Cleaning your cycle, how far do you go?

[De Sisti]

Put it this way last week a did a full clean on the commuter so it was pristine and after one day the chain was so caked in muddy water that the lube had been stripped from the chain , the joys of country lane commuting.

Use mudguards with long mudflaps. That way your chain will not attract as much muck in less-than-ideal conditons.

 

[Vantage]

It used to be a case of polishing the bike to within an inch of its life.
These days it'll go months and then get a quick hose down.

 

[Big John]

In answer to the thread title, the garage. Sometimes a little further to the shed at the bottom of the garden 😉

 

[wafter]

Usually when a bike is new / new to me it gets stripped and cleaned to the extent that I can (carbauba) wax the frame and major components.

The chain also gets waxed which as others have pointed out largely removes the need to use degreaser on the bike - certainly not to the extent necessary with oiled chains to get all the caked on shite off the rest of the drivetrain and adjacent components.

Once the honeymoon period's over it gets a lot more slack. Washing seems like a waste of time in the winter given how quickly everything gets covered in crap; and while I don't mind dirt on stuff it's good to keep rims, derailleurs etc fairly clean to reduce wear.

Once the weather improves in the spring the bike usually gets chucked on the stand, wheels off and given a good going over with a soft-bristled brush and car-shampoo in a bucket of warm water before being rinsed (ideally with distilled water out of the condenser drier).

A decent set of mudguards will go a long way towards keeping the worst of the crap off, although good luck with that on a Brompton as the standard ones offer limited coverage and nothing on the aftermarket seems any better. I found extending the front flap with a bit of pop bottle made a massive difference to what was being thrown all over my feet / more importantly up into the bottom of the seatpost tube to then get ground into everything as the post is repeatedly deployed and collapsed.

Bromptons are especially bad generally both for keeping clean and preventing from eating themselves..

 

[fossyant]

Another here who says life is too short to wax a chain. @mickle method is all you need to keep a chain nice, clean and working well.

I like to keep all my bikes nice and clean as a matter of course. Not only do they run/ride better. When you are cleaning bikes regularly you do become a little more aware of any impending problems or issues.

This in spades. I'll clean my bike after a wet commute - it doesn't take long. I just use car shampoo - I buy big 20l drums which last me and age and work out very cheap. Just decant into 2.5l tub as and when I need it.

I'll occasionally pop some autoglym super resin on the paintwork !

 

[cyberknight]

Use mudguards with long mudflaps. That way your chain will not attract as much muck in less-than-ideal conditons.

I do but the flooded roads were so bad after the storm you were literally riding through muddy flood water that had washed off the Fields

 

[Webbo2]

I do but the flooded roads were so bad after the storm you were literally riding through muddy flood water that had washed off the Fields

This
Mudguards and long mud flaps don’t stop your bike getting dirty when riding through 6 inches of water/ slurry.

 

[PaulSB]

I just use warm (not hot) water and car shampoo, then rinse with a hose (sprinkling, not a jet).
And life's too short to wax chains. Oil and rag does me.

I used the Mickle method for years. It works extremely well. Then I discovered wax. I use either Silca (currently) or Squirt. Waxing gives a cleaner chain, cassette and chain rings than lube.........by some distance.

After a ride I wipe the chain, every 2-3 weeks I apply wax. The wax application is done in exactly the same way as lube in the Mickle method.

Why do you consider life too short to wax?

 

[PaulSB]

Another here who says life is too short to wax a chain. @mickle method is all you need to keep a chain nice, clean and working well.

I like to keep all my bikes nice and clean as a matter of course. Not only do they run/ride better. When you are cleaning bikes regularly you do become a little more aware of any impending problems or issues.

The second paragraph is precisely why I keep my bikes clean. It's so much easier to prevent problems if one spots them early. A stitch in time and all that.

 

[Reynard]

Warm water and a squeeze of washing up liquid, applied with a soft dustpan type brush if doing a "proper" wash. Then a quick rinse and mickle the chain. At this time of year, no point making too big a faff about it anyways, just too much mud and muck about. Otherwise, just a wipe over with a damp cloth whenever needed, just to keep things looking presentable. I've only myself to please.

Exception is if the roads have been gritted, and then I do pay a bit more attention.