Wash and Dry

[Odyssey]

So, I went out today for a little ride in the rain. Had fun in the mud, came back, washed my bike . . . and now I'm just waiting for the morning after rust.

I've never understood the secret to this one. You wash your bike, and unless the sun's shining (which is rare), you're going to be drying it with a cloth. Only trouble is, the only bits that really need to be dried (the mechanical, steel parts; drivetrain, cables, etc) are almost impossible to do with such a thing.

I sprayed on some WD40 ater washing it today, with the hope that this will disperse the water and then I can oil it up again tomorrow.

How do you deal with it? How do you look after your bike in this way? Admittedly I'm pretty lazy, and spending the best part of an hour drying each and every minor part with an old sock is not an option.

Any tips to share?

 

[Dayvo]

After work this morning, I spent three hours cleaning my MTB.
There was enough grease to supply a Teddy Boys' convention.

Basically hot soapy water gets rid of the grime and gunk, but use a washing-up brush, and an old toothbrush for getting into those small awkward areas. I took the cassette to pieces and afterwards it looked brand new.

My bike positively purred on the way home, and there wasn't a squeak to be heard anywhere.

 

[Dayvo]

And this site will help:

http://www.bikemagic.com/news/article.asp?UAN=2435

Just surf; there's tons of assistance on the net.

 

[GilesM]

I find the Muc Off Bike Spray to be good for getting the water out of places it can do harm after you've washed your bike, just watch you don't spray the braking surfaces as it has PTFE in it.

Giles

 

[robbarker]

Air compressor and airline - every garage should have one.

 

[Joe24]

I just wash mine using hot water and washing up liquid. Do the frame first with a brush, then the forks and bits that need a good wipe or bits the brush didnt do with a cloth, and i do the wheels last. I'll give the wheels a wipe and the frame if there is any soap left on. Then i leave it to dry in the shed, or outside if it isnt raining.
I have sometimes used a slightly moist cloth that i kept ringing out.
No problem with rust or anything, and thats with riding all year around. But then i probably clean it too much. Every 2-3 days it will get a wash, and if it gets dirty on a ride and i dont like it then it gets a wipe down with a wet cloth.

 

[Odyssey]

Air compressor and airline - every garage should have one.

Interesting. Anyone else do this?

Looks like I'm sticking to my usual routine at the moment. It survived well after tha last wash with a touch of wd40, and now oiled up (to be honest it was the first wash in a while, I've been bad), but I have woken up quite a few times to a rusty chain after a wash or wet ride.

 

[Blue]

Interesting. Anyone else do this?
I have woken up quite a few times to a rusty chain after a wash or wet ride.

I have only had this problem once - the cause was forgetting to lube the chain after a wash.

 

[Odyssey]

Yeah, I wouldn;t normally oil it when it's still wet so would leave it to the morning by which time it's already going brown...

So I think, unless anyone has a better suggestion (non-time-consuming), that I'll stick to the WD40 after the wash, then oil in the morning.