Rode on thursday with my 20 year old son and my normal group of mates,really loves it and he is a good rider. Go into garage today to find his pride and joy still covered in crap, left the following note stuck to his bike 👿

From your BIKE……..
I give you endless fun
I bring a smile to your face
I bring a sense of being a kid again
And I have never let you down

All I ask in return is that you wash me, oil me, adjust a few bits and then take me out riding again ….. is that to much to ask ?
Your nice, quality, reliable bicycle ?

Might work ? What do you reckon ?

Let him learn his lesson when it doesn’t work properly the next time.

I leave mine dirty. Chain and suspension gets cleaned. I don’t polish my shovel after I dig a hole either.

Maybe less mud would stick to your shovel if you polished it?

Leave the note, but hide the pressure washer

I leave mine dirty. Chain and suspension gets cleaned.

I’m with you. Its a mountain bike after all. I maintain the essential moving bits before every ride but whats the point in cleaning the frame all the time?
A clean bike in the Uk only lasts one or 2 rides max anyway and frankly there’s better ways to spend the time.

Your meant to wash them?

wash every ride – I like getting on a clean bike each sunday

same goes for the car – half an hours cleaning and it looks great again. We spend a small fortune on bikes, so it’s not a hardship for me to give it a little attention with a bucket

Your meant to wash them?

Says who? Why should I? What difference does it make?

same goes for the car

I don’t clean that either. I take all the junk out of the inside every now and then, but I don’t get the hose and sponge out!
Again whats the point in doing that particularly when my bikes worth more than my car anyway.

it’s his bike, let him do whatever he wants with it. I also keep my drivetrain clean and lubed and bearings free of gunk, but if there is mud on the frame, it stays there until I can find a big enough puddle 🙂

Ah whats the point in getting out of bed in the morning, i’m just going to be back there at night

yeah i try wash mine everytime after a ride so when i go out again it feels good riding a nice clean bike… until you come to your next mud splash :/

it feels good riding a nice clean bike… until you come to your next mud splash

which takes about 30 seconds where I live and ride

There’s an old saying about a shiny shovel. I recommend keeping it polished.

ha ha ha, to have the time to spend cleaning bikes… barely get enough time to ride!

I’ve heard if you don’t wash them for long enough, they start cleaning themselves. I’ll let you know….

A good rain on a long motorway drive does the job for me

wash every ride – I like getting on a clean bike each sunday

😆 Some of us ride more than once a week………….

Winter I hose it down after every ride and lube the chain, but in summer it hardly ever gets cleaned.

90% of all cracks are discovered while washing your bike. why take the risk?

I discovered mine was cracked whilst washing it. Wish i had left it dirty now.

markoshea – Member

90% of all cracks are discovered while washing your bike. why take the risk?

So far 100% of my cracks have been discovered by having the bike suddenly fall in half, it seems a very straightforward and reliable method to me.

Also, both times have been on bikes that I’ve cleaned at least once, which seems like a pretty clear causal link.

From Santa Cruz-

http://www.santacruzbikes.co.uk

I’m lazy and lack motivation, what can I do to prolong bearing life?
Stop washing your bike so much. We did some experiments with bikes that were washed a lot but ridden infrequently, bikes that were ridden a lot but washed infrequently, and bikes that were both washed and ridden a lot. Guess what? Your bike hates only being washed and not being ridden. This test group had the worst results. They became creaky and not much fun to be around, much like the people who own bikes like that. Don’t get all angry (you know who you are), you can still wash your bike from time to time – and there are those times where it has to be done after every ride. Everything needs more attention during those times. BUT, maybe you should examine your priorities. It’s a mountain bike. You can get dirt on it. It’s OK.

Simon – Member
wash every ride – I like getting on a clean bike each sunday
Some of us ride more than once a week………….
Winter I hose it down after every ride and lube the chain, but in summer it hardly ever gets

Glad you find that hilarious – I’d love to ride in the week, but work and family come first, hopefully When the kids are older that will change!

I used to wash mine after every muddy ride but in recent years iv’e become less obsessive,drivetrain gets a blast and an oil and ill wash the whole bike every month or so,i agree with M6TTF i do like getting on a clean bike but i also like sitting on my arse drinking tea,im trying to strike a balance

The mud holds the rusty bits together on mine

Simon – Member
wash every ride – I like getting on a clean bike each sunday
Some of us ride more than once a week………….
Winter I hose it down after every ride and lube the chain, but in summer it hardly ever gets
Glad you find that hilarious – I’d love to ride in the week, but work and family come first, hopefully When the kids are older that will change!

you get to ride on a sunday?! lucky bugger 8)

When I bought a new bike, washed it every ride (licked it clean, spent ages on it- 6 months later when I stripped it for a warranty claim, I was shocked at the state of the bearings. No HP hose was used here either. Dont bother now, unless it is for STW photos. (chain etc get done but thats a given)

I ride mine every day off road and I generally only wash it it the day before a race or trailquest.
On a similar note, I’ve had my Land Rover 12 years and washed it once, about 10 years ago.

To answer the original question – no.
Is this really an argument about bike cleaning?
How about an argument about which side to dress on?
The left obviously.

“Is this really an argument about bike cleaning?”

No

People clean their bikes?!

Be a man and keep it dirty.

Try and keep my premium bike clean but the pig only has the importantant bits fettled and a proper wash a couple of times a year.

I reckon in about 10 years things will have quietened down enough to clean the bike every ride.

i think my bike looks better with its caked on layer or mud and cow poo. much like a land rover covered in crap. it looks like it’s been doing the job it’s designed for and not been prettied up just to look at.

also, all that cleaning removes the shine from the paint.

as others, my drive chain and forks get cleaned and recieve a drop of lube. otherwise that’s about it unless it’s so dirty that its weight has noticeably increased.

whilst working on gran canaria the bikies used to get a wash after every ride. after 5 months the new bikes were needing their bearings replaced.

Tends to be quite sandy dust here. Leave it to dry. Then attack it with a soft brush and a toothbrush to get in all the nooks and crannies, with a Dyson to suck up all the mess.

andytherocketeer – Member
Tends to be quite sandy dust here. Leave it to dry. Then attack it with a soft brush and a toothbrush to get in all the nooks and crannies, with a Dyson to suck up all the mess.

Hehehe – I used to do that in the flat when the missus was out. Hardwood floor and a dustpan and brush made it easy. It was either ‘dry clean only’, or washed if it was sharing the back of the car with luggage. Now I have no car… 🙂

He’s 20… many things are more important than a clean bike… and he is right.

I wash my bike when its pretty dirty and I do it so I can inspect it for wear/damage.

I can’t relate to the Santacruz claim, every time my bike is clean it runs perfectly as opposed to having it dirty and not running so well.

I hose it down and wipe off the stanchions and shock but should probably do more. I don’t think a bike really has to be clean though apart from the important bits. It’s like when people say ‘white bikes are bad because they show the dirt’ who cares.

‘clean’ being making sure drivetrain is free of crap and lubed rather than being headset, bearings etc being jetwashed

im thinking the boy doesnt pay for his own componants and even if he does when mortgage/bills etc start eating into his pocket money and a nagging wife/taste for a few sneeky cans are involved im sure he will ‘take the time’ to polish his best way of escape 😀