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Cleaning the baby...how?
So I get home after a dirt ride to find my shiny new baby avalanche (she's only 1.0 
) is now a lot less shiny...
No worries to get the dried mud & dirt off the frame - mr sheen anyone?
Then I get to bits like the front & rear derailliererererers (lets just call it a D, ok?), disc brakes etc.
The front D especially seems to enjoy collecting as much cr4p as possible, and I feel that wiping it with a rag is not really going to do enough.
So how do I do this? I was bmx junkie in the old days & never had to deal with gears etc before. Let alone disc brakes.
Is it just a case of spraying everything with degreaser, then hosing it off?
What's the best way to do keep it clean & functioning perfectly?
the Professor wants to know what you think...
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I think this has been covered check out this link http://nobmob.com/node/1518 I think we even discussed what type of detergent (if any) to use.
Lorrie
This is my cleaning ritual. I don't do it after every ride but close to it;
1. Brush the dried mud off
2. Using a rinsed chamois in a bucket of water I wipe everything down
3. Then comes the Mr Sheen on everything except the discs
4. Then disc brake cleaner on a clean rag I clean the discs
5. I remove the chain and clean in kerosene if really bad otherwise a just wipe and lube
6. Using a variety of different brushes I clean the grit from the derailleurs, bottom brackets
Recently I removed the cranks and dismantled the rear suspension just so I could remove the grit from where I can't normally get to.
PS. I hate noises from my bike when I'm riding so I can get a little bit anal
. It also allows me to check everything and so far I have come across dislodged spokes, bottom bracket issues and loose bolts so it means less failures on the trails.
Maybe I'm just lazy compared to some but I just get a brush and a bucket of water. That gets off all the mud and dirt. Quick rinse after and thats done.
Since using Rock N Roll lube I haven't degreased my chain either. Just re-apply and wipe off excess.
I've never bothered with polishes or detergents. It's just going to get dirty the instant you start your next ride
I can get away with a chain cleaner and citrus degreaser
Stiff brush around the d's, heaps of lube and I'm done
I give it a Brian style clean every couple/few weeks depending on weather and amount of hard riding
More when it's wet.
One thing I've found handy is the spray lube
I don't use it on my chain but all those hard to get at spots - especially around the d's
Another idea is a sram or connex power link so you can remove your chain for cleaning as Brian mentioned
Have 2 chains and swap them every couple of months or so - makes your cassette and chain rings last so much longer
Buck is inadvertently doing the most correct thing. Bikes that over cleaned with detergents require new parts more often.
Never use kero on a chain or near any bearing including the rear mech jockey wheels. Kero strips out the lube from between the rollers. Just wipe, lube, wipe. After your ride, repeat.
No bike needs to be glistening. By all means go over it and find things that are loose ore missing but the brush and bucket of water is the best and perhaps a spray with the garden hose. A spray not a jet.
Then go for a quick spin around the block to knock excess water off and drag the brakes a bit.
I do complete strip and rebuild every month or so of my commuter and about every three months for whichever bike I'm riding in the bush the most.
Also get into the habit of wiping the fork stanchions around the arch and seals with a dry cloth after every ride. And if you have an air shock, the shaft. Coil shocks should have the spring removed and the shaft wiped.
And check your tyres for bits stuck in them. Many punctures, in particular on commuters, are caused by something not that you just rode over, but has been slowly working its way through the carcass.
A bike will perform no better just because it's show room clean. However there are some who like to see their bike all shiny and nice.
That's their prerogative.
You should definitely hose /scrub and wash down your bike after riding. I hose mine at the highest pressure for as long as it takes for all the dirt to be removed. Leaving mud on there can contaminate soil with phytophthora. I don't know what the exact situation regarding the water restrictions is (As far as I know, hosing mountainbikes has never been prohibited by Sydney water restrictions, since mountainbikes are defined neither as a hard surface nor a vehicle), but phytophera is a far bigger threat than a little bit of water use.
As for polishing it? that's excessive
It's a mountain bike! Mr Sheen is absolutely terrible. It gets everywhere and can make the grips slippery. Even a small amount which lands on the brake discs will contaminate your pads! I'll use citrus degreaser rather liberally when the mud won't come off easily. Citrus degreaser makes a good brake cleaner too.
I have a Rohloff gearhub - one of the reasons was so I don't have to clean off the crap from all those fiddly bits.
Get home after a ride, hose and soft brush over the whole lot, use a chain cleaner with degreaser to clean out the grit from the chain links, leave to dry, a dab of lube on the chain and away we go - see you on the trail tomorrow. Lovely jubbly.
you guys have way too much time on your hands.
After a ride the bike goes straight into the garage, no cleaning at all.
Before i ride it next i hose it down (gentle strength) then degrease drivetrain and relube, and also check for loose bits. But i only ride the mtb once every 2 months so i am not so fussed on how long the bits last for.
Roadie commuter gets a lube once a week or full clean/relube after rain. Otherwise full degrease, wash and lube once every 2 weeks.
Don
Some Citrus Degreasers contain Citrus OIL (weird considering they aim to get rid of oil type substances) which is not friendly on your brake rotors. Check the ingredients first before you spray it everywhere. Some cheaper brands - like the Big W stuff I use, can be nasty on brakes and also around rubbery parts. Make sure you dry it all up.
I like to clean my brake rotors with Medical Alcohol wipes. You can get them from any chemist for around $6 for 100s.
As for Kero on chains, I have had a lot of bike mechanics swear by Kero. It think the important thing is to rinse it with boiling water (dries quicker) to get rid of the kero before lubing.
BWOAR!
Mr. Sheen : Drink it, piss on your bike, miss, fall over, wake up and ride your dirty and happy bike with a shiny feeling on the inside
Phytophera : A fungus that's more of a threat to humanity than having no water to drink apparently... which justifies overhosing, presumably wearing a hazmat suit and inside an isolation tent and even then probably not effective, rather than just not dumping your bike in your garden... give me strength... (this is obviously a knee-jerk response by me so feel free to respond in kind if your proposition isn't quite as ridiculous as it appears at first sight
)
Hosing : If anyone had suggested hosing your bike down six months ago they would have been roasted and rightly so, and I for one think it's way over the top still and pretty irresponsible, besides not necessarily being good for your bike.
Just wipe off your seals, brush off huge gobs of dirt if you're vain, wipe your chain, jockeys and cassette, lube and wipe again, nothing more is required.
its a "Self cleaning Lube"
Thats all I use
And high pressure hosing is pretty likely to carry dirt into your bearings, while flushing out the good stuff that was in there undisturbed.
I'm sure I'll get over having a shiny bike soon, but for now I';ll keep Mr Sheen-ing the frame at least. I spray it onto the cloth to make sure none gets on the discs...
I need to get a good lube (yeah yeah, ha ha) so I'll stop by the local bike shop on the weekend.
see you soon,
PT
LITTLE FREQUENT CLEAN <5 Mins
-Lightly hose
-Tip it back on it's rear wheel and bounce it a bit to get most water off
-Use a ($6) towel from the $2 shop to dry the majority of water off
-Bring it inside to let it continue drying unless daytime/morning/sunny.
-Lube before next ride
BIG OCCASIONAL CLEAN <15 mins
-Lightly hose
-Cover rear disk with a clean thick rag to hide it
-Apply citrus degreaser (Orange spray Can from Big W) to drive-train
-Brush the drive-train (with some decent brushes - experiment) to get the crap off
-Lightly hose
-Possibly repeat degrees, brush, rinse process
-Remove rag from rear disk
-Apply car wash from top down
-Brush bike with plastic dustpan brush
-Lightly hose
-Tip it back on it's rear wheel and bounce it a bit to get most water off
-Use a ($6) towel from the $2 shop to dry the majority of water off
-Bring it inside to let it continue drying unless daytime/morning/sunny.
-Dry chain
-Lube
Never high pressure hose, never point at wheel hubs or shock seals.
Bike stands upright.
Don't clean/touch discs unless a problem exists.
Keep all the gear in a bucket so you are quick to start and finish.