[Closed] Night Riding - Post ride cleaning?

Doesn't take long for a chain to go rusty so I always make sure I do something with the drivetrain in that situation. Even if it's just a wipe over with a rag and a blast with GT85.

as above sort the chain out, the rest can generally wait.

quick blast with the hose on the drivetrain (and a scrub with drivetrain brush if that doesn't shift everything) and fork/shock stanchions, a load of backpedalling to remove excess water, lube the chain (with wet lube, leaving the excess on), spray/pump/wipe the stanchions with silicone.

put it away and clean the rest the next day.

Dave

A quick hose down(even quicker now we have a water meter) in the back garden is no hardship. Outer layer of clothing goes in a bucket before I enter the house. If you don't have a hose just fill a bucket with water before the ride and leave it out of sight.

Wipe and Rock 'n' Roll the chain, leave indoors for the mud to dry then brush it off outside another day. Ride and repeat 🙂

As I'm usually half cut waking the family up and falling asleep on the dog usually does me.

i give it a quick hose down out the back of the van as soon as i finish using a weedkiller sprayer thing to get the worst of the mud off the important bits, drive home then give the chain and stuff a quick spray before it goes in the garage. doesn't take long, is better than leaving it to fester, and is the only real cleaning my bike gets

Cleaning?

Wait for a couple of days and brush it off

I'm like Scruff, except on the cat.

Dump bike in garage, clean a few days later. Its what singlespeeds are for.

Use a scottoiler and don't waste time faffing.

leave everything to dry
Possibly brush off mud at some later stage or [more likely]not
Use Putoline chain wax on the chain and get a SS

If really muddy I'll give it a quick hose down and GT85 the drive train to stop rust, if it's just wet/a bit muddy I won't bother hosing first.

im thinking of getting a weed killer spray type one to be honest, just to get the thick off stragith after, would save the hassle when getting home...

can anyone recommend a cheapish one with a bit of power?

I have got this down to a pretty fine art - bike off roof, prop up, spray with muc off, hose and brush, quick dry, gt 85 on chain and some bits incl cable oilers, silicon spray on levers, fork juice on stanchions, pop bike into garage, hose away, shut garage door, strip off, kit in washing machine and me into shower. All in, from arriving home to being in the shower usually takes between 10 and 15 mins. It does help having external hose permanantly connected and an integral garage. I do thi pretty much every Wed at 11pm 😆 only times I leave it dirty is when bike is dry, as i work on principle of only wash with water if already wet mud, otherwise leave and brush off next day.

Depending on if it is after midnight and how wet/muddy it was I will normally chuck some oil on the chain and possibly hose it down.

Most of the time though I am just able to use a duster to get the fine silts off that get kicked up on the dry dusty trails of the Lake District.

For really muddy rides, I paddle in the river (Trent) on way home with the bike and swish the muck off with my hands. Dry and re-lube chain at home a few minutes later. I've also tried the fountains in the city centre but the detergent tends to spoil the brakes (and tyres)...

leave indoors for the mud to dry

^^not sure I'd get away with this!

Thanks for all the comments. I'm going with making sure it's dry-ish and cleaning/lubing the drivechain only.

Buy a singlespeed.
Open shed,
Throw bike in,
Shut shed,
Go to fridge,
Drink a beer.

Quick hosing down, bit of a tip and shake to get most of the water off, quick wipe of the chain with a rag and a very careful spray of GT85 onto the chain. In the shed within 5 minutes.

Or if you've got a powerlink in your chain, take the chain off and see to it the next evening after lobbing the bike in the shed still covered in muck!

Quick hose down on the driveway as the bikes live in the utility room.
Also hose down muudy boots, coat, shorts bag etc. Hang up in utility room. Underloor heating means its all clean and dry the following morning 🙂
Quick squirt of Finish Line Wet on the chain every now and then, and stick the chain through the Park Tools Cyclone twice a year. No deraileurs on any of my mtbs so it doesn't matter too much. Or just ride my belt-drive bike so even less to do 🙂

Cleaning?

Wait for a couple of days and brush it off

+1

£1 in the local jet wash on the way home, quick spray, pedal home apply lube and gt85

I just tend to take the SS out now for muddy Night rides..
I might hose the chain off and apply some lube, but more often I won't as it's late and I'm knackered...
It just gets bunged in a damp garage to weep in a dark corner...

I do take the chain off every once in a blue moon; degrease in a jam jar and relube with whatever is handy...

My SS was not built to feel any love, it was built for feeling pain and neglect and thats what its used to...

lube chain and leave it.

i use it (pretty much) daily so its pointless cleaning it.

+1 for the quick link on the chain.
Remove chain and dump in bowl of oil. Hose off brakes and the rest can wait till morning

I wash the thick off with my mobi in the pub car park if its bad.

WD40 the chain, bung it in the car and get a pint in.

I do the same as the singlespeeders, except I have gears.

washed 2x in 4 years and lubed a few times.

Now that I usually commute on the BMX I've found that I do have to wash and lube the drivetrain on the MTB after wet/muddy rides if I don't want it to be a sad rusty mess when I get back on it a few days later. Using it every day it didn't seem to matter, probably because riding to work got the mud off and then I'd dry and lube it at work.

Spray the bike with rhino Goo, leave for 2 mins then hose off. This has got to be the best bike cleaner on the market. No sponge or brush required. Oh and a quick spray of GT85 on the chain
http://www.rhinogoo.co.uk/rhino-goo-products.html