How often do you wash your bike in the winter honestly?

[Alex321]

You use wet lube I’m guessing based on this?

At this time of year you would have to re-lube after every ride if you used dry lube.

Of course there are other alternatives such as waxing, but few of us have the time, facilities or inclination for that.

 

[Sea of vapours]

Yes, after every ride. At least, 'wash' in the sense of 'use hose to rinse all visible mud off' I then take the bike indoors and dry it thoroughly'. Total time taken is under ten minutes, of which the drying part is 7-8 minutes. This is all greatly helped by a) a hose just outside the door, b) a workstand on which the bike lives, just inside the door, from which hang assorted bike drying towels.

I used to wipe / dry / lube the chain too (2m total), but my recent, ongoing experiment with immersive waxing seems to have removed the need for that, at least so far.

 

[simongt]

Clean and oil running gear when needed and polish my Brooks but other than that not.

I second that - !
In the 'mucky season', cleaning the whole bike seems a bit pointless unless it's causing performance or reliability issues.

 

[Sea of vapours]

Of course there are other alternatives such as waxing, but few of us have the time, facilities or inclination for that.

I thought that until recently. It turns out, howeve, having gained the inclination, that I do have the time and the facilities are pretty trivial and cheaply acquired. So far, it seems much better, purely in terms of ease and lack of the need to 'clean' things.

 

[PaulSB]

Weekly but then I'm retired so have the time. Wipe the chain after every ride and then a thorough wash every 6-7 days depending on when I'm riding, how busy etc.

 

[ianrauk]

Road bike is cleaned after most rides if mucky. Summer months less so, just given a wipe down.
The commuter usually once a week.

 

[MichaelW2]

Commuter bike: once or twice/year, on warm, dry days.

 

[presta]

I don't draw a line between washing and servicing, because:
a) washing is cleaning the muddy bits, and servicing is cleaning the greasy bits
b) It's not possible to draw a line between the muddy & greasy bits unless you want grease on your sponge and/or detergent in your transmission.

So it got washed when I serviced it, which was at the beginning and end of the winter, before & after the summer tour(s), and occasionally other times when repairs or maintenance were required. (About every 1000-1200m)

 

[Jody]

Does anybody really wash their bikes after every ride?

I try to wash mine as little as possible as it just speeds up wear. Just make sure the drive train is clean.

Obviously if it gets muddy then it gets a wash.

Road bike only comes out when it's dry (if at all these days)

 

[Milzy]

If lightly soiled then wiped down but if caked then it’s full wash & chain clean/lube.

 

[sevenfourate]

Washing / Cleaning ? Likely more than anyone else on here. Like even when it doesn't need it. I'm a huge car Detailing fan; and the King of Clean.
That's mostly the reason behind the moniker underneath my username picture......

The other possible / useable terms or words to describe my cleaning ethics could be: compulsive, obsessive and unnecessary.

You decide.......

 

[Ming the Merciless]

At this time of year you would have to re-lube after every ride if you used dry lube.

Not at all true, and even if so, because you don’t have to clean your drive train after every ride, you’d have time freed up to do it.

 

[Dogtrousers]

Every mucky ride. Every two or three dry, non-mucky rides.
Mainly to clean and re-lubricate the chain and remove crud from the underside of the down tube and BB. The rest of the bike generally doesn't need cleaning.
Yes I have full mudguards, all year round.

 

[Venod]

This time of year after every ride, its usually filthy, took the wheels off today and de gunged the mudguards, should be a bit lighter now.

 

[sevenfourate]

This time of year after every ride, its usually filthy, took the wheels off today and de gunged the mudguards, should be a bit lighter now.

Good Man ! My Mantra too. Plus; by definition - "looking' over the bike while you clean helps you notice changes, maintenance that's needs doing, wear and tear etc........ Win win