike in a work stand, this brings it up off the ground and makes all the nooks and crannies easier to reach. No work-stand? Try hooking the nose of your saddle over a taut clothesline.
Step 3:
Next, remove your wheels. You can insert a chain keeper—a guide for your chain when the cassette is removed—to keep tension on the drivetrain. It’s fine to skip this step if you don’t want to spring for the tool, but using one prevents the chain from folding up on itself or falling off the bike when you try to work on it.
THE WASH
