...do you wash your bike? Either in time or in terms of number of commutes? I reckon I'm about once a month in the summer, maybe once a week in winter. I hate the idea of it but once I get started I quite like it
if it's dirty, the morning of a saturday club run. usually ends up muddy again after that (and every time i wonder why i bothered).
once in my entire life and even them not really, more of a damp cloth over the dirty bits after my first ever chain wash surely they're all weather barring the chainset?
hardly ever wash my roadie in summer. Do in winter every few weeks though i'd say. Wash the MTB after a particularly muddy ride, every few rides if not, and always oil it every few rides. Sometimes i'm a bit lazy and just get the worst of the caked-on mud out of the nooks and crannies and leave the bits on the frame, like now - will have to give it a bit of a wipe down when i get home actually thanks for reminding me. haven't washed my van since i've had it! doesn't seem to gather much muck being white and all that... although wheel arches are probably coming up for their annual blast with a hose.
The MTB that I use for commuting gets cleaned once a week (well almost) the roadie gets a clean after each ride. It has to otherwise the sheets get dirty!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Road bikes almost every ride. MTB commuter - poss once a week or after a wet ride ! Hate dirty bikes !
My hybrid used to get washed every fortnight, then slowed down to once a month, and then bi-monthly. Then I converted my old hack racer into a fixed gear commuter, and that hasnt been washed since it has been refurbed/resprayed, just the occasional wipe down. Chain cleaning on the fixed is simple wipe and lube, with a rare rinse in spirit. I certainly dont miss scrubbing the filthy cotters on the hybrid with a toothbrush! I'm much happier just enjoying my fixed ride, rather than waste evenings and weekends maintaining/cleaning the geared bike.
once a month...ish. find it a pain but it increases my average speed by about 2 miles an hour - is that psychological d'ya think?
My Specialized road bike every ride even though its only used in dry. When I say wash I use Muk-off. My Trek commuter every week though wipe it down if wet.
My MTB commuter (which is, in fact, my only bike) gets cleaned once a week if there's been any rain as it's usually caked in muck and the drivetrain can collect quite a lot of mucky gunge. I give the chain and cassette a wipe down and a bit of lube each week too - and if they're looking particularly gunked up with mucky paste, I clean, degrease and relube them. Since it's my mode of transport to work 4 days a week, I want to make sure it stays in good nick and runs smoothly.
