There are a number of very good reasons to keep your bike clean and lubricated that will make your overall experience of cycling so much more enjoyable. The reasons can easily be translated into real-world savings - saving effort, saving money and saving you and your clothing.
Yes, that's right, you will expend significantly more effort on a ride with a dirty chain, cassette sprockets and overall drivetrain components so keeping your entire drivetrain clean will result in an easier ride (or a faster ride using the same amount of effort).
A clean and well-lubricated chain results in less friction and less resistance every time you spin the pedals.
When your drivetrain (chain, cassette, chainrings, derailleurs) is dirty, these moving parts will wear down much quicker resulting in having to replace these parts more often and hence, costing more money in the long run. By keeping these components clean, it will extend the life significantly.
It goes without saying but dirt on a bike rubs off on hands and clothes and is sometimes incredibly hard to get off (especially grease out of clothing). Most of us have been there having to replace a tube at roadside and finishing with our hands (and by extension, our clothing and handlebars) absolutely filthy. All of this can be mitigated (and sometimes avoided entirely) by having a clean bike and chain.
We try to keep this as simple as possible as we realise not everyone wants a fully equipped workshop at home so here are the minimum requirements to do the job well.
Not something you would have to buy - old, worn-out tee shirts or clothing work really well for this purpose. Perfect for cleaning chains, wiping down frames or putting on the floor to catch drips. This author certainly always has a clean rag on hand when cleaning a bike.
Degreaser is an essential part of any bike cleaning. Grease and lubricant will generally not be easily removed with soapy water so this requires something a little stronger. A degreaser is perfect for your chain, chainrings and cassette. We particularly like Muc-Off chain cleaner or Muc-off de-greaser as these do a great job and have the added bonus of being biodegradable and are less harmful for the environment.
One thing to watch is that you do not spray the degreaser in areas you do not want grease to be removed from. This would most likely be greased bearings in hubs, headsets and the bottom bracket.
A good cleaner makes a huge difference when cleaning muck and dirt off of frames, forks and wheels especially when the dirt is caked on. Cleaners such as Muc-Off Nano-Teck Bike cleaner can be sprayed on frame, forks and wheels, left to work and when you return, the dirt comes right off.
Muc-Off Nano Tech cleaner is safe with disc brake pads and rim brakes. Be sure to check that whicherver brand you choose is the same before using it near your brakes.
A selection of cycling specific cleaning brushes make a difference when cleaning your bike as they are designed to clean chains, cassettes and hard-to-reach places on your bike. It is also worth having at least one stiff brush for metal parts and a soft bristled brush for frames, forks and some wheelsets.
Bike brushes are optional as an old toothbrush can be great for cleaning the dirt out of chain links and cassettes.
It may seem daunting to clean your bike but when you break it down, it is really not that bad. We usually think about it in three areas - the groupset (cassette, chain, chainrings and derailleurs), the frame and fork and, finally, the wheels. We will look at each in turn and share our best practice. We also cover the final step, lubrication, in this section.
As mentioned above, the groupset is made up of the chain, cassette, chainrings and derailleur and will likely be the areas you clean more often. These are the moving parts of the bike and will benefit most from being clean and lubed.
We would start by using a good chain degreaser such as Muc-Off chain cleaner or Muc-Off degreaser. if your bike is on a stand on the ground, spin your bike chain backwards while spraying the degreaser on the chain. After a couple of revolutions, stop spinning and get to work with the brush. Make sure to get in between each chain link to remove muck that tends to gather in the centre. Once this is completed, clean off the excess with a clean rag and repeat as many times as it takes for the chain to be clean. After your final time with the degreaser, rinse the chain with fresh water to remove the excess degreaser and leave to dry.
When cleaning your cassette, we find it best to remove the rear wheel as this allows you access to all the sprockets and you can really get a brush in between to remove all the dirt. Once you have removed the wheel, spray the cassette with degreaser (though not excessively so to avoid getting degreaser into the hub bearings) and leave for a bit. Once the degreaser has had time to work, use the brush to get between the sprockets and remove excess dirt. After this has been completed, we usually use the rag as a sort of floss and get in between the sprockets to remove the grease. Again, once completed, rinse with water and allow to dry.
As there are only one, two or three chainrings, this is an easy part to clean. We usually spray the degreaser onto the rag and clean any excess grease manually. Rinse with water and leave to dry.
We wouldn't necessarily advise over-cleaning your rear derailleur. All that would really need done regularly is for any excess gunk to be removed from the jockey wheels which we do with a flat head screwdriver while spinning the chain (obviously being careful not to press too hard and scratch the component parts). If you want anything deeper than this, you would likely need to remove the derailleur or at least remove the jockey wheels. It's fun, but requires a little more technical ability and dedication.
A bike frame and forks are pretty straightforward to clean. We would spray liberally with Muc-Off Nano Tech cleaner, leave to soak for twenty minutes and then return and clean off the excess dirt with a rag or a soft brush. Once completed, rinse off with water and leave to dry.
Mountain bike suspension forks are cleaned in a similar way. Spray with Muc-Off Nano Tech, leave to soak, rinse off with water. Our only note would be about the cleaner you use. If you are using another brand, make sure it is safe to use with suspension forks and will not adversely affect the seals.
We see a lot of bikes coming into our workshops that have clearly had a high pressure washer taken to them that have caused numerous issues. We would not recommend power-washers to be used on any bikes unless you really know what you are doing. Yes, they are very quick but they can blast grease out of bearings and can damage seals on MTB suspension. That being said, there are specific bicycle power washers that are not as powerful to reduce chances of these adverse effects.
This is really up to you but we would always advise that you clean your bike regularly because, as we have mentioned, a clean bike is more efficient, the parts last longer and it keeps you cleaner. Our usual rule of thumb would be to clean your chain and cassette as soon as the chain is no longer silver indicating that it has picked up sufficient dirt to warrant a cleaning.
As for washing your frame and forks, thats a personal preference call.
So you have followed all our steps and have a sparkling clean bike; what now? Well, lubrication of the chain is essential which we will cover and go on to provide some optional care tips for your bike.
Once your chain has been rinsed with water and is dry, it's time to apply the chain lube. We would always recommend a drip lube as then you can be sure it is all going exactly where you want it to go (a.k.a. the chain). Spray lubes tend to disperse and have a habit of going on disc brakes, on your rims and all the places that you specifically want to avoid so that's why we never use them.
Top Tip: try not to douse your chain in lube as too much can be detrimental. Also, once you have finished, remove any excess lube from the chain using a clean rag.
A note on the differences between wet lube and dry lube for cleaning. Wet lubes are better in the rain because they stay wet for the whole time they are on your chain. The downside of this, from a cleaning perspective, is that your chain will get dirtier, quicker. It will require more cleaning.
A dry lube is better in the dry because the liquid applicator evaporates and leaves a dry residue on your chain. this will require less cleaning as it will pick up less dirt however it will wash off with rainfall.
As always, we hope you have enjoyed this blog on bike cleaning but if you have any other questions or need recommendations on products, please get in touch online or in one of our stores.
