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At the moment i seem to be cleaning 2 bikes, 4-5 times a week !!!!
They get a quick hose, then a wash with some cleaning products, then a wipe and a bit of Citrus cleaner on some bits, then a check and lube. All in all, i think 45 mins. Seems to be 4-5 times a week for both mine and the lads bikes...
It's getting a bit wearing. lol.
Every ride, it just feels wrong to not clean each time. This year I cant be bothered riding much in the slop though as it's too much effort so the road bike gets more time. That doesnt get washed.
My rigid singlespeed?
Spray the lumps off chuck it in the basement.
No lumps no cleanie so on average less than once a week.
Why do you use 'cleaning products'? Assuming it's just mud, water will get that off, and dry in the air, so wash, dry, lube, 2 min max.
Proper clean? never really in winter, unless I'm changing bearings or something.
After a ride I hose all the muck and sheep shit off with hot water, as I have an outside hot tap and when sheep shit dries it's murder to get off. Give it a wipe over with a soapy rag, hose that off and lube the chain. 7 or 8 minutes tops.
Why do you use ‘cleaning products’? Assuming it’s just mud, water will get that off, and dry in the air, so wash, dry, lube, 2 min max.
Because clean is clean and 'bit of a hose' doesn't get things clean 🙂
I also us a pet blower to dry it off on the chain/mech etc.
Probably wouldn’t bother actually washing that often, but i make sure any bits that need attention, get it.
So make sure chain is properly lubed (putoline)
And a light spray of any cables.
Any caked on mud gets flicked off when dry.
Obviously, if the bike is going in the house I’d have to up my game somewhat.
When I need to do work on it. Otherwise I just keep stanchions and the chain clean and chain also lubed. Which is the exact same as my Summer routine.
Quick spray with a hose to get the worst off every ride, then a bit of a proper clean every 1 or 2 weeks (or if the bike is likely to be away for a while).
Can your son clean the bikes? My 2yo hoses down his balance bike, but I appreciate that teenagers are different animals altogether.
Clening products = a bottle of stardrops, a quid and will last all winter.
Anything that moves against something else gets cleaned and lubed once a week. The frame and bits like that wear their mud with pride until it gets dry again.
Can your son clean the bikes? My 2yo hoses down his balance bike, but I appreciate that teenagers are different animals altogether.
He could, but like most kids when washing your car, they do a bloody rubbish job.
Add to that, often we're out riding that much that when he gets home it's either food time or homework time and i'd rather he concentrates on that stuff. But sometimes he gives me a hand yeah.
Water and soft brush for the frame, stiff brush for the wheels. Muc off and similar nasty products no where near my bike.
After every ride - takes 10 mins.
One thing that can make your life easier is to use Silicone spray. If you spray your bike once its clean (not the discs) then mud and dirt will find it harder to stick to the bike. This makes washing much faster the next time. Also good for lubing forks / uppy-downies.
I hose it, then hot soapy water with a brush, then Silicone spray, then WD40 the chain. Job done.
I also find WD40'ing the chain makes it hard for dirt to stick to it. Chain always looks nice and shiny. My Jeffsy went 5,000km before the chain wore out, and that's riding it all year long.
Unless it's really bad just wait for it to dry and clean drivetrain, fork/shock/dropper seals.
I've far less creakage going on than when constant washing and using cleaning dropucts.
Only time they get a full clean is before any major work or a riding holiday.
He could, but like most kids when washing your car, they do a bloody rubbish job.
Only one way for him to get better at it 😃
Every time, I went for a night ride last week, came back tired, wet, hungry in the dark/rain and just wheeled it into the garage and locked the door.
tried to wipe the worst of the chain saturday morning and re-lube but it will running like a dog all day. Can't live like that. I've given it a good clean, let the chain dry, lubed the chain before work this morning, I'm going to let it 'soak' for a couple of days before I wipe it off.
Depends how muddy the bike is. I try to wash the drivetrain if it is muddy though so it wears out slower.
My Road bike gets cleaned once a week. My mountain bike gets cleaned after every use - all year round - unless trails are super dry.
My car is lucky to get a pre MOT wash!
Every time after a muddy ride like we've been having, especially if using the ebike, after the weekend i had to do a full on clean, even removing the cassette to get the debris out that had made shifting impossible in the 5 smallest cogs.
Usually it's just a wash down, protecting against it going into the bike of course, then a quick hand wash on the areas that are sensitive. It's the little bits i do that make me clean it though, like cleaning out the brake calipers, rotors, rear mech, etc, and lubing those parts that need it to stop creaks and make sure they operate properly. It really is about longevity for parts and operating smoothly though, in summer i barely ever clean the bikes, same with winter rides that don't cake the bike in mud or end the ride with the bike squealing.
Interested in the prevailing wisdom here as I live in city centre shared flats so don’t have access to a hose.
Basically doing the following. Bike is fully rigid.
Fill a couple of water bottles with water and ‘hose’ down drive chain and disks;
A couple of other bottles to removed all the crude. Wipe the rest of the frame down with a towel.
Using a wet lube - should I just let it dry and then lube again? Or use WD40 to keep it simple?
I 'wash' mine with plain water and a hydroshot after every ride.
It gets a scrub with traffic film remover and a brush maybe once a month.
At the moment i seem to be cleaning 2 bikes, 4-5 times a week !!!!
They get a quick hose, then a wash with some cleaning products, then a wipe and a bit of Citrus cleaner on some bits, then a check and lube. All in all, i think 45 mins. Seems to be 4-5 times a week for both mine and the lads bikes…
It’s getting a bit wearing. lol.
You're supposed to clean them?
I used to religiously clean it after every ride. Now that I no longer have a hose and it's all a bit more of an effort I've sort of just stopped... Even if I didn't manage to give the bike a full clean I would allways clean the drivetrain but with using putoline now that's no longer even the case. I'm not sure if it actually has a negative impact or not.
A quick hose down after Sunday ride (I don't even hose down after Saturday ride).
Wipe down of the chain and re-lube and job done until following weekend.
Gets most of the dirt off and I will clean it properly in the spring.
Its funny how small things can make a big difference - installed an outside hot water tap - makes cleaning so much nicer
If you class a once over with the Hydroshot and a wipe of the chain after a ride as a clean, then every ride.
If not, never!
I do clean an area if it needs some work though.
I generally fill a kettle to do the hot duties.. but it's not perfect as a solution i admit.
Assume we're talking mountain bikes here?
If so, hosed down after every ride over the winter. It'll be caked in mud so will be set solid if it's not cleaned.
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This is why when I used to ride a lot more frequently, I bought a Dirtworker.
I suppose it depends if you are riding from your door, or driving to ride. But for me, I was driving and would then end up with the bike drying out in the car on the way home that meant it took much longer to clean.
I bought a Dirtworker so I could spray it clean in the car park while all the mud was still wet & I was wearing my claggy riding gear. I'd then give a spray of GT85 on things like pedal springs, cassette etc. & then some proper lube over the chain.
Once home the bike could go straight in the garage & I didn't have to worry about cleaning it separately.
To be honest, if you're riding that often & the bikes doesn't actually need a clean to function (drivetrain not completely clagged up) I'd probably just give it a clean once a week.
I struggle to find the time to ride my bike, so if a full clean was required after each ride they'd never get ridden!
Haven't cleaned mine for months. Used 3 times a week in all sorts of conditions and its covered in mud and works ok, just a little heavier than it needs to be. Its a bike, not a faberge egg.
I commute to work on a gravel bike, mainly on cycle paths. (about 90miles per week)
I am OCD about my bike, so I generally give it a proper clean and light service every second weekend.
I struggle to find the time to ride my bike, so if a full clean was required after each ride they’d never get ridden!
I'm fortunate that time isn't an issue.
Loads of factors.
When it gets really filthy. It'll get hosed off.
When a quick squirt with a hose isn't enough it'll get more attention, usually soapy liquid and a soft brush.
When I'm riding somewhere not local it'll get a proper wash before and after (arboreal contamination prevention).
When it's proper winter, hardly at all. Riding in snow means the bike is often spotless once it melts off.
Rigid belt drive gets a hose every few days but if it is really crap I clean the belt after the ride.
The roadbike gets a proper clean once a week but if it has been wet or gritty the drive chain gets a hose down and WD40 and lube applied.
It depends for me - probably every 2 to 3 rides I strip the chain off and give it a clean.
Seals on the fork, every ride.
I don't bother washing the frame ever in winter.
Bike gets a good waxing just before winter.
Cleaning thereafter involves giving it a good bouncing and any dirt that's going to fall off, falls off. Bike put away wet in shed. Job done.
Singlespeed or hub gear, of course.
The SS gets mudguards put on it in October time and then usually left alone other than an occasional wipe and lube of the chain. It's the work of a few minutes to clean it. When the mudguards come off it gets a proper clean up.
The CX, most rides it'll need some sort of cleaning.
I don't have access to a hose so on a few occasions when it's been absolutely filthy I've stopped at a jetwash but usually I just wait for it to dry, brush the worst of it off and then clean and re-lube the drivetrain.
Weeksy
I’m fortunate that time isn’t an issue.
Then go ahead or ...
When I need to do work on it. Otherwise I just keep stanchions and the chain clean and chain also lubed. Which is the exact same as my Summer routine.
To be fair I wash mine once either end of winter even if it doesn't need it. 😉
often we’re out riding that much that when he gets home it’s either food time or homework time and i’d rather he concentrates on that stuff
It's also usually dark... clean drivechain, rinse, oil...pretty good chance next ride it will get washed "naturally" anyway.
Commuter - a rinse if its proper filthy followed by a full degrease, clean, rinse and re-lube of the drive train. This happens every 2 weeks regardless.
The roadbike - if its dirty, it gets washed, wiped, degreased and re-lubed.
The MTB - washed after every ride, dereased and re-lubed if it looks like it needs it.
The gravelbike is ALWAYS dirty after a ride, so wash, full degrease, clean, rinse and re-lube of the drive train after most rides, sadly.
Normally once per week but weather dependent i.e. last week 3 rides 3 washes, Lube once per week at least 24hrs prior to next ride.
Both MTBs - currently a quick hose after each ride, dry chain on a rag, re-lube, and the fork stanchions and dropper get a squirt of fork spray. Less than 5 minutes.
SS Monster-cross - has full mudguards, so depends how muddy a ride I've done, but usually a hose & lube every 2-4 rides.
Gravel bike, lives in the house, so a hose & lube after each ride, and treat it to a warm soapy wash every three weeks or so.
Wife's road bike (only tends to be used on dry roads) - soapy wash once every 2-3 months, occasional top up of chain lube.
Wife's CX bike, hose and lube once every couple of weeks.
Every ride, but only fork stanchions/seals, shock shaft, dropper shaft, chain, rear mech,brakes and tyres (lots of hedges here, recently cut, makes spotting thorns easier)
My road and gravel bikes are getting washed once a week at the moment, so one or two rides each.
MTB is at the back if the pile and hasn't been out for months. But if this winter washes out more of the local paths it may replace the gravel bike
As needed basis. Single speed and rigid which means not often at all.
That said, wife came home from a ride with a friend Sunday morning, washed her bike and then hauled mine out of the garage and washed that too - Meant her child free Sunday morning was extended by a good hour!