I full well know and appreciate the advantages of a clean bicycle. Plus, riding a spanking-clean bicycle actually makes me happier, but my Litespeed is the workhorse that I log all my training on. When a race or event comes along, I ride another bike that stays in near-perfect condition. Having two bikes like this has made me lazy with my Litespeed.
The other issue is that, when you’re riding one bike all the time, you don’t always have the time or energy to clean it. The best time to do it is right after every ride. But refueling and getting out of your damp kit takes precedence. And I end up putting it off and just keep riding it and getting it dirtier and dirtier. My bad.
But, I have a 3-step plan
Disclaimer: This plan is only for bicycles that are reasonably clean to start with, not for seriously used and abused ones. If you’ve got one of those, start by having it thoroughly overhauled, and then you can continue with this approach.
1. Clean it at least once a week
Bike cleaning is a hassle only if you put it off. Doing that allows the grit and dirt from the road and the drivetrain grime from riding to accumulate and get worse and worse. To keep the job easy, you have to clean frequently. That’s why Tour de France mechanics clean every bicycle, every night.
Ideally, you’ll do it after every ride just like the pros (well, just like the pro mechanics). But if you can’t do that, at least once a week will work. If you ride in the rain or snow, however, be sure to clean it and lube it right after those rides. If you don’t, the moisture and dirt from the wet roads will penetrate and quickly corrode and wear the parts.
2. Focus mostly on the drivetrain
I’m sure you know how important it is to keep your chain lubricated, and you have a favorite lube and use it. As important as that lube is, it’s also the main cause of gunk and grime building up on the chain, cassette cogs and chainrings – and then spreading to other parts.
What happens is that the excess lube gets spread to these parts and road dirt and grit gets picked up and mixed with the lube, creating the black crud that over time can make a mess of everything if you let it get out of hand.
You can’t stop lubing your chain, so the solution is attending to any excess chain lube as soon as possible. The time to do this is several hours after applying a fresh coat of chain lube. That’s enough time for the lube to penetrate inside the links and dry.
Once this has happened, you should wipe the chain clean. Use a lint-free rag and wipe off any/all gunk and grime. The goal is to end up with fine film of clean lube on the chain with no black grime. If you wipe the chain with a clean rag, it should leave a slight residue of oil on the rag. But don’t wipe it so much that it’s dry.
Tip: If you can’t seem to keep your chain clean, you are probably either using too much lube, applying it too often, or using the wrong lube for your riding conditions. For example, a wet lube used in dry conditions is just too thick and it will usually create a mess. Cleaning your chain and changing the amount of lube, the frequency of lubing or the type of lube will usually solve the problem.
3. Simply wipe the frame and components clean
The last part of my 3-step plan makes cleaning so easy there’s no excuse not to do it. It involves a somewhat new product that I’ve tried and like: bike wipes. A few companies offer them, including Grease Monkey Wipes, http://www.greasemonkeywipes.com/, ProGold, http://bikes.progoldmfr.com/products/?product=protowels, and globalbike wipes, http://globalbike.org/products.
These products are just like the pre-moistened wipes you probably use to clean your kitchen and bathroom at home, except that they’re treated to cut through grease and grime and tough enough to hold up to the job.
A thought: Mentioning kitchen/bathroom wipes makes me wonder if they would work on bikes, too. I haven’t tried it so I can’t recommend it. But it wouldn’t surprise me if they worked adequately.
Wiping a bicycle clean – especially one that you haven’t let get filthy – only takes about 10 minutes. Work from the front to back or do the wheels, the frame and finish with the components. That way, you’ll do a thorough job and clean all the parts. If you finish with the drivetrain parts, you won’t transfer any grease from them to the rest of the bike.
Wax it once in a while, too
As a final step that you only need to do after every 10 cleanings or so, you should wax your frame and components. Don’t use paste wax, because it turns it into a big project. Instead, use a spray furniture polish (which you probably already have around the house) – I like Lemon Pledge – or a bike-specific product like Pedro’s Bike Lust, http://pedros.com/products/clean-and-lube/degreasers-andcleaners/bike-lust/.
Sprays can irritate the throat and eyes, so work in a well-ventilated area and keep the spray away from your face. Spraying it on the rag instead of on the bicycle will help reduce the amount in the air, too.
All you need to do to get a lustrous wax finish that looks great and also helps prevent dirt and grit from sticking to your bike is to spray or wipe on the wax, wait a few minutes for it to dry, and then wipe and polish it off.
With practice, the entire clean-and-shine process shouldn’t take more than 15 minutes. I hope it helps you out, and I hope I can stick with the plan, too!
I’m wondering what differences in care, if any, are necessary with a mat-finish.
I have a new bike that has a combination of gloss finish painted areas, and mat-finished areas (Which doesn’t seem to be paint. Indeed, it seems that the mat-finished areas, which are black, and slightly transparent, are part of the resin finish-coat). Furthermore, both types of finish are intermingled over the frame tubes, so it would be impractical to treat them separately..
I’m also wondering if there are any cleaning and waxing products specifically developed for bicycles finished in this manner.
I’m not sure there’s a specific product for a matte/gloss combo finish, but White Lightning has a specific Matte Finish cleaner.
Rather than clean “once a week” I think it is better to clean after XXX miles. Most of us keep track of our mileage and bike maintenance is dependent on mileage, not time. Your week and my week can be radically different in mileage. I experience about 350 miles before my chain needs a clean/lube, and I clean the rest of the bike when I do that. I use gear lube diluted in odorless mineral spirits for a chain lube (any oil will work). I put on enough lube so that the chain is starting to drip and then turn the cranks for a minute or so. This loosens all the crud in the chain, chain rings, derailleur pulleys, etc. so when I wipe it all clean, the chain is lubed and clean and the lube has penetrated every part of the chain. I do this after a ride so that the solvent has a day to evaporate. Doing the drivetrain first means that any lube that got on the rest of the bike is removed when I dry-wipe everything else with a rag. Using this technique for decades has given me long chain life, and long life for the rest of my components and frame. No water in cleaning reduces rust and corrosion.
Great tips, Kerry. Thank you for sharing!
Jim
I’m a believer in Lemon Pledge. I spray it on the frame and that helps clean and polish at the same time.
I have been meaning to try Wet Ones for a quick clean also.
For more in-depth cleaning, I use a product that is rarely mentioned; finish Line Gear Floss. It’s like dental floss for your bike. Gets into most of the small places.
Cheers
Yes, Bryan, Lemon Pledge works great for shiny frames and parts – I have used it for years and also on my internal combusters. For matte finishes, you can pickup spray cleaner/polishes like the White Lightning Matte spray John Marsh mentioned above. Here’s a link:
https://amzn.to/2D9iObg
Thanks!
Jim
I hang my bike under a shelf on that the drive train is right in front of me and take about 5 minutes to wipe it down. A clean drive train is a happy drive train. Every other ride I lube with pro gold and rather than wax I use a product called GLARE. It’s an automotive detail polish that works on everything, even glass!. I used it on my old colnago master lite mapei that I bought used in 2005 and the paint and the chrome lugs really popped.
Thanks for the tips, John. I like Pro Gold, too https://amzn.to/2DbKs7p . I haven’t heard of or used GLARE but I found it on Amazon https://amzn.to/2qBHuBJ
Appreciate you sharing your cleaning tips!
Jim
Forget the $$$ fancy wipes etc. & get a 98 cent bottle of 91% rubbing alcohol, dampen a clean rag & wipe off grease & road grime. I’ve done this for years, it won’t harm decals from my experience. I don’t want to sound nasty or a like a troll here, but in my opinion “Pledge” is for indoor wood furniture, not painted bikes. Go to the auto store & for the same or less get an auto detail spray clean & protectant/polish. This is designed for the road, not your living room. Leaves a great shine on my smooth finish bikes & will not “build up.” I use it after I’ve removed any grease/oil with the alc.
I’ve used “White Lightening” on my matte finish bike based on previous recommendations here & can not recommend it. In my experience it doesn’t clean oil/grease. It smears it. Very frustrating. I use the alc on the matte to clean, & then use the White Lightening as a final protectant coat. I won’t buy this stuff again when it’s gone. The alc is also great for cleaning rims & brake path & pads. Often the simple & cheap solutions are the best & generate less waste, just like using vinegar & peroxide for cleaning bath/kitchen instead of all the harmful $$$ commercial products.
Thanks for sharing your expertise and tips, Michael E!!
Jim
Like Michael E, I take a paper shop rag (heavy paper towel), spray with Simple Green or the like, and wipe down the bike. Much cheaper and better than buying specialty wipes. Spray the frame directly if necessary (e.g.,, under bottom bracket).
Matt K.