Winter riding - how do you clean your bike?
Discussion
I love winter riding but I hate spending 2 hours the day after a ride chiselling several cubic inches of mud out of my gears and derailleurs so they actually move!
I know several people that hose and brush the mud out of the gears asap after a ride whilst it is still wet. However I find this doesnt often shift it all, and because it is wet brushing it just spreads it about. I personally leave it a day to dry and harden, then brush it off so it comes away cleanly in big clods. A quick whizz of the chain through a cleaning bath full of white spirit, scrub the chainring teeth in it with an old sinkbrush, wipe everything dry then re-lube and its good to go.
The annoying thing I find is that all of the mud stuck in the drivetrain comes from the back wheel. When I'm running on the inner ring, the chain is really close to the back tyre so when the wheel gets very muddy, it wipes the mud onto the chain which the spreads it onto the front derailleur where it bunched up into a huge clod, and through the back mini-cogs where it builds up, dries and sets, preventing them rotating.
How do you guys stop this happening? Or do you just accept it?
This was my bike yesterday:
and the mud I removed just from the drivetrain
I know several people that hose and brush the mud out of the gears asap after a ride whilst it is still wet. However I find this doesnt often shift it all, and because it is wet brushing it just spreads it about. I personally leave it a day to dry and harden, then brush it off so it comes away cleanly in big clods. A quick whizz of the chain through a cleaning bath full of white spirit, scrub the chainring teeth in it with an old sinkbrush, wipe everything dry then re-lube and its good to go.
The annoying thing I find is that all of the mud stuck in the drivetrain comes from the back wheel. When I'm running on the inner ring, the chain is really close to the back tyre so when the wheel gets very muddy, it wipes the mud onto the chain which the spreads it onto the front derailleur where it bunched up into a huge clod, and through the back mini-cogs where it builds up, dries and sets, preventing them rotating.
How do you guys stop this happening? Or do you just accept it?
This was my bike yesterday:
and the mud I removed just from the drivetrain
Here's what mine typically looks like at this time of year after a ride:
Sorry about the blurry image - an iphone special!
Ten minutes with a pressure washer and it's as good as new. I don't, however, direct the jet at any bearing but I do blast the chain, derailleurs and gears and then lube up. Been doing this for four or five years now with no problems.
Sorry about the blurry image - an iphone special!
Ten minutes with a pressure washer and it's as good as new. I don't, however, direct the jet at any bearing but I do blast the chain, derailleurs and gears and then lube up. Been doing this for four or five years now with no problems.
muc off bike cleaner is brilliant
Spray it on, leave it 5 minutes. In that 5 minutes get some chain degreaser on the chain and drivetrain....a £4 chinese chain cleaner device is actually brilliant for this.
Rinse off. Wet sponge to get the missed bits and a brush in the hard to reach areas.
Dry and lube the chain etc and your away. 20mins tops.
Spray it on, leave it 5 minutes. In that 5 minutes get some chain degreaser on the chain and drivetrain....a £4 chinese chain cleaner device is actually brilliant for this.
Rinse off. Wet sponge to get the missed bits and a brush in the hard to reach areas.
Dry and lube the chain etc and your away. 20mins tops.
Wheels off, bike upside down, couple of minutes with the hose pipe to blast the worst off, spray liberally with Hope She*t Shifter, leave to soak for a couple of minutes while I fill a bucket with hot water, then brush the whole bike down using the hot water to rinse the brush often. Final hose down, spray drive train with GT-85, dry drive train with paper towels then re-lube with chain lube. Takes about 20 minutes.
http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/product/details/...
Tend to find one of those works well, sometimes need to fill it up, then finish off with a wipe with warm water. Cleans the cross bike up a treat no matter how muddy. Don't leave it to set, get it off whilst it's still moist and moveable. Seems like a drag at the end of a hard ride/race but it's worse the next day.
Tend to find one of those works well, sometimes need to fill it up, then finish off with a wipe with warm water. Cleans the cross bike up a treat no matter how muddy. Don't leave it to set, get it off whilst it's still moist and moveable. Seems like a drag at the end of a hard ride/race but it's worse the next day.
Lots of talk here about cleaning frames and wheels etc.... 
I just clean the essential bits - de-mud, clean and relube chain, sprockets and shifters, clean and silicone lube the fork stancions,and de-mud the calipers if they are contaminated. The rest of the bike is left au naturale!!
I just clean the essential bits - de-mud, clean and relube chain, sprockets and shifters, clean and silicone lube the fork stancions,and de-mud the calipers if they are contaminated. The rest of the bike is left au naturale!!
mat777 said:
Lots of talk here about cleaning frames and wheels etc....
I just clean the essential bits - de-mud, clean and relube chain, sprockets and shifters, clean and silicone lube the fork stancions,and de-mud the calipers if they are contaminated. The rest of the bike is left au naturale!!
Perfect. I spend ages on chain, cassettes and sprockets. White Peak eats drivetrain.I just clean the essential bits - de-mud, clean and relube chain, sprockets and shifters, clean and silicone lube the fork stancions,and de-mud the calipers if they are contaminated. The rest of the bike is left au naturale!!
barker22 said:
muc off bike cleaner is eye wateringly expensive
Buy Comma Truck curtain cleaner in a 5l can and mix it 75(water)/25 for a far superior product at a fraction of the price.(I dont offroad cycles but have a stable of Trials bikes which I have always pressure washed off, I find the time saving, plus the fact you can really check for cracks, more than makes up for the time and cost of bearing cleaning and replacement)
Edited by crisisjez on Wednesday 5th December 05:20
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