Cleaning tips

[Battledore]

Hey there!

I've picked up mountain biking as a hobby, and now I am of course stuck with a dirty bike after returning from the woods. My bike is a Cannondale Habit Neo 4+.

So far I'm resorting to using the gas station pressure washers, cleaning program with detergent frist, then rinse with pure water. After that I apply fresh synthetic oil to the chain and give it a good rubbing with an old rag. Same goes for bearings or other mechanical moving components - not the brakes, ofc. Not using a spray bottle either.

Since I am new to this and pretty enthusiastic, I am wondering how much cleaning is really necessary and how much is too much. After all, I'm using pressurized water and washing detergents on mechanical components which don't like water and want to stay lubricated. I also plan on getting out and about at least twice a week (currently it's more like each day).

How do you go about this? How often do you clean your bikes? Only after wet and muddy trips, or also when it has just collected some dust? Should I rather use cleaning fluid and a brush on my chain?

I'm already researching the whole theory part on my own, but I'm interested in your real life experiences.

 

[RustyIron]

So far I'm resorting to using the gas station pressure washers, cleaning program with detergent frist, then rinse with pure water. After that I apply fresh synthetic oil to the chain

Any kind of pressurized water or air is going to force dirt and water past the seals and into the bearings, bushings, and electrical components. Avoid it at all costs.

When the bike is dry and dusty, I use "waterless car wash" sprayed on a rag, and I wipe everything down. It looks good and the residue will help in further cleanings.

If you have mud or other goop that can't be wiped off, then use a gentle flow of water from the hose. Use a rag or brush to help, but do your best to avoid a direct flow of water onto bearings and electrical components. You can finish with the waterless car wash on a rag.

Don't use regular oil on your chain. Use lubricants that are specifically made for bicycle chains. What you use will depend upon the conditions in which you ride.

 

[Bones]

Find a stick somewhere near home, scrape and poke some mud off the bike, stick it in the garage, forget about it until next time you ride it.
Well that's my cleaning regime anyway

 

[Paulquattro]

Welcome to the forum
If using a pressure washer you will get a very good friendship going with your bike supplier

 

[steve_sordy]

I use a watering can and NEVER a pressure washer, not even a hosepipe! I buy the cheapest non-wax car shampoo from Halfords and put some in a big bucket of hot water. I use the watering can to presoak the bike and also to rinse off the soapy liquid. A sponge, a variety of brushes and a cloth is all I need. I use a brake friendly degreaser on the chain and gears; Hope's Sh1tshifter is the one I use, but there are plenty to choose from. The key is that it is brake friendly.

Proper bike lubricant as mentioned earlier, I use MucOff wet lube all year round on the chain, the suspension and on the dropper stanchion.

 

[Eliadn]

At the car wash, I used to use the pressure washer without squeezing the trigger so the pressure was much lower. Still, I wouldn't aim it at sensitive parts.
Now I have portable pressure washer for bikes, which is awesome.
Quick rinse, bike cleaner, rinse again and wipe with microfiber cloth. That's all there's to it.

 

[p3eps]

Everyone is different. My bike lives in my garage, which also doubles as a golf simulator - and is immaculately clean. As a result, my bike needs to be spotless before I take it in and store it on the ceiling!

Mine usually comes home in mud, and lots of pine needles. It has usually dried in a bit by the time I get it home too - as most of my rides involve a 30-40min car journey first.

My routine is as follows...

Put the bike on the road outside my house over a drain on my Gioma bike stand (£30 from Amazon - keep the bike upright, and allows you to spin the back wheel).

Spray the bike with a hose. Mains water pressure with a Hozelok nozzle which is set to a wide spray. Get the worst of the dirt off with that, and get the bike generally wet - including the tyres!

Spray a generous amount of MucOff onto the bike and leave it to soak for a few mins.

Have a little scrub with a MucOff brush, then rinse off with the hose.

Spray some Peaty's Foaming Drivetrain cleaner onto the cassette / chain / derailleur / chainring and let it foam up for a minute or 2.
Use Peaty's drivetrain brush to scrub a little, and run the chain through the brush.
Rinse off with the hose.

Bounce the bike a few times, and lift the front wheel into a 90° wheelie and bounce. Dry it off with an old towel.

Run the chain through a dry cloth to soak up the worst of the remaining water, then use an air blower to get the remains out of the drivetrain.
Apply lube to chain - currently Peaty's Linklube All Weather Premium.

That's pretty much what I've been doing for the last 10 years, and have never had any issues - MTB and eMTB (almost 5 years).
Everyone has their own routine and different requirements that suit them. Mine takes under 10 mins, and leaves me with a clean / lubed bike ready to ride. If I was going out 2 days in a row, I sometimes just leave the bike dirty on a mat, and ride the following day. My riding is normally once or twice a week, so cleaning isn't too much hassle.


On another note - I've bought some 'Hydro' products that I keep seeing advertised on Facebook (I'm a sucker for a FB ad!), which is a pre wash and snow foam. They spray from a handheld spray (pump) bottle, but come out with the snow foam effect. I'm going to try this instead of MucOff to see if it makes my routine easier and cheaper.

 

[Polar]

I use the hose at very low pressure (wide spread) to get of the worst, bucket of hot water, muc-off soap, different brushes, old towels to dry the bike and muc-off silicon spray everywhere except on rotors, seat and grips.
Much easier to clean the bike later when it's silicone on it. Rock'n Roll on the chain and some extra silicon on suspension/dropper stanchions.

 

[steve_sordy]

Do the snow foam cleaners get rid of clay mud and/or sheep shit off the tyres? I always have to scrub the tyres with hot soapy water to get clay mud off, but not even that shifts the green stain from the sheep shit. That needs a ride on sand!

 

[Renton_Yorkshire]

Ive never had a hosepipe or a pressure washer near any of my bikes. Bit of muc-off on the frame, wipe it all down and jobs a good un - Peatys 'link lube all weather' for the chain (love the smell of that stuff!) and I've never cleaned a bike tyre in my life Enough speed and all the crap comes flying off anyway

 

[Hiltix]

Most has already been written and, of course, there are different ways to get there.
What else I do:
After washing and before I oil the chain, I treat it with a chain cleaning spray.
I also wipe the brake discs with brake disc cleaner using cleaning paper.

 

[Dax]

Now go replace your bearings, motor and wiring harness.

 

[Arminius]

Do the snow foam cleaners get rid of clay mud and/or sheep shit off the tyres? I always have to scrub the tyres with hot soapy water to get clay mud off, but not even that shifts the green stain from the sheep shit. That needs a ride on sand!

I sometimes use snow foam on the bike. It softens and easily removes main parts of mud from the bike but not from the rubber / profile of the tyres, i.e. there is always some mud and stain left on it that needs a brush to be removed.
My frame has a matt finish and also there you will find some stain from dirt that needs extra treatment, not heavy but some kind of rubbing.

 

[Hiltix]

I sometimes use snow foam on the bike. It softens and easily removes mud from the bike but not from the rubber / profile of the tyres, i.e. there is always some mud and stain left on it that needs a brush to be removed.

Unlike the chain, gears, brakes ..., dirt on the tires doesn't bother me