[steve695]

Is it a bad idea to wash my bike at the car wash?

That includes, rinsing it, scrubbing it with the soapy stuff, rinsing it again and then using the pressure hose to remove all the selfish mud etc.

Can this hurt my bike and its components? Talking about a Hardtail here.

She's pretty dirty now and I thought taking it to the car wash would be a quick and easy way to keep it clean, but thought I'd make sure on here first.

 

[fred3]

Just keep any high pressure liquids away from the components with bearings in them (eg: hubs, bb, etc.). Also don't spray into the cable housings (well you can, but lube them afterward).

Personally I don't find it any hassle and cheaper just to wash it up at home.

 

[steve695]

Just keep any high pressure liquids away from the components with bearings in them (eg: hubs, bb, etc.). Also don't spray into the cable housings (well you can, but lube them afterward).

Personally I don't find it any hassle and cheaper just to wash it up at home.

Alright thanks for the advice.

It just sorta takes longer at home, and we have a great car wash just down the road.

 

[crisillo]

just spray the bike from further away...so that the water doesn't hit the bike "hard"....sorry..but you should get the mud off the bike "by hand" if you want to prolong the life of your bearings, etc.

 

[ghawk]

Is it a bad idea to wash my bike at the car wash?

Good lord yes.
When I was young and did not listen to anyone with experience I did it.....

 

[steve695]

Good lord yes.
When I was young and did not listen to anyone with experience I did it.....

and what happened?

 

[monogod]

great way to f**k your bike up :thumbsup:

 

[phoehn9111]

Related question, why don't all bike frames have drain holes under the BB shell?
Careful as I am, there is always a small amount of H2O in my frame when I
disassemble each year-end. I suppose the prevailing wisdom is that the hole
would just as likely cause water infiltration during riding? My road frame has
drain holes.

 

[Nat]

It's only bad if you use full pressure at close range. If you just use the light mist (i.e., don't squeeze the trigger) then it's no big deal.

 

[62kona]

I just did it this weekend. I live in an apartment so I don't have any other options becides washing it by hand. But I did notice that my brakes have no power now. I think the soap contaminated the pads. Hopefully alcohol will fix that though. It came out clean as hell, but I think I'll save the trouble and wash it by hand next time.

 

[steve695]

It's only bad if you use full pressure at close range. If you just use the light mist (i.e., don't squeeze the trigger) then it's no big deal.

Alright, I'll just keep the pressure off