How pristine is your bike?

[Joey Shabadoo]

No matter how careful I am, my year old Tricross seems to attract scratches and scuffs. From cables wearing away paint on the stem to scratches on hood covers etc. I don't wash my bike every time I go out, mainly because I hate cycling in the rain, but I degrease, clean and oil the chain and moving parts regularly as well as the occasional hose down with Muck Off. My previous bike was a second hand secteur and, despite being a year old it was immaculate, as were the owners other bikes so I presume some people must lavish a lot of care and attention on their machines.

Am I just an average cyclist regarding cleaning and maintenance? Does your bike glisten and gleam in the same perfect state as when it first arrived or does cosmetic appearance not really matter?

 

[ianrauk]

My bikes are always immaculately clean always.
Leisure bikes cleaned after every ride.
My commute bike fully cleaned every week, sometimes more often.

It has been known that I clean my bike mid-ride

I don't mind dings or scratches, add's character to a bike.

 

[AnythingButVanilla]

My three year old hybrid is held together with dirt and the cassette is pretty much rusted away to nothing. I think I've cleaned it twice. My Brom is two months old and hasn't been cleaned yet although I've been known to spit on a hanky and wipe smears off it like an annoying parent. The road bike is 18 months old and has been cleaned maybe once but I rarely ride it so it doesn't seem worth the bother.

 

[akb]

It is fate. You worry about a bike getting scuffed and scratched and it will. Take my MTB for example; no matter how much effort I put in to keeping it in pristine condition, it picks up a scratch and scuff on every single ride.
The hybrid however, which I use for road cycling and used to commute 4 days a week on, I am not that bothered about. However that looks like it has never been used. Fate I tell thee!

 

[DiddlyDodds]

Stand back and await the "ride it don't wash it & its there to be ridden not pampered" post that will be on very soon

 

[Joey Shabadoo]

Oh my, has this been discussed before then?

 

[DiddlyDodds]

I used to clean mine after every ride when it was new , now I give it a good clean every few rides, and yes scratches on the hoods etc seem impossible to avoid .
I do like a nice shiny bike when I go out as I have had many an old nail in the past

 

[4F]

My nice bike will be cleaned every other ride, my cheapy fixed gear commuter every other year, its there to be ridden not pampered

 

[screenman]

I met a guy once who rode a bike and did not iron his cycling socks, how could anyone not do that.


What does it matter?

 

[Supersuperleeds]

I met a guy once who rode a bike and did not iron his cycling socks, how could anyone not do that.


What does it matter?

Cycling socks, the posh b*****d!

I clean my bikes as often as I pump up the tyres, not often enough!

 

[Matthew_T]

If you do get scratches and chips, you can always paint over them. I have some black gloss enamel paint that I used to touch up my old racer. I am going to touch up my hybrid with it just to cut back on the possibility of rust. I might need to get some white enamel for my good bike though.
Nothing wrong with scratches as long as you keep ontop of them.

Although they will decrease the value of your bike when it comes to reselling.

 

[4F]

Although they will decrease the value of your bike when it comes to reselling.

What is this "re-selling" you speak of ? N+1

 

[Cyclopathic]

On my every day utilitarian, trailer towing all weather tank I keep all the working parts in good order because I need them to work and be reliable. The frame I have basically just turned into visual crap with old bits of paint here and there and scratches and I've modified the Scott logo up the down tube to read "Slutt". I do this because a) I'm a scruffy sod who wants to have a bike that I don't worry about and don't have to be precious about, and b) because it makes it a very unattractive proposition for a thief. There is no way the people down at the cash for misery pawn brokers would give any one the price of a bag of smack for my bike.

 

[Dave 123]

My dad used to buy high end stuff (not bikes) and never use it, it would be kept in its packaging, this would also be the case of stuff I bought him for his birthday. " it's too good to use...." Was his odd mantra.

As a result all of my toys, bikes kayaks guitars cameras get treated with respect but they don't get mollycoddled either. I couldn't give a hoot if it gets broke whilst it is being used.

 

[Deleted member 23692]

Although both bikes have the odd scratch on them (MTB especially) they are both kept immaculately clean. MTB gets washed after every dirty ride, and road bike gets a wipe down after a dry ride, and a full wash if it's got a fair amount of road mud on it. The same goes for the chains - a full clean and never been 'mickled'