[Limey Johnson]

so what's your story? Clean bike after every ride? every few rides? never?

I have been cleaning every few rides, but it looks so cool when it's clean that I may just clean it after each ride. (just posted a clean pic in the TREK section)

What's your cleaning shedule?

 

[dru]

A couple time a year I go completely nuts and wash the bike thoroughly. I usually do a super close inspection of all the components and relube the cables and drive train at this time.

I can get away with this schedule since I don't ride in the wet so any mud I get on the bike is splash from the odd stream, mud hole, or puddle. My bike mostly gets really dusty. My 'no wash' cleaning basically consists of wire brushing the cassette, scraping lube/dust mix off the rings and pedals, and relubeing. The fork seals get a spray of silicone every couple of rides.

Washing the bike too much adds to your woes; water has a way of getting to places it shouldn't if you are too much of a clean freak.

Drew

 

[highdelll]

I like a clean looking bike
plus a clean/maintained bike rides better and looks nicer longer IMO

 

[David C]

I always clean my bikes after a ride if needed.

Bikes look much more better with fresh dirt on rather then old one.

And last longer with less maintenance.

David

 

[highdelll]

...Bikes look much more better with fresh dirt on rather then old one...

I especially like this statement.
How else could you say "look how dirty I got 'er THIS time!"
- with old dirt on there, there is no comparing ride to ride dirtiness :thumbsup:

 

[Sheepo5669]

Only pre-race or if im feeling frisky enough.

 

[FLMike]

I try to keep water away the bike as much as possible

the chain gets cleaned often... but everything else?

I wash off the old dirt with the new dirt

 

[Guest]

i do a thorough cleaning with brushes, rags soap and very carefully placed water when they're so dirty it's intolerable to me. what other people think about how my bikes look is irrelevant.

small moving parts that are supposed to get a drop of lube here and there get said lubricants when i feel the need.

i try to keep my cables, chainrings, chain and derailleur pulleys as clean as possible at all times.

 

[bing!]

I clean before any significant maintenance work. Dust and mud are terrible contaminants.

This includes shock rebuild, drive train work, wheel truing, etc.

Just so much easier.

Around 4 times a year.

 

[dundundata]

i'll keep moving parts clean especially the drivetrain and dirt on stanchions. the frame is usually dirty i'll clean it a bit when it gets caked with mud. but the internals are what i focus on. going to give it a real thorough pre-winter cleaning though and add some reflective tape.

 

[Cormac]

I'll wipe the stanchions after each ride as well as wiping the sweat off the top tube, stem, etc...

I plan to clean the drive train as needed or every few weeks. And re lube.

I've not washed the bike yet as I've only had it a week and I don't plan to any time soon! If it get's mud caked on it, I'll just knock that off when it dries!

 

[mr_chrome]

chain almost every time, drive train quite often, the rest of the bike just a bit less..........

 

[INeedGears!]

I clean it when it needs to be cleaned. Sometimes that's wiping down the chain and relubing, other times it is wiping down the entire frame with a damp rag. Far less frequently I deep clean

 

[Surfacecreations]

I bought a car in 1999 new. I wash it every week whether it's dirty or not and wax it every couple months. It still has the same stock paint except the fiberglass hood.
The paint still looks better than most cars that are less than half the age. Keeping it garaged has also probably helped considerably. I use the wash it/keep it clean
and it lasts longer theory with my bikes too.

The Last bike I bought in 2001 still is running and other than a few scratches in the paint from wrecks, it runs fine. My newest bike, I wash every weekend. When you
don't have a boatload of cash sitting around you tend to want things to last longer. Dirt/dust is not the friend of paint nor does it help lubricate bearings, plastic, cables
or any moving metal on metal contact points.

 

[lvdukerider]

I admit it im a clean freak with most of my more expensive possessions. I work hard for what I have and need it to last. I agree that cleaning with water causes more harm than good especialy if your just going to get it dirty right away again and then wash with water again. I clean using a mini car duster and/or a small paint brush for the heavy stuff and Hondabrite motorcycle waterless cleaner/polish and a microfiber cloth for the rest,it removes the dust without getting water and dirt into cabels and bearings then just lube everything up.

 

[customfab]

My drivetrain is always relatively clean the rest of my bike is always relatively dirty. In other words what needs to be clean is and what doesn't matter is normally dirty. With the dirt we have around hear I think hitting it with the hose just washes the fine dust into placed you just don't want it.

 

[PeterMarv]

My drivetrain is always relatively clean the rest of my bike is always relatively dirty. In other words what needs to be clean is and what doesn't matter is normally dirty. With the dirt we have around hear I think hitting it with the hose just washes the fine dust into placed you just don't want it.

Same here. I leave the mud on the frame/bars/lowers/rims/seatpost... but I clean the drive train and bearings quite a bit (drive train every ride - bearings every 5 or so). I also lube the cables and derailleurs every three good rides of so. Most of my rides are quick after work rides, so I don't get too crazy with the cleaning after those.

 

[Dougie]

I usually do a water/simple green entire bike spray down, chain cleaning/lube, and suspension seals lube after every ride. A clean bike is a happy bike. Your drivetrain will thank you.

 

[John Kuhl]

I love a clean bike, but I ride so much I can't
keep up on the cleaning. So they get the drive
train cleaned about every 2 to 3 rides, and the
major clean job about every 4 to 6 weeks.

Best, John

 

[Kanik]

I try and do my chain every ride, and wipe my stanchions and wipers clean every ride. I'll usually wipe down the frame too cause it looks nice.

But my rear hub shell is just fully covered with dust cause I can't get in there and it only sits there anyway.