[Closed] Is a muddy bike a good bike?

I'd go for practical over theory here.

mud is less wet than water, and less likely to seep into bearings

Mud is a good holder of water and attractor of moisture and allows that water lots of time to seep into anything rather than evaporate

Santa Cruz agree with you:

[i]Q: I'm lazy and lack motivation, what can I do to prolong bearing life?
A: 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.[/i]

[i]Wash[/i] your bike...

I'm with the OP.
Clean drivetrain, forks, dropper and shock after a ride.
Not bothered about the rest.
Mountainbikes SHOULD be dirty-ish - I thought it was the law 😉

I agree with you (and I'm an engineer 😉 ). I keep fork and stanchions fastidiously clean and lubed, I lube and clean the chain (and sometimes deep clean in paraffin). Otherwise it usually stays dirty. Keith @ Banshee agreed too, he said he'd never washed his Spitfire! Water is bad. And why anyone would use detergents that remove oil and grease is beyond me...

I'm in a minority though - at the start of my last race I think my bike had more dirt on it than all the others combined!

That's pretty much my approach. I'm do like seeing others' shiny bikes but I just can't be titsed cleaning my bike thoroughly and often. I just look after the drivetrain and suspension. Brush mud from pivots and bb etc.

Recently, I've been cleaning my bikes with a vacuum cleaner

I keep the drive chain clean, the rest of it generally looks like it's been dragged through a swamp, I brush off any mud clods and sponge the frame down now and again lol!

That's a big plus point of Ali alloy.. It doesn't degrade like steel, so a film of muck won't do any harm.

i keep the suspension/drive really clean, that's it.

When i was a mechanic, immaculate bikes were one of the following -

.spotless outside, full of dirt inside
.spotless outside, zero grease/lube where needed
.simply never used

I agree with the OP, mountain bikes should be dirty - introducing more water just seems wrong. Then again, I don't clean my car either and so I am probably just lazy.

I nearly got a T shirt made like this but I'm not sure if the Blood Honour brigade would approve.
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I ride my bike everyday. Cleaning it would be a waste of time.

Mine are never really clean tbh- my white hemlock was so dirty for so long, I had to use wet and dry paper to get it back to white 😆 But they're clean where it matters.

I like my suspension clean and the drive train clean.

the rest waits until I feel up to it.

Well I like my bikes clean and creaky so screw you all.

I never wash a dry bike, but if it's wet and muddy when I get home then it gets hosed off. If dry, a wipe and fork juice on stanchions and dropper and next day a brush off

Agreed with op. Keep the moving parts clean but leave the rest. Worked out a long time ago that water kills bikes. Especially in winter when a wet but clean bike gets put in the shed and then stays wet for days on end, plus the effects of frost on a wet bike.

I have a theory of all those disc brake pads falling apart a few years ago was in fact frost forcing the wet compound away from the backing plate. Lost a couple of pairs when I washed bikes regularly, now I dont ive never had a disc pad fail.

oil the chain, every now and then, then when gearing gets funky, replace drive train and cables etc for not much, repeat.

The drive train is a disposable part of a bike.

give the rest of the bike a jet spray once a year, usually before you replace the drive train.

The only time my bike gets cleaned is if I need to work on it.

Mud can keep the heat in or keep the bike cool, stops insects biting and acts as a natural sun block. Mud is also great and making your bike invisible to alien Predators who wish to remove your bikes headset and use it as a trophy.

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Google Fact

Bike gets a deep clean when I travel internationally so 2-3 times a year - which reminds me I need to find the grease gun for the lower links.
Apart from that it's clean ish, the road spin home does for most of it, drive train and moving bits get the worst removed.

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?

if the mud dries you can knock most of it off with a nylon brush?

and then clean the drive train with an old toothbrush and a little degreaser if needed

lube/wipe/lube/wipe the chain with some dry lube and a clean rag

fork/shock/dropper stanchions easily cleaned using dry lube or silicon spray and a clean rag

disc brake rotors and pads using aerosol disc brake cleaner, clean rag and quick post-cleaning ride to settle them down

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?

That Santa Cruz are based in California?

I'd wager that the 'dirt' they're talking about is a thin coating of dust, not 10 kilos of Surrey Hills clay or Peak District slurry.

That Santa Cruz are based in California?

I'd wager that the 'dirt' they're talking about is a thin coating of dust, not 10 kilos of Surrey Hills clay or Peak District slurry.

Biggest shock in the world, it rains in other places 😉
The part was they did some back to back testing.

Peak Slurry is mostly gone by the end 😉 and why do people insist in riding through wet clay? Go ride on the rocky stuff.

A muddy bike is a poorly cared for and often poorly maintained bike.
Cleaning a bike at the end of a ride is a good way of identifying problem/defects and a clean bike is much more pleasant to work on.
Dirty bike = lazy owner.

You do know that on the 3 days that it rains in soCal they don't ride right?

My bike is cleaned after every ride it takes me all of about 20mins wow!, mostly as it lives indoors and I rent, but it's £££ worth, and why would I let that sit with loads of crap and leaves on it. any bike that claims to be OK offroad that can't be hosed down, because bearings! is a pile of crap.

keep the drive train and stanchions clean after each ride, the rest i'll clean every 5 rides or so

Dirty bike = lazy owner.

A clean mtb is like low profile tyres on a defender

My bikes are always reasonably clean, I'm not anal about it but like them to be vaguely presentable. The thing i do find about a good clean is that's when you find any cracks or dents.

Get a portable pressure washer that works from the car electrics, 10 mins later after ride a nice shiny bike, easy - no effort really. Quick lube before the next ride and you're done 🙂

after 5 years of not washing my bikes my conclusion is bearings last longer and the brakes require next to no fettling.

after 5 years of [s]not[/s] washing my bikes my conclusion is bearings last longer and the brakes require next to no fettling.

same here...weird isn't it. 😆

Get a portable pressure washer that works from the car electrics, 10 mins later after ride a nice shiny bike, easy - no effort really

Stopped cleaning bikes in 2003

If there was a product that was dirt* cheap and for next to no effort made your bike shiney...would the "leave it dirty" mob use it?

*see what I did there... 😆

Nothing to do with cost and effort. It's what's best for the bike. I wouldn't sacrifice life of components for 'shinyness', that would be a weird priority for me but I can understand that it is important to some people.

These days I rarely wash my (only) bike.

After a recent linkage (vpp) strip down and clean & regrease I noticed that the non drive side bearings were clean and the non drive side were full of brown water & grease. I never use a pressure washer on my bike, just a very pathetic hose with my finger occasionally over the end.

I can only deduce that the drive side naturally sees more water during cleaning and as such has let water past the seals.

So for the past couple of months I've just been doing the usual drivetrain and stanchion clean, the rest of the bike just gets brushed off.

If there was a product that was dirt* cheap and for next to no effort made your bike shiney...would the "leave it dirty" mob use it?

Cleaning a MTB is like cleaning a tractor. There comes a time when you simply CBA

Rigid bike here with a Rohloff used all year round and frequently. Never clean any of it. Having said that I only get 3 years out of a chain sometimes.

Dibbs - Member
A muddy bike is a poorly cared for and often poorly maintained bike....
Dirty bike = lazy owner.

I'm not lazy, I set my bikes up to last, I avoid using delicate consumable parts, and protect the rest.

My mud bike is still on its original wheelbearings, headset, and even its ISIS BB after 5 years.

The only things changed are the tyres and the chain - and that's seen 3 or 4 'Puffers.

It's not the clinging dirt that causes the problems, it's the high pressure spray of dirt onto vulnerable components that does.

If you want a bike to last, prevent that spray.

And the best way? Proper full mudguards for on the bike protection, and if you have to clean, avoid hosing dirt into the bearings - use a watering can or spray attachment, not a high pressure hose end.

Do what I have done and you won't have a fashionable bike, but you'll have one that lasts and is reliable.

I love the use of a Californian based example for a muddy bike being ok in the UK...that's like a man who lives in the desert telling an Eskino there's no need for gloves 😀

I love the use of a Californian based example for a muddy bike being ok in the UK

Meh. It's like making a bed, isn't it? It's going to get messed up again so don't bother 😆

Both my bikes are minging, I knock the thick of the mud off when it's dry and keep the chain oiled and the bouncy bits clean-ish but that's about it. BBs seem to last longer (GXP on my bouncy bike) with no washing, which is nice.

If already dripping in wet mud, then I rinse it off with a watering can of rainwater, then let it dry. If really wet i'll take the seatpost out and let anything in the seat-tube drain out. If muddy but dryish, I just brush the worst of the mud off. Then lube and put away.

Seems fine to me. The bikes never look that clean, but I'm not fussed about things being shiny.

edenvalleyboy - Member
I love the use of a Californian based example for a muddy bike being ok in the UK...that's like a man who lives in the desert telling an Eskino there's no need for gloves

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That's 'Puffer mud still on it in April.

I've just been contacted by Steve McQueen from beyond the grave.

He wants his mudguards back. 😉

My bike is a disgrace at the moment, I struggle to find the enthusiasm to clean it knowing that 500 yards into the next ride it will be covered in mud again.

When the trails dry out, I'll put more effort into it.

perchypanther - Member
I've just been contacted by Steve McQueen from beyond the grave.

He wants his mudguards back.

He can have them, I have another set 🙂

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He can have them, I have another set

Wait a minute.....I'm getting a voice from the other side!......

Miss Marple? Is that you? 😀

I clean mine with a jetwasher, so that mud doesn't accumulate.

Oh no, I hear you all saying, you'll ruin your bearings! Except that I don't, I've had most of my bike stuff on 5 bikes since 2007 and have only bought a handful of bearings, including about 4 external BBs across all of them, you know, the ones that you lot say only last 3 months..?

I clean the drive chain and forks if its really manky ---- the expensive parts needs to be looked after in my eyes ( and I have OCD !)

shhhh Molgrips, the only defence that these guys have is that they're "protecting" their bearings if you go about telling them that a bit of water does them no harm whatsoever and they last just as long...Their whole world is going to come crashing down to expose them for being the lazy beggers they actually are.

😆

I'm sure the dirt on my bike is load bearing. More often than not after a clean i find something broken. No cleaning, all is well, sort of, most of the time, maybe.

I expect it depends a bit on the frame design, for FS. If mud gets wedged down between two moving parts, it can presumably end up damaging the seals and then forcing it's way into the bearings. Perhaps that's why my BBs last a long time, cos I clean out the gap between bearing and crank?

Wait for the mud to dry and brush it off, wipe and lube chain and suspension

Do anything that needs done maintenance wise asap. A dirty bike does not equal a poorly maintained bike.

I might clean it once or twice a year

It all depends on what time of year it is and what conditions i'm riding in. If my bike is sh*t caked in mud then yeah ill clean it after each ride and re-lube every other. If its dry and dusty (as it is in california), then no.

It ain't rocket science.

Basically i will know not to buy a bike off anyone in this thread 😯

But with a portable pressure wash, if it's only 10 mins to clean after a ride, whilst the mud is still wet then why the hell wouldn't you? Saves having a car or house full of mud and crap, which if you have a nice car or house makes sense to me.

The likes of Mobi/Dirtworker etc are much lower pressure than a proper jetwash so good enough to clean, but no danger of getting water beyond seals etc. Even so, before the portable washer I used to jetwash my old bike frequently with a proper full pressure jetwash at the local garage - never any problems with suspension bearings, water in seals etc.

As for lasting longer unwashed then I suspect that's BS - how would you know either way, you either wash your bike or not, it either lasts or it doesn't? It's not like anyone owns two of the same bike, one they wash, one they don't to make a direct comparison between the two.

Santa Cruz and some others have a lifetime warranty on their bearings so why worry anyway?

But with a portable pressure wash, if it's only 10 mins to clean after a ride, whilst the mud is still wet then why the hell wouldn't you?

1) You aren't always biking from the car
2) You have to remember to fill it and prepare cleaning kit

Cheap mains powered washers don't get water behind seals either.

bomberman - Member
Basically i will know not to buy a bike off anyone in this thread

I'm in the clean it if it's mucky camp but as stated how would any of us know what is best cos we all do one or t ' other? Maybe a longterm test article for the mag where they run two similar bikes in the same conditions to minimise variables to see which consumables last longest?

But with a portable pressure wash, if it's only 10 mins to clean after a ride, whilst the mud is still wet then why the hell wouldn't you?

1) You aren't always biking from the car
2) You have to remember to fill it and prepare cleaning kit

Cheap mains powered washers don't get water behind seals either.

1) 95% of the time I am yes.
2) Cleaning kit already in bike kit box to go in car - filling washer takes less than a minute.

I can understand cleaning your bike if it has to go in the house or in the car, but otherwise I've always taken the line if I have time to clean the bike it's better spent riding it.

I love a clean bike me, can't leave mine dirty.......must be some sort of OCD thing

1) 95% of the time I am yes.
2) Cleaning kit already in bike kit box to go in car - filling washer takes less than a minute.

Your question was 'why the hell wouldn't YOU?'. So whilst it works for you, these are reasons why everyone else might not do it this way.

After finding a crack 2/3rds the way around the top tube of a muddy bike I had not washed for months, I started washing my bike more often!

I was lucky for it not to fold under me.

If I wash my bike it means I eventually have to clean all the mud out of my drains.
A lose lose situation. Plus , when my bike is parked up outside my shop it lets everyone know what a bad ass rad rider I truly am.
In truth though I just have a very muddy commute.
Years back I was riding home through Croyde and I was plastered in crap. There was a guy show boating on a sparkly new GT LTS with a matching team kit.
He caught my eye and realised that a muddy ,ridden ,shit bike is far cooler than his clean super bike.

I know a bloke whose bike is always beautiful, spotless and somehow shiny for every ride.

He's a pretty hardcore endurance rider so does not need to try to look cool.

He still does though 😉

Epicyclo, that is a well thought out and properly executed off road bicycle.

I commute off-road most days of the year. My bike therefore stays clean for about 48 hours at best - washing is futile!

I've long been planning the perfect off-road commuter bike. I'd have to be mudproof to not need cleaning.

Rohloff with Hebie Chainglider should do it.

zippykona - Member
Epicyclo, that is a well thought out and properly executed off road bicycle.

Thanks. It could be improved though. I'm working on it. 🙂

BTW There's one thing I do so automatically I forgot to mention it. If the bike is wet I give a quick squirt of WD40 around the BB and wheel bearings before putting it away. Water dispersants are a useful preventative tool.

molgrips - Member
I've long been planning the perfect off-road commuter bike. I'd have to be mudproof to not need cleaning.

Rohloff with Hebie Chainglider should do it.

I don't think it's necessary to cover the whole chain (although I am a strong believer in proper oilbath chaincases).

If you can stop the direct tyre spray onto the chain around the BB area then there will be sufficient protection given by the chain lube because it's not getting blasted off and the chain is also not getting sandblasted.

I've been fiddling around with a chaincase of a childs bike. I only have this photo, but I'll actually be mounting it with the outside bit facing in so the open bit faces out. You can buy these for about £5 on eBay from time to time. All it needs are some mounts made up.

That would give enough protection to adequately extend chain life. Of course it would only work with a SS or hubgear, but I've haven't come to terms with those dangly chain diverter things yet, 🙂

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I don't think it's necessary to cover the whole chain

Well, with SS there's no reason not to (unless it causes problems getting wheels on and off for the car). The reason for a partial front one like that would be if you had a derailleur, but that would need to be flared in a rather ugly way.

I've stopped using detergents/bike cleaners etc, just seems pointless to go removing lube when you can get the wrist mud of with a at cloth or bucket and brush of its really bad

Mud is good - accept on drive train, but should you be taken by the urge to clean use spray on wet/dry turtle wax or similar to clean bike after brushing off any muck, provides a waxy coat/protection.

sparksmcguff - Member
Mud is good - accept on drive train, but should you be taken by the urge to clean use spray on wet/dry turtle wax or similar to clean bike after brushing off any muck, provides a waxy coat/protection.

If I'm building or rebuilding a bike everything gets a going over with silicon car polish. It seems to be the most durable.

What I'd really like is something with the same formulation as the deposits I get on my car windscreen. It needs serious detergent action to remove. 🙂