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When a friend pulled his bike out of the garage last week, what he found was barely
recognizable. A scratched up, corroded ride with stiff braking and shifting cables. A
squeaky chain with stiff links skipping over clogged cogs, and to top it all off, the
bearings were frozen solid. He had neglected to clean it after his last few rides, and
while riding in extreme conditions and getting covered with mud may have earned him
bragging rights with his buds. It was also a quick way to trash his rig.
What he learned is that it’s smart to deal with the mud and muck pronto after a ride, to
save himself a bunch of grief, and to save his bike. And, fortunately, there’s an easy way
to do it. All it takes is assembling a bike-cleaning kit, keeping it ready, and putting it
to use after messy ride (a 15-minute job). Some people even keep the kit in their vehicles
for use when traveling so they can clean their bikes before returning. These folks know
the golden rule of bike cleaning: The easiest bike to clean is a clean one.
(Translation: it’s the accumulated grime that builds up over time that makes bike cleaning
so tough; if you never allow it to develop, cleaning is as simple as washing and
wiping.)
- Clean the bike. Dump the grimy water and put fresh warm water with detergent
in the bucket. Use your other sponge and brushes to thoroughly clean the bike. Get in all
the tight spots around and under the bike, too. Don’t neglect the wheels. Scrub the
spokes, rims and tires.
- Rinse cycle. Use the hose to drip water from above over the bike to wash off
all the soapsuds. Resist the temptation to blast the bike with water because that may
force water past the bearing seals in components, and you don’t want that.
- Dry and inspect. Start by taking the bike down and bouncing it a few times on
its tires by dropping it from a few inches and catching it. This will shake off a lot of
the water. Then hang it back up and wipe down the bike, polishing and cleaning as you
work. Get all the water beads off. When it’s dry, check the tires for cuts or sidewall
cracks or baldness, signs that you should replace them. Also look at the brake pads. If
the grooves are worn away, replace the pads.
- Lubricate. Apply lube to the chain, cables, and the pivot points on the brakes
and derailleurs. Allow the lube to sit for a few minutes, then wipe off the excess, which
will help prevent grime buildup. If you’ve got a shock fork, apply a few drops of Teflon
lube to the legs and work the fork a bit up and down to move the oil past the seal and
lubricate the legs.
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