Looking after one's steed

[Cope]

What's the best way to look after one's regular commuting bike, that gets used in all weathers, in city and country, all year?

How should one go about keeping it clean and well oiled etc? Any regimes you could recommend, or habits?

I've not washed a bike since I was a child - wouldn't know where to start. What does one do to the transmission? Oil? Spray grease? WD40? GT85?

What does one wash it with? Fairly liquid? Just water? How should one dry it?

Etc...

 

[palinurus]

Car shampoo is good. Dry it with rags.

Oil on the transmission (try some out and see what you like, I tend to use what I can get from the bike shop, Prolink gold and finishline). There's are a few threads on here regarding cleaning the chain and transmission, try a search.

I did once get given some cans of spray grease from a motorcyclist once. It's a bit messy.

 

[gbb]

Not neccessarily the best way, but i've evolved a quick way to keep the bike clean and in hopefully good order.
Spray bottle (the kind you get kitchen / bathroom cleaners in ) and put some detergent and water in it. Doesnt have to be strong.
Kitchen towel.
WD40 and some oil for the chain

Quick spray then wipe with kitchen towel. You do the frame, wheels, tyres, derailleurs in one go.
Spray the derailleurs (and brake pivots etc) liberally with WD40. Wipe the excess of with more paper towel.
Quick lube of the chain.

Theres very little mess, just some sheets of paper towel. No hosepipes, puddes of water etc etc. You can do the whole lot in 10 mins.

Occasionally, if ive had a particualy dirty commute, i'll just spray the whole lot with a hosepipe, then paper towel off.

 

[HLaB]

At this time of year most of my cleaning is indoors; I use baby wipes on all parts of the bike including the transmission and it seems to do the job. I usually run the chain through the wipes several times, discarding as necessary, occaisionally I feed the wipe through the chain if I need to. I then clean of the cassette and chain rings I find the wipes are great for running through the gaps in the cassette. I sometimes follow the Mickle Method (tm) but using wipes instead of a old rag.

 

[palinurus]

I'm a recent convert to the Mickle method and it seems to work very well.

I can wash down the commuter bike out in the cold in 10-15 mins. Clean rims with soapy water, rag between the rim and brake pads to clear the brakedust and other crap, clean frame with soapy water, quick rag over metal parts- mech, cassette and stuff, Mickle method for the chain, bit of lube on the jockey wheels, if it isn't dark quick check of tyres for glass etc. Done. That's the winter routine anyway.

 

[Cope]

I'm a recent convert to the Mickle method and it seems to work very well.

Did I miss what that was?

 

[another_dave_b]

What's the best way to look after one's regular commuting bike, that gets used in all weathers, in city and country, all year?

How should one go about keeping it clean and well oiled etc? Any regimes you could recommend, or habits?

I've not washed a bike since I was a child - wouldn't know where to start. What does one do to the transmission? Oil? Spray grease? WD40? GT85?

What does one wash it with? Fairly liquid? Just water? How should one dry it?

Etc...

I just oil the chain when it starts to groan, and take it for a service once a year.

 

[palinurus]

I'm not sure where the original thread is. There's some discussion in this one:

probably a representative chain-cleaning thread

 

[Tynan]

I do nothing

maybe wash and oil the chain monthly, maybe

otherwise replace when needed

 

[palinurus]

Perhaps not entirely representative. Baby wipes?.

 

[fossyant]

Bike get's a quick wash when it's a wet ride - takes no time as I keep on top of it... lube the chain as necessary, and use the wipe method - have done for donkey's years...with an old oily t-shirt !

 

[MrRidley]

Spent at least 2 hours tonight cleaning my bike, this is only my first week with it went over every bit of it cleaning and polishing then the wife came back from cinema with kids and caught me with the bike in the kitchen and she was not best pleased to see the wheels on the worktop.

 

[brady37]

i must be the only header who takes the wheels off uses bike cleaner chainbath then gives it a wax maybe i need help

 

[Davidc]

Not neccessarily the best way, but i've evolved a quick way to keep the bike clean and in hopefully good order.
Spray bottle (the kind you get kitchen / bathroom cleaners in ) and put some detergent and water in it. Doesnt have to be strong.
Kitchen towel.
WD40 and some oil for the chain

Quick spray then wipe with kitchen towel. You do the frame, wheels, tyres, derailleurs in one go.
Spray the derailleurs (and brake pivots etc) liberally with WD40. Wipe the excess of with more paper towel.
Quick lube of the chain.

Theres very little mess, just some sheets of paper towel. No hosepipes, puddes of water etc etc. You can do the whole lot in 10 mins.

Occasionally, if ive had a particualy dirty commute, i'll just spray the whole lot with a hosepipe, then paper towel off.

WD40 on anything that moves such as a chain or any bearing is a DISASTER. New chains, hubs, jockey wheels, cables etc. are expensive.

Suggest you take a look at The Bicycle Tutor's take on WD40 and chains at http://bicycletutor.com/no-wd40-bike-chain/

Palinurus' method is much the same as I use, and about £5 worth of specialist bicycle lubricants from the LBS lasts about a year used weekly and after each wash.

WD40 does have one use - it's quite good at getting road tar off paintwork when the council have done a tar and stone chippings job on the roads. It doesnt repair the paintwork chips though.

 

[garrilla]

Do wipes and kitchel roll not leave lint in your fragile parts?