How do you clean / maintain yours?

[CZMATE99]

Hi,

So new to this bike thing - just managed to get a cube reaction pro 625 - and i am wondering on best practice re cleaning and maintaining.

Would be very grateful to get any tips on what to do plus any products that you use - especially on the change and motor side as with my old push bike i just got on it and went and never worried about looking after it too much.

Many thanks in advance!!

CZ.

 

[DrStupid]

I never wash with a hose. I use a fan to dry it out. Clean and lube chain every ride.

 

[steve_sordy]

I suspect that one man's cleaning regime is another man's nit picking worry fest, and yet another man's idea of wilful neglect. But here goes!

Kit list:
Bucket of hot soapy water (soap liquid from Halfords that has no salt in it, for cars. Very cheap).
Watering can filled from the water butt.
Variety of brushes, including a mech brush.
Small sponge.
Hope's Sh1t Shifter. Use neat for the drive train, well diluted (10:1 ish) for preliminary spray all over for when the bike is really mucky.
If you must use a hosepipe, don't have it on jet, the water needs to be almost falling out of the hose.

Assuming bike is really mucky. If not, miss out a few steps (scrubbing tyres for ex).
Put bike on workstand
Wet the bike with the watering can.
Spray all over with the Hopes diluted stuff, ensure the tyres are well wetted. Leave for a few mins.
Rinse the bike with the watering can.
Scrub the tyres and pedals with a hard-backed bristle brush. Rinse clean.
Brush and soapy water all over the frame, wheels, under saddle, bars cables, suspension etc. I have a few different shaped brushes to get into all the nooks and crannies.
Wipe the hubs with the sponge.
Rinse bike with watering can.
Spray front ring with undiluted Hopes, ditto cassette, mech body and jockey wheels. Then scrub with the mech brush.
Rinse with watering can.
Bounce the bike to dislodge any loose water.
If it's sunny, leave bike to dry. Otherwise into the garage to dry off and lube what needs lubing.

Cleaning the tyres takes the longest. If they are mucky then usually the rest of the bike is really mucky too. I like clean tyres ok!

After giving the bike a wipe over with an old towel, I run the chain through another old towel to get it as dry as I can before lubing it. Cycle the gears through the range a few times to articulate the chain and allow the lube to work into it. Also gives you the opportunity to check the shifting is still OK. I wipe over the stanchions (fork, shock, dropper) with some paper towels before wiping over with some wet lube (never dry lube it has solvents in it). Then cycle the stanchions a few times before wiping off any loose lube and any muck. Check the brakes and I'm done. The close up work allows me to check for any cracks, stone chips, or anything else that looks as though it might need attention.

I have a Focus Jam2 and I have never had a problem with water in the connections that has affected starting or power delivery and so forth (2yrs 2 months in). Whenever I have removed the motor cover, there has never been anything in there but dust or a damp stain. OK, I don't ride through streams and rivers like some on this Forum, but I do ride through puddles and in the rain. The lack of water related problems may be down to good design or maybe just good luck, but I have never used a jet wash or anything like it.

Final note: If you have ridden through sheep shit, and allowed it to dry on the tyres, you will NEVER be able to clean it off. Yes the residue will go, but the green stain will remain. The only way to remove the stain is to ride through sand or thick mud. Loose gravel might work too. But forget trying to scrub it off. Anything that might dissolve the stain would remove my fingerprints! I would not want it anywhere near my paintwork either!

 

[Penttithefinn]

I suspect that one man's cleaning regime is another man's nit picking worry fest, and yet another man's idea of wilful neglect. But here goes!

Kit list:
Bucket of hot soapy water (soap liquid from Halfords that has no salt in it, for cars. Very cheap).
Watering can filled from the water butt.
Variety of brushes, including a mech brush.
Small sponge.
Hope's Sh1t Shifter. Use neat for the drive train, well diluted (10:1 ish) for preliminary spray all over for when the bike is really mucky.
If you must use a hosepipe, don't have it on jet, the water needs to be almost falling out of the hose.

Assuming bike is really mucky. If not, miss out a few steps (scrubbing tyres for ex).
Put bike on workstand
Wet the bike with the watering can.
Spray all over with the Hopes diluted stuff, ensure the tyres are well wetted. Leave for a few mins.
Rinse the bike with the watering can.
Scrub the tyres and pedals with a hard-backed bristle brush. Rinse clean.
Brush and soapy water all over the frame, wheels, under saddle, bars cables, suspension etc. I have a few different shaped brushes to get into all the nooks and crannies.
Wipe the hubs with the sponge.
Rinse bike with watering can.
Spray front ring with undiluted Hopes, ditto cassette, mech body and jockey wheels. Then scrub with the mech brush.
Rinse with watering can.
Bounce the bike to dislodge any loose water.
If it's sunny, leave bike to dry. Otherwise into the garage to dry off and lube what needs lubing.

Cleaning the tyres takes the longest. If they are mucky then usually the rest of the bike is really mucky too. I like clean tyres ok!

After giving the bike a wipe over with an old towel, I run the chain through another old towel to get it as dry as I can before lubing it. Cycle the gears through the range a few times to articulate the chain and allow the lube to work into it. Also gives you the opportunity to check the shifting is still OK. I wipe over the stanchions (fork, shock, dropper) with some paper towels before wiping over with some wet lube (never dry lube it has solvents in it). Then cycle the stanchions a few times before wiping off any loose lube and any muck. Check the brakes and I'm done. The close up work allows me to check for any cracks, stone chips, or anything else that looks as though it might need attention.

I have a Focus Jam2 and I have never had a problem with water in the connections that has affected starting or power delivery and so forth (2yrs 2 months in). Whenever I have removed the motor cover, there has never been anything in there but dust or a damp stain. OK, I don't ride through streams and rivers like some on this Forum, but I do ride through puddles and in the rain. The lack of water related problems may be down to good design or maybe just good luck, but I have never used a jet wash or anything like it.

Final note: If you have ridden through sheep shit, and allowed it to dry on the tyres, you will NEVER be able to clean it off. Yes the residue will go, but the green stain will remain. The only way to remove the stain is to ride through sand or thick mud. Loose gravel might work too. But forget trying to scrub it off. Anything that might dissolve the stain would remove my fingerprints! I would not want it anywhere near my paintwork either!

Final note: If you have ridden through sheep shit, having ridden through Cherries (and eaten too many) I would suggest washing as soon as possible, stickiest thing in the kingdom of Sticky!!!

 

[Tonybro]

Our Lord and Master @Rob Rides EMTB has a youtube video on the very subject - take a look! ;-)

(that's a Fiver you owe me, Rob!)

 

[Mikerb]

2 hand brushes..........one soft bristle , one stiff. Leave bike long enough for most dirt to dry, brush off with soft brush. Use stiff brush on tyres and to clean out around pivot bearings and similar. Wipe over with damp cloth, dry and buff with a towel. Using silicon shine spray on virtually everything on the bike ( with callipers and rotors covered up) helps to enable mud/dirt etc to be easily cleaned off.

Silicon shine spray ( as a bove)
Clean and lube drivetrain ( I use Citrus based degreaser with 2 toothbrushes and rinse with water)
Dribble some wet lube onto dropper post, fork stanchions and shock shaft such that the oil sits on the seals, leave for a few minutes whilst using lube on the Mech and frame pivots.
Wipe all excess oil from chain/chain ring/jockey wheels.
Operate dropper post and shock fork then wipe clean stanchions/post/shock shaft.

Every few rides remove both wheels and clean/regrease axles/bearings.
Every c3 months remove cassette and freehub to clean and regrease. Top up tyre sealant

6 months.....change brake pads and clean callipers/pistons..........probably a new chain.

Annual.....replace freehub and front/rear hub bearings......probably replace cassette and chain and chainring..... full service shock and fork. Bleed brakes and new pads.

 

[Zimmerframe]

I use a fan to dry it out. Clean and lube chain every ride.

We're not all old rock stars with a trail of fan's around to lube, clean and dry - and do things to our bikes.

 

[Beekeeper]

Yes the residue will go, but the green stain will remain. The only way to remove the stain is to ride through sand or thick mud. Loose gravel might work too. But forget trying to scrub it off. Anything that might dissolve the stain would remove my fingerprints! I would not want it anywhere near my paintwork either!

You want chlorophyll with the opposite colour to counteract / dissolve the green stain.

I suggest feeding the sheep on red cabbage instead of grass and then repeat your route. Your tyres will look new again.

 

[Tim1023]

If you have ridden through sheep shit, and allowed it to dry on the tyres, you will NEVER be able to clean it off.

Mental note for the next lockdown: mountain bike tyres are effective toilet paper substitutes

 

[B1rdie]

I use my bike only to clean my mind.
To finish I rinse both with flush water and get a good sleep.
Repeat whenever possible without any restriction, to keep things shinny and new.

 

[Pdoz]

Once a year I take it to the lbs for a check and the mongrels get rid of all the trail cred.

 

[steve_sordy]

Mental note for the next lockdown: mountain bike tyres are effective toilet paper substitutes

If you have ever buzzed your rear end when descending something steep, you will know the fearsome truth of that statement!

 

[Billybopsbasher]

Made sure my first ride was around a wet country park so as to coat the downtube with a fine layer of dirt that restricts any of the real bad shit from sticking to the bike. Never wash it as its just a tool.. Not a showpiece.. As long as all the important bits (chain, cassette, shocks and bearings etc) are in 100% working order then its fine by me, my ride is affected far more by this than how clean the bike looks. Also. Only ever used drylube as I find it keeps the drivetrain much cleaner and is also much much easier to maintain than using wetlube and having to clean it all off after each sloppy, gritty ride.
Monthly strip down and reapply of wetlube to the ratchet rings and pawls on the hubs.
Each ride tyres and brake pads/rotors get checked over and reapply of drylube to the chain.

 

[DrStupid]

Once a year I take it to the lbs for a check and the mongrels get rid of all the trail cred.

Dont know about this trail cred stuff, but if it's at all like trail crud, I'll need to try your idea. I've been letting my fans do the work,

and so far they suck.

 

[The Hodge]

I won't take you through the whole regime ..but I use Muc-off bike cleaner ..just because I like it but it can work out to be quite expensive if you go squirting it willy nilly all over the bike straight from the bottle ..
Wet the bike ( I use a pressure washer on its lowest setting against all advice ) ..get yourself a 4" paint brush and squirt the cleaner directly onto the brush and "paint" the bike ..rinse off & dry with a micro fibre towel ( even a good quality chamois leather works well on the frame ) ..
It uses a hell of a lot less product this way ..
I also use a washing up brush on the cassette & chain ..cheap as chips in most supermarkets ..
Works for me ..
*The paint brush idea was stolen from another forum member The EMF ..credit where its due

 

[Mteam]

Clean? What is cleaning?

I just ride it, put it in the garage, charge it and ride it again, I oil the chain every few rides.

 

[1oldfart]

It s a bike, not art. Just a rag to wipe off the excess. Lube chain as needed.
Less water = les problem.

 

[The Hodge]

It s a bike, not art. Just a rag to wipe off the excess. Lube chain as needed.
Less water = les problem.

I could say the same thing about my car ..but I also like a clean car ..funnily enough I also clean myself on a daily basis ..Guess I'm just a clean living kind of bloke ..

 

[steve_sordy]

I use one of those 1 litre plastic garden sprayer bottles to apply the Muc Off. I use it diluted 10-1 or something like that. I only polish the bike after the first ride of Spring and it feels like the bike needs "a spruce up". It might get done again before the winter, but definitely before sale!
Sometimes I don't wash it but just brush off the dry mud with a paintbrush. it doesn't scratch the paint because I have most of the bike covered in protective film.

 

[Tone461]

Sounds silly but the right type of brush makes a big difference. I've just brought one of these kits and really rate them.

Jobsworth 6 Piece Bike Cleaning Brush Set

www.planetx.co.uk

Oh, and don't use the pink "bike wash" from the pound shops.....might as well throw acid over it

 

[Couchy]

Hand wash and rinse then a cheap amazon 'dog blower' to remove water from everywhere then lube on drivetrain

 

[lightning]

Heavens, you lot are putting me to shame!

My Ebike gets a spray with bike cleaner and then washed off with a hose at low pressure (avoiding the motor)

l then spray everything with GT-85 (obviously not the brakes) and give it a wipe down.

Every so often l do a bit more, last night l took off the shock and cleaned the rear suspension etc.

But as soon as l've done one mile, it's dirty again, so l only clean it when it really needs it.

l oil the chain after every ride, but only with GT-85

l don't clean the wheels every ride, but every so often l put the bike on my work stand and clean the rims, with a cloth and, yes you guessed it, GT-85 (sprayed on the cloth of course, not the wheel)

Life's too short to spend hours cleaning my bike. l wish l had more time, but l don't.

 

[1oldfart]

Heavens, you lot are putting me to shame!

My Ebike gets a spray with bike cleaner and then washed off with a hose at low pressure (avoiding the motor)

l then spray everything with GT-85 (obviously not the brakes) and give it a wipe down.

Every so often l do a bit more, last night l took off the shock and cleaned the rear suspension etc.

But as soon as l've done one mile, it's dirty again, so l only clean it when it really needs it.

l oil the chain after every ride, but only with GT-85

l don't clean the wheels every ride, but every so often l put the bike on my work stand and clean the rims, with a cloth and, yes you guessed it, GT-85 (sprayed on the cloth of course, not the wheel)

Life's too short to spend hours cleaning my bike. l wish l had more time, but l don't.

I mainly let rain clean mine.

 

[lightning]

I tried that, riding in the rain, but it doesn't seem to wash off the mud. A bit like the Land Rover, drive it through torrential rain and the mud doesn't wash off at all