To wash or not to wash???

All I know is when I wash it I pull the seat post out and sit it upside down for a bit because water can get trapped near the BB and start some problems, especially on steel bikes.

yes its bad. i work in a shop and i deal with hosers every day. you can be as careful as you want, it will catch up with you. just use a rag.

provided you dry and relube, you'll be fine. don't pressure wash hubs or bb, and repack if you need it. i rinse my bikes off all the time and do the hubs about once a year and the bb 2x or so. just a quick regrease.

I wait until the mud dries then I just brush off the dirt. I never use a high pressure spray or hose. If I have to use water I'll just use a damp rag.

GT554 said:

This year it's been raining every day here in the northeast(I'm serious, it does) it's either ride mud or don't ride at all.

Some guys I know are dead set against washing thier bikes & basically just wipe them down every once in a while. After these muds rides I've been hosing my bike down(being careful in the areas I should be and never using a pressure washer), a little Simple Green, air hose, a wipe down & lube it up.
The bike always feels great the next time out & I never once damaged a bike from washing it. So what's the deal, why are so many people against doing it?

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because they are idiots, you dont want to force water into bearings or cable housings, other than that there is nothing wrong with washing a bike anymore than there is anything wrong with washiing a car or motorcycle. Did you ever hear of anyone saying dont wash your car? or dont wash your motorcycle? of course not. They have bearings too and if you wipe off your paint with a dry rag without rinsing off the dirt first you will scratch the paint. This is a myth perpetrated by people who dont know anything . Use common sense, no pressure washers, remember virtually all manufacturers recommend washing
one more point , if you have mud caked on your drivetrain and let it dry on , then you have gritty dirt mixed with lube which is very abrasive. If you rinse it off while wet you still have the lube but no dirt (oil and water dont mix)

thefuzzbl said:

yes its bad. i work in a shop and i deal with hosers every day. you can be as careful as you want, it will catch up with you. just use a rag.

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no, its not,
what exactly will catch up with you ?
would you also say not to wash a car or motorcycle?
and what happens when you ride in wet conditions? is your bike toast?
I wouldnt let you touch my bike and if you worked for me you would be fired for bad advice

chumbox said:

All I know is when I wash it I pull the seat post out and sit it upside down for a bit because water can get trapped near the BB and start some problems, especially on steel bikes.

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I've washed my bikes since I was a kid and have never had water in the frame from washing, from leaving it outside in the rain yes, from falling during a water crossing yes, but never from washing

X2 for what dan0 says. rinse and relube. grit and grime are more harmful than a good rinse. i just use a bucket of water and a sponge/brush/toothbrush. you can pressure wash the mud out of your tires, but make sure to spin them and listen for any water that got past the bead. drain accordingly. same goes for the frame.

all i know is after i ride, wipe it all down with a dry brush, air pressure, clean chain, and drive train relube and i am shifting quick and clean. friends i ride with i can here their cranks turn around, the grinding of dirt, and non lubed chains drive me nutts.

A clean bike is a happy bike. Mine stays inside and must be spotless or the wife will kill me. I take pride in how clean and silent I can keep my bike. I'll ride it in the mud but cleaning afterwards gives me a chance to do a close inspection for dents and cracks.

I have regularly cleaned my MTB's since I started in 1992 and rarely have had an issue. Now, I use a few rags, 409, and water and some brushes.. If the chain / cogs are bad, Simple Green. Tires, wheels... just use a hose.

I have friends that don't clean their bikes. They generally have more little issues than I do. But never anything serious.

I've been washing my bikes with and without a pressure washer for years. One of them has well over 10 000 (8 years) miles on it with no unusual wear and tear.
When using a pressure washer I avoid bearings and seals and let it dry for a few hours before lubing up.
Just use common sense. Besides, nothing cleans a dirty chain and cassette faster than some orange plus and a rinse with the pressure washer.
If you're a goofball you can cause damage. If you're careful you'll be fine.
But TETO (To Each Their Own)

I like danO's point of view the best. I've been racing moto my whole life & the bikes get washed/detailed after every ride. I just don't get why people wouldn't want to give their bikes a little lovin'. Plus, there's nothing like starting out fresh the next time out.:thumbsup:

I leave it dirty most of the time. We mostly just have alot of dirt and dust so it only really sticks if my sweat drips all over the bike(which it does) and then the dust hit it. I clean the drive train and brakes as needed. Every few weeks i give it a good detail. I cant see washing it every day just to take it out the next day and get it dirty all over again. I just keep everything lubed and no problems.

I rarely clean my bikes because I replace the chain and cables once a year. I understand why people who keep their bikes in their house have to clean the bike but my bikes look better covered in dirt. they are not works of art or my "baby", I built them to ride in the dirt and thats what they do best

Zoke2 said:

I rarely clean my bikes because I replace the chain and cables once a year. I understand why people who keep their bikes in their house have to clean the bike but my bikes look better covered in dirt. they are not works of art or my "baby", I built them to ride in the dirt and thats what they do best

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Even with cleaning the chain and cassette once or twice a week, I'll probably go through 6-8 chains this year.

It's not a matter of making my bike look pretty; that's not the case at all. I simply want to reduce my overall cost of owning and riding. I only spray the bike down when it is really muddy, but a clean drive train is a necessity.

I've washed all my bikes for many years. As stated above, just don't aim high pressure at the bearing areas. Heck, 2 of my old mountain bikes have actually been underwater a few times (riding river crossings that got deep or even, ahem, doing jumps off rocks into the water and then riding out). I still have 1 of those 2 and it still works just fine w/ the same bearings it has always had.

I did see recently that Simple Green is bad for aluminum/anodize. . .