Cleaning your bike...

06-29-2004, 04:32 PM

I take my hybrid on a lot of gravel/dirt roads. What is the best way to
clean the bike? I found hundreds of websites on this topic but each one
seems to have different opinions. Here's what I've gathered so far:

- spray the gears+drivetrain with a degreaser and let it sit for a while
- hose down the whole bike with low-power waterhose
- with a sponge and brush, use bucket of water+dishwashing liquid to clean
every part of the bike
- apply lube to gears+drivetrain

Some people say not to use lube but to use grease. Then there's dry grease
and wet grease. Some people say not to use WD-40 because it is not a true
degreaser (but a water displacer) while other think it's the best. Some
people say that dishwashing liquid can permanently damage the bike's
coating.

So I thought I'd ask the pros. Any feedback would be welcome.

06-29-2004, 05:41 PM

On Tue, 29 Jun 2004 20:32:24 -0400, "gusmeister"
<gusmeister_NOSPAM_@sympatico.ca> wrote:
>I take my hybrid on a lot of gravel/dirt roads. What is the best way to
>clean the bike? I found hundreds of websites on this topic but each one
>seems to have different opinions. Here's what I've gathered so far:

Hah! So you come here and ask? You're about to get deluged with
hundreds of even more different opinions!

> - spray the gears+drivetrain with a degreaser and let it sit for a while
> - hose down the whole bike with low-power waterhose
> - with a sponge and brush, use bucket of water+dishwashing liquid to clean
>every part of the bike
> - apply lube to gears+drivetrain

That's reasonable. I used to do that. Now, I mostly don't clean my
mountain bike; I'll wipe large mud accumulations off of it. I do
wipe down my road bike with a [sometimes damp, sometimes dry] rag.
The drivetrain on the road bike gets cleaned thoroughly by removing
chain and cassette, soaking both in solvent, and using rag with
solvent on chainrings and derailers.

>Some people say not to use lube but to use grease. Then there's dry grease
>and wet grease.

Grease goes in bearings, and semi-static metal contact areas like
seatposts. Never heard of dry grease.

Wet and dry lubes are a personal preference, and there are literally
thousands (probably tens of thousands) of messages in
rec.bicycles.tech about lube every year. Don't add to them if you
can find sufficient opinions via groups.google.com...

>Some people say not to use WD-40 because it is not a true
>degreaser (but a water displacer) while other think it's the best. Some

WD-40 is an okay degreaser, but I find paint thinner more efficient.
WD-40 is generally agreed to be a bad _lube_, though.

>people say that dishwashing liquid can permanently damage the bike's
>coating.

Not sure on that one, but a damp rag takes off nearly anything I
find on my bike.

>So I thought I'd ask the pros. Any feedback would be welcome.

Oh, you wanted feedback from _pros_. Sorry, I'm a random schlub. <G>

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ] is a method reportedly
used by pros.
--
Rick Onanian

06-29-2004, 05:41 PM

On Tue, 29 Jun 2004 20:32:24 -0400, "gusmeister"
<gusmeister_NOSPAM_@sympatico.ca> wrote:
>I take my hybrid on a lot of gravel/dirt roads. What is the best way to
>clean the bike? I found hundreds of websites on this topic but each one
>seems to have different opinions. Here's what I've gathered so far:

Hah! So you come here and ask? You're about to get deluged with
hundreds of even more different opinions!

> - spray the gears+drivetrain with a degreaser and let it sit for a while
> - hose down the whole bike with low-power waterhose
> - with a sponge and brush, use bucket of water+dishwashing liquid to clean
>every part of the bike
> - apply lube to gears+drivetrain

That's reasonable. I used to do that. Now, I mostly don't clean my
mountain bike; I'll wipe large mud accumulations off of it. I do
wipe down my road bike with a [sometimes damp, sometimes dry] rag.
The drivetrain on the road bike gets cleaned thoroughly by removing
chain and cassette, soaking both in solvent, and using rag with
solvent on chainrings and derailers.

>Some people say not to use lube but to use grease. Then there's dry grease
>and wet grease.

Grease goes in bearings, and semi-static metal contact areas like
seatposts. Never heard of dry grease.

Wet and dry lubes are a personal preference, and there are literally
thousands (probably tens of thousands) of messages in
rec.bicycles.tech about lube every year. Don't add to them if you
can find sufficient opinions via groups.google.com...

>Some people say not to use WD-40 because it is not a true
>degreaser (but a water displacer) while other think it's the best. Some

WD-40 is an okay degreaser, but I find paint thinner more efficient.
WD-40 is generally agreed to be a bad _lube_, though.

>people say that dishwashing liquid can permanently damage the bike's
>coating.

Not sure on that one, but a damp rag takes off nearly anything I
find on my bike.

>So I thought I'd ask the pros. Any feedback would be welcome.

Oh, you wanted feedback from _pros_. Sorry, I'm a random schlub. <G>

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ] is a method reportedly
used by pros.
--
Rick Onanian

06-29-2004, 05:41 PM

On Tue, 29 Jun 2004 20:32:24 -0400, "gusmeister"
<gusmeister_NOSPAM_@sympatico.ca> wrote:
>I take my hybrid on a lot of gravel/dirt roads. What is the best way to
>clean the bike? I found hundreds of websites on this topic but each one
>seems to have different opinions. Here's what I've gathered so far:

Hah! So you come here and ask? You're about to get deluged with
hundreds of even more different opinions!

> - spray the gears+drivetrain with a degreaser and let it sit for a while
> - hose down the whole bike with low-power waterhose
> - with a sponge and brush, use bucket of water+dishwashing liquid to clean
>every part of the bike
> - apply lube to gears+drivetrain

That's reasonable. I used to do that. Now, I mostly don't clean my
mountain bike; I'll wipe large mud accumulations off of it. I do
wipe down my road bike with a [sometimes damp, sometimes dry] rag.
The drivetrain on the road bike gets cleaned thoroughly by removing
chain and cassette, soaking both in solvent, and using rag with
solvent on chainrings and derailers.

>Some people say not to use lube but to use grease. Then there's dry grease
>and wet grease.

Grease goes in bearings, and semi-static metal contact areas like
seatposts. Never heard of dry grease.

Wet and dry lubes are a personal preference, and there are literally
thousands (probably tens of thousands) of messages in
rec.bicycles.tech about lube every year. Don't add to them if you
can find sufficient opinions via groups.google.com...

>Some people say not to use WD-40 because it is not a true
>degreaser (but a water displacer) while other think it's the best. Some

WD-40 is an okay degreaser, but I find paint thinner more efficient.
WD-40 is generally agreed to be a bad _lube_, though.

>people say that dishwashing liquid can permanently damage the bike's
>coating.

Not sure on that one, but a damp rag takes off nearly anything I
find on my bike.

>So I thought I'd ask the pros. Any feedback would be welcome.

Oh, you wanted feedback from _pros_. Sorry, I'm a random schlub. <G>

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ] is a method reportedly
used by pros.
--
Rick Onanian

06-29-2004, 05:41 PM

On Tue, 29 Jun 2004 20:32:24 -0400, "gusmeister"
<gusmeister_NOSPAM_@sympatico.ca> wrote:
>I take my hybrid on a lot of gravel/dirt roads. What is the best way to
>clean the bike? I found hundreds of websites on this topic but each one
>seems to have different opinions. Here's what I've gathered so far:

Hah! So you come here and ask? You're about to get deluged with
hundreds of even more different opinions!

> - spray the gears+drivetrain with a degreaser and let it sit for a while
> - hose down the whole bike with low-power waterhose
> - with a sponge and brush, use bucket of water+dishwashing liquid to clean
>every part of the bike
> - apply lube to gears+drivetrain

That's reasonable. I used to do that. Now, I mostly don't clean my
mountain bike; I'll wipe large mud accumulations off of it. I do
wipe down my road bike with a [sometimes damp, sometimes dry] rag.
The drivetrain on the road bike gets cleaned thoroughly by removing
chain and cassette, soaking both in solvent, and using rag with
solvent on chainrings and derailers.

>Some people say not to use lube but to use grease. Then there's dry grease
>and wet grease.

Grease goes in bearings, and semi-static metal contact areas like
seatposts. Never heard of dry grease.

Wet and dry lubes are a personal preference, and there are literally
thousands (probably tens of thousands) of messages in
rec.bicycles.tech about lube every year. Don't add to them if you
can find sufficient opinions via groups.google.com...

>Some people say not to use WD-40 because it is not a true
>degreaser (but a water displacer) while other think it's the best. Some

WD-40 is an okay degreaser, but I find paint thinner more efficient.
WD-40 is generally agreed to be a bad _lube_, though.

>people say that dishwashing liquid can permanently damage the bike's
>coating.

Not sure on that one, but a damp rag takes off nearly anything I
find on my bike.

>So I thought I'd ask the pros. Any feedback would be welcome.

Oh, you wanted feedback from _pros_. Sorry, I'm a random schlub. <G>

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ] is a method reportedly
used by pros.
--
Rick Onanian

06-29-2004, 05:41 PM

On Tue, 29 Jun 2004 20:32:24 -0400, "gusmeister"
<gusmeister_NOSPAM_@sympatico.ca> wrote:
>I take my hybrid on a lot of gravel/dirt roads. What is the best way to
>clean the bike? I found hundreds of websites on this topic but each one
>seems to have different opinions. Here's what I've gathered so far:

Hah! So you come here and ask? You're about to get deluged with
hundreds of even more different opinions!

> - spray the gears+drivetrain with a degreaser and let it sit for a while
> - hose down the whole bike with low-power waterhose
> - with a sponge and brush, use bucket of water+dishwashing liquid to clean
>every part of the bike
> - apply lube to gears+drivetrain

That's reasonable. I used to do that. Now, I mostly don't clean my
mountain bike; I'll wipe large mud accumulations off of it. I do
wipe down my road bike with a [sometimes damp, sometimes dry] rag.
The drivetrain on the road bike gets cleaned thoroughly by removing
chain and cassette, soaking both in solvent, and using rag with
solvent on chainrings and derailers.

>Some people say not to use lube but to use grease. Then there's dry grease
>and wet grease.

Grease goes in bearings, and semi-static metal contact areas like
seatposts. Never heard of dry grease.

Wet and dry lubes are a personal preference, and there are literally
thousands (probably tens of thousands) of messages in
rec.bicycles.tech about lube every year. Don't add to them if you
can find sufficient opinions via groups.google.com...

>Some people say not to use WD-40 because it is not a true
>degreaser (but a water displacer) while other think it's the best. Some

WD-40 is an okay degreaser, but I find paint thinner more efficient.
WD-40 is generally agreed to be a bad _lube_, though.

>people say that dishwashing liquid can permanently damage the bike's
>coating.

Not sure on that one, but a damp rag takes off nearly anything I
find on my bike.

>So I thought I'd ask the pros. Any feedback would be welcome.

Oh, you wanted feedback from _pros_. Sorry, I'm a random schlub. <G>

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ] is a method reportedly
used by pros.
--
Rick Onanian

06-29-2004, 06:04 PM

Rick Onanian wrote:
> On Tue, 29 Jun 2004 20:32:24 -0400, "gusmeister"
> <gusmeister_NOSPAM_@sympatico.ca> wrote:

>> I take my hybrid on a lot of gravel/dirt roads. What is the best
>> way to clean the bike?

> Hah! So you come here and ask? You're about to get deluged with
> hundreds of even more different opinions!

I disagree with that!

Bill "but you may be right" S.

06-29-2004, 06:04 PM

Rick Onanian wrote:
> On Tue, 29 Jun 2004 20:32:24 -0400, "gusmeister"
> <gusmeister_NOSPAM_@sympatico.ca> wrote:

>> I take my hybrid on a lot of gravel/dirt roads. What is the best
>> way to clean the bike?

> Hah! So you come here and ask? You're about to get deluged with
> hundreds of even more different opinions!

I disagree with that!

Bill "but you may be right" S.

06-29-2004, 06:04 PM

Rick Onanian wrote:
> On Tue, 29 Jun 2004 20:32:24 -0400, "gusmeister"
> <gusmeister_NOSPAM_@sympatico.ca> wrote:

>> I take my hybrid on a lot of gravel/dirt roads. What is the best
>> way to clean the bike?

> Hah! So you come here and ask? You're about to get deluged with
> hundreds of even more different opinions!

I disagree with that!

Bill "but you may be right" S.

06-29-2004, 06:04 PM

Rick Onanian wrote:
> On Tue, 29 Jun 2004 20:32:24 -0400, "gusmeister"
> <gusmeister_NOSPAM_@sympatico.ca> wrote:

>> I take my hybrid on a lot of gravel/dirt roads. What is the best
>> way to clean the bike?

> Hah! So you come here and ask? You're about to get deluged with
> hundreds of even more different opinions!

I disagree with that!

Bill "but you may be right" S.