cleaning bikes in the winter - Page 2 - Cycling Mob: Road Cycling, Mountain Biking and More

12-15-2003, 05:52 PM

In article <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>,
David L. Johnson <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:
>On Mon, 15 Dec 2003 05:17:04 +0000, Doug Purdy wrote:

>Unless the bike is very muddy, wipe it down with a (old) towel. Maybe you
>can put a bit of light oil on the rag, if you avoid the rims and tires.
>If your bike has paint, you could wax the frame. The rest is really
>lubrication and maintenance, not washing like a car.

Mud? What about sand, grit and salt... lots of salt... That's
what my bike sees in the winter. Wiping with a towel doesn't
get it off.

I have a brush on a handle... oh, maybe 3 feet long. I fill
a bucket with warm water, and with the brush, get the junk off.
Wait for a warm day.... at least 20F.. so that most of the water
won't freeze.

--
--
"It's a sad day for american capitalism when a man
can't fly a midget on a kite over Central Park."
J. Moran

12-16-2003, 07:23 PM

>The bike doesn't need to be "washed". Wait for all the crap on it to dry,
>then rub it off. Mud, fir needles (fir needles! Millions of them! I think
>they're all gone, and there's still more!) all just come off with your rag.

Sounds like a good way to scratch or dull the paint, if one cares about such
things.

I vote for low-pressure washing (really more like water dribbling on the
bike), followed by a wipe with a damp cloth.

Chris Neary
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

"Science, freedom, beauty, adventure: what more could
you ask of life? Bicycling combined all the elements I
loved" - Adapted from a quotation by Charles Lindbergh

12-18-2003, 08:07 PM

"Peter Cole" <peter_cole_no_spam_at_all@comcast.net> wrote in message
news

aiDb.398741$ao4.1312603@attbi_s51...
>
> I agree with David Johnson. If you can let the bike dry, then a lot of the
> dirt can be simply brushed off, then the bike can be wiped down with a
> (deliberately) greasy rag.
>
I think this is going to depend on the local soil composition. I'm on old
lake bottom, and once this dries on the bike it's pretty much on for the
duration.

12-19-2003, 08:06 AM

> Washing options I've thought of:
> 1) do nothing
> 2) take the bikes to the self car wash on the bike rack
> 3) run a hose from the hot water beyond the patio and bed (my
> summer cleaning site)
> 4) take the indor-outdor out of the laundry room and try washing
> there
> 5) make the bike room watertight and buy a shop vac.
>

Rinse off the mud and road grit with a low pressure water hose. Make
sure to point the hose down and not sideways where water can penetrate
into the bearings. Once the hosing is done, use a throw-away dry towel
and soak a little lemon cleaner (light degreaser) and wipe the whole
bike clean. Use another dry towel to wipe it dry. You don't want water
to sit idle of your bike, if it's steel or rust may form quicker that
you want!

> Chain cleaning options:
> 1) forget cleaning and learn how to do the spring
> maintenance-replacement myself
> 2) change all chains to the easy disconnect type and remove &
> clean them in a pop bottle.
> 3) clean on the bike & use a mat or plastic sheet to avoid
> degreaser damage to floor walls & furniture
>
> Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

No need to remove the chain. The quickest way to clean it is to buy
one of those chain cleaner gadget and skip the chain cleaner solution.
With the gadget, fill it up with WD-40. Yes, this stuff is a water
dispersion chemical that strips all muck and grease off better than any
other expensive and lousy biodegradable degreaser. Besides, WD-40 is
so cheap if bought in cases of 3 or 12. Once cleaned by WD-40, rinse
off excess WD-40 on the chain with a garden hose. You will see old
grease peeling off the chain like old paint, making it look almost
brand new. To remove all WD-40 from the chain itself, put warm soap
water into the chain cleaner gadget again and run the chain through a
couple of spins. Rinse it again with a garden hose and the chain
should look like a million dollar. Wipe the chain dry with a towel.
Air dry it for a day and then apply chain lube.
While cleaning the chain, you should scrub the chain rings and cassette
with WD-40 as well. Then use soap water and then water to rinse off.

Hope this helps.

12-19-2003, 10:12 AM

David wrote:

>> Washing options I've thought of:
>> 1) do nothing
>> 2) take the bikes to the self car wash on the bike rack
>> 3) run a hose from the hot water beyond the patio and bed (my
>> summer cleaning site)
>> 4) take the indor-outdor out of the laundry room and try washing
>> there
>> 5) make the bike room watertight and buy a shop vac.
>>
>
> Rinse off the mud and road grit with a low pressure water hose. Make
> sure to point the hose down and not sideways where water can penetrate
> into the bearings. Once the hosing is done, use a throw-away dry
> towel and soak a little lemon cleaner (light degreaser) and wipe the
> whole bike clean. Use another dry towel to wipe it dry. You don't
> want water to sit idle of your bike, if it's steel or rust may form
> quicker that you want!

>
>> Chain cleaning options:
>> 1) forget cleaning and learn how to do the spring
>> maintenance-replacement myself
>> 2) change all chains to the easy disconnect type and remove &
>> clean them in a pop bottle.
>> 3) clean on the bike & use a mat or plastic sheet to avoid
>> degreaser damage to floor walls & furniture
>>
>> Thanks in advance for your suggestions.
>
> No need to remove the chain. The quickest way to clean it is to buy
> one of those chain cleaner gadget and skip the chain cleaner solution.
> With the gadget, fill it up with WD-40.

WD40 will work fine for this. However, with newer chains that come apart with a
master link, the quickest, easiest way to clean them is just to pop them off and
throw them in a can of solvent while cleaning the rest of the bike.

> Yes, this stuff is a water
> dispersion chemical that strips all muck and grease off better than
> any other expensive and lousy biodegradable degreaser.

BS. It's physically impossible. Spray some WD40 in a pail of water, and you'll
see that it floats like any other petroleum distillate. It's just oil. It
can't displace water. Don't believe the label or the hype.

> Besides,
> WD-40 is so cheap if bought in cases of 3 or 12. Once cleaned by
> WD-40, rinse off excess WD-40 on the chain with a garden hose. You
> will see old grease peeling off the chain like old paint, making it
> look almost brand new. To remove all WD-40 from the chain itself,
> put warm soap water into the chain cleaner gadget again and run the
> chain through a couple of spins. Rinse it again with a garden hose
> and the chain should look like a million dollar. Wipe the chain dry
> with a towel. Air dry it for a day and then apply chain lube.
> While cleaning the chain, you should scrub the chain rings and
> cassette with WD-40 as well. Then use soap water and then water to
> rinse off.

Sounds like a lot of trouble to me, for a half-assed result.

If you want to do a half-assed job of cleaning your chain, spray it with some
WD40 or soak it with soap and water, then blast it with a high presssure stream
from a garden hose while turning the crank. You can hold the nozzle against the
rear derailer cage, pointing toward the rear of the bike. This will do about as
good a job as what you're talking about, with a fraction of the effort. Relube
the chain when dry.

Matt O.

12-19-2003, 06:04 PM

I
> > Yes, this stuff is a water
> > dispersion chemical that strips all muck and grease off better than
> > any other expensive and lousy biodegradable degreaser.
>
> BS. It's physically impossible. Spray some WD40 in a pail of water, and
> you'll
> see that it floats like any other petroleum distillate. It's just oil. It
> can't displace water. Don't believe the label or the hype.

Ahh, you have just illustrated the water displacement right there.
Let's experiment with the same pail of water, we can fill it with half
water and half oil. They won't mix.
Now, puncture a hole at the bottom of the pail and guess what comes out
first? Water or oil or a mixture of both?

Simply, it's water first because the oil portion floats on top of
water. As gravity pulls both down, water gets displaced first because
it is closest to the bottom of the pail. As soon as the water runs
out, oil will start eek out of that same hole too!

What WD-40 does is similar to the above experiment. What you want is a
solution that displaces water under pressure or agitation from any
metal links and joints. It is water that can cause rust to form and
just that the chemical concoction of the WD-40 displaces water and
desolve grease that it makes a great chain cleaner. It's cheap too.

12-19-2003, 08:27 PM

David wrote:
> I
>>> Yes, this stuff is a water
>>> dispersion chemical that strips all muck and grease off better than
>>> any other expensive and lousy biodegradable degreaser.
>>
>> BS. It's physically impossible. Spray some WD40 in a pail of
>> water, and you'll
>> see that it floats like any other petroleum distillate. It's just
>> oil. It can't displace water. Don't believe the label or the hype.
>
> Ahh, you have just illustrated the water displacement right there.
> Let's experiment with the same pail of water, we can fill it with half
> water and half oil. They won't mix.
> Now, puncture a hole at the bottom of the pail and guess what comes
> out first? Water or oil or a mixture of both?
>
> Simply, it's water first because the oil portion floats on top of
> water. As gravity pulls both down, water gets displaced first because
> it is closest to the bottom of the pail. As soon as the water runs
> out, oil will start eek out of that same hole too!

Nothing is being displaced there, it's just running out. The displacement
happened when the water sank to the bottom of the bucket, pushing the oil to the
top.

> What WD-40 does is similar to the above experiment.

Surface tension will keep water stuck to a chain. All WD40 will do is float on
the water. It can't displace the water because its specific gravity is lower,
and it has less surface tension (than water). Water will hold on to itself and
the metal stronger than WD40 will. Did you sleep through your college chemistry
classes?

> What you want is
> a solution that displaces water under pressure or agitation from any
> metal links and joints.

Oil and water don't mix, so there's no solution.

> It is water that can cause rust to form and
> just that the chemical concoction

What chemical concoction is that? It's just a bunch of lightweight petroleum
distillates, with scent added to make it smell good. Some would say there's
snake juice in it too, but it's actually a lot simpler than that.

> of the WD-40 displaces water and
> desolve grease that it makes a great chain cleaner. It's cheap too.

It's a pretty good solvent, but displace water it does not. Cannot.

Matt O.

12-19-2003, 09:27 PM

>It's a pretty good solvent, but displace water it does not. Cannot.

Matt, it says it displaces moisture on engines, spark plugs and power
tools.

Right there on the can.

Along with the first aid instructions if you get any of it onya.

Now I grant you that "moisture" isn't "water" per se if you want to
get technical.

And I know it is a lousy lubricant, it evaporates fast.

Nothing I'd use on a bicycle. Much better to clean the chain by
immersion and agitation in a "green" citrus cleaner, the rest of the
bike is easily taken care of with a mild detergent solution and some
old rags. If you want to get medieval on a frame Fantastik or similar
won't eat plastic or rubber.

Gently rinse and finish with a fresh coat of Carnauba wax on the
frame and perhaps some Armor-All on the plastic only.

By now the chain has finished soaking. Rinse in clear water and then
dry. Lube with your poison of choice, I use 10W-40, a lifetime supply
can be had for a couple of bucks. Wipe that chain. Never overlube.

While you're at it, check everything for wear. If you're obsessive
you can strip the headset and BB and repack them, climate and conditions
might make this a semi-annual or bi-annual event.

Definitely regrease the seatpost and stem, if you don't you could be
a very unhappy camper in the future.

Of course all of the consumables need at least inspection, that would
include cables, pads, tires, tape, etc.

Check wheel true and tension, inspect and/or replace rim strips, repack
and adust hubs.

Verify that your accessories such as fenders, racks, cages and clips
are right and tight.

Buy stock in Locktite Corporation. Eschew zip-ties.

Repeat as needed.

This should get you through at least a few rides.

--

_______________________ALL AMIGA IN MY MIND_______________________
------------------"Buddy Holly, the Texas Elvis"------------------
__________306.350.357.38>>cwhitman@texastwr.utaust in.edu__________

12-19-2003, 09:44 PM

I think the best way to clean bike is using central vacuum cleaner. Works
perfectly for me.
Jurek
"Doug Purdy" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
news:ktbDb.80911$[Only registered and activated users can see links. ].net.ca ble.rogers.com...
> Looking for your ideas, experience for cleaning bikes in the
> winter.
>
> I'm trying to get better organized to clean bikes in the winter.
> So far my procedure is to intend to clean but never actually do it
> and have major maintenance-replacement in the spring. Bike shops
> are kind of busy then though so service is sporadically effective.
>
> I don't have a garage for washing. I have a finished basement room
> (walkout) for bikes. My backyard is patio and flower beds. The
> laundry room has a drain but indoor-outdoor carpeting.
>
> Washing options I've thought of:
> 1) do nothing
> 2) take the bikes to the self car wash on the bike rack
> 3) run a hose from the hot water beyond the patio and bed (my
> summer cleaning site)
> 4) take the indor-outdor out of the laundry room and try washing
> there
> 5) make the bike room watertight and buy a shop vac.
>
> Chain cleaning options:
> 1) forget cleaning and learn how to do the spring
> maintenance-replacement myself
> 2) change all chains to the easy disconnect type and remove &
> clean them in a pop bottle.
> 3) clean on the bike & use a mat or plastic sheet to avoid
> degreaser damage to floor walls & furniture
>
> Thanks in advance for your suggestions.
>
> Doug
> For email, a sense of wonder.
>
>

12-20-2003, 07:09 AM

In article <AcQEb.2715$[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>, Matt O'Toole
<[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:

>
> Surface tension will keep water stuck to a chain. All WD40 will do is float
> on
> the water. It can't displace the water because its specific gravity is lower,
> and it has less surface tension (than water). Water will hold on to itself
> and
> the metal stronger than WD40 will. Did you sleep through your college
> chemistry
> classes?
>

I can't argue with you Matt. You are simply applying a technique
called "data mining" whereby you pick and choose my statements that
strengthen your case.

If you read my last post in its entirety, it works only by pressure or
agitation. Running through a chain cleaner with WD-40 will displace
water or moisture by agitation. WD-40 byitself won't. It needs help,
but then you took this statement out and then added something else.

And no, you don't have to indicate that I slept through college.
What's the purpose of demeaning some one else?

> > What you want is
> > a solution that displaces water under pressure or agitation from any
> > metal links and joints.
>
> Oil and water don't mix, so there's no solution.
>
> > It is water that can cause rust to form and
> > just that the chemical concoction
>
> What chemical concoction is that? It's just a bunch of lightweight petroleum
> distillates, with scent added to make it smell good. Some would say there's
> snake juice in it too, but it's actually a lot simpler than that.

Obviously it sells a lot and it works. Let's put this to rest shall
we. I mean, what does dissecting WD-40 has to do with proper chain
cleaning? Unless ofcourse, you have some vested interest in putting
down the company that makes WD-40?