Cleaned And Lubed!

[bicycle_boy]

My room smells like bike lube! and now my head is starting to hurt :eek: but it's all good cause my bike is not only lubed, but i showered with it, so it's clean as well! I was just wondering, what do you use to clean/degrease/lube your bike?

[JerseyDevil]

I clean my bikes pretty often just because it's a good way to check for cracks and other broken things, and increase the longevity of the drivetrain. I don't like the looks of a clean bike though. But it's fun to mess it up again!
I lightly spray water on the bike from a hose, making sure to keep away from bearing areas. Then I use an old rag and some soapy water (Simple Green) to wash over the bike. For hard-to-reach areas, I use an old toothbrush. Then I gently (!) was away the soap.
I always use Boeshield to lube the chain every other ride, or after a wash. Everything else gets Phil Wood grease or white lube. Hub ratchets I follow what the manufacturer recommends. If you use too light a lube in the freehub it might wear prematurely, if the lube is too heavy it might not let the teeth engage and you'll have a slipping freehub. I also use Phil Tenacious Oil on derailleur pivots, and Tri-Flow in cable housings.
Just go easy with the water. Keep the pressure at just a trickle, and only use enough to get the job done. Don't give the thing a bubble bath!

[LoneBiker]

I wipe down the chain with rags made from old shirts until all grime is wiped off, then i backpedal the bike as i apply an even coat of triflow to the chain until ive covered the whole thing, then i get another clean rag and wipe all the excess off, which helps get it into all the cracks and wipes it off the outside surface area so it doesnt attract excess grime.

[LoneBiker]

oh yeah, i forgot the best part! theres nothing like the smell of triflow in the morning! its citrusy smell is a bit disturbing but much more plesant than used motor oil! as far as the rest of the bike goes a good automotive metal polish like Mothers is a great one to use on your rims and spokes. I had an old schwinn road bike that was a beauty to look at in the sun, the rims gleaming and the waxed(yes you read right i waxed my bike) frame sparkling, nothing beats the old shiny silver paint schwinn used.

[The Gordo]

I spray my bike down with generic windex after using my hands to get the big chunks off the bottom of the frame... If the drivetrain is ugly, I use WD-40 to get the muck off. Then I wipe it down and use that old toothbrush trick for the hard to reach spots. Mother's Aluminum Polish and a few rags for the finale. Tri Flow all over the place, and then i regrease anything I removed (seatpost ect..). Finish Dirt Rag Pint Glass, get muddy again... It is certainly a labor of LOVE, I enjoy keeping my bike clean.

[wooglin]

Dry brush and lube drive train after every ride using ProLink. Dry brush rims and brakes after muddy rides and lube pivots with Triflow. Dry brush everything else every once in a while when it gets real nasty. Clean and grease fork uppers every couple of weeks or so.

[The Gordo]

It's cold out... So I run across this 80's GT BMX Cruiser that needs a little love and I bring it home. Well, it's too cold to be messing around out in the garage so the GT is sitting here behind me in the office and the house smells like Tri-Flo! Oh, how I love the smell of Tri Flow in the morning!

[quazar76]

Yes, Dirt Rag, the Dirt Rag is one of the most crucial parts of MT biking.

Without the dirt rag one's rig would be perpetually dirty. Let's not forget where the name comes from.

I also get my dirt rags from old t shirts. I am super anal about cleaning my bike...especially the drivetrain. I am to the point now where i can fully clean and lube my bike in under a half hour. For me this is a great improvement.

Usually if i'm out boozing all night and my bike is dirty, I will come home turn on the tunes in the garage and have another. Sometimes this causes me to spend hours tuning my bike. I definitely enjoy riding more, but now that i can fix and maintain my bike, my relationship with, and experiences on my bike are much more fulfilling.

I just put on a new chain and have been lubing it with this funky smelling Dumonde stuff that comes in a little dropper bottle. Anyone know if this stuff is any good...it seems to be working, because it is silent. there's nothing better than hammering along and not hearing any noise from friction, that rules!

Also to make it even more silent, i was at speedgoat yesterday and they set up lots of bikes with rapid fire for the rear and gripshifts for the front. This way you can get any ring combinations and adjust it so that there is never any rub against the front deraillier. INGENIUS!

I hear norco sets their bikes up this way also. GORDO, if you are reading this I would definitely check out a NORCO freeride machine. they look reeaaallll nice!

[EBasil]

Depending on how much needs to be done, I clean my bike pretty much like JerseyDevil describes, except that I use White Lightning or White Lightning RaceDay for lubing the chain. When this current bottle of WL is done, I've got a bottle of "Rock n Roll Lube" to try out.

If the chain got muddy or hasn't been cleaned seriously in a while, I pop it apart and put it in a small, plastic gatorade bottle with hot citrus degreaser in it (Home Depot or Lowes, by the gallon, mix 50/50 with water, microwave to hot) give it a good shake into froth, then let it soak for an hour or so. I dump the now black solution and do it again, the second washing usually giving me pretty clean solution (save for round one of next time), then blow out the chain, let it dry and soak it in lube before hanging it to dry again. The next morning, chain's back on.

Once the chain is off, though, I get jiggy with a good bristle brush on the cogset, rings, pulleys, etc... keeping everything clean with a spritz of Simple Green. If the rims and pads need it, I clean those now, also.

Everything works so well afterward that I don't mind it getting dirty for the next few months...:cool:

[JerseyDevil]

Originally posted by EBasil

If the chain got muddy or hasn't been cleaned seriously in a while, I pop it apart and put it in a small, plastic gatorade bottle with hot citrus degreaser in it (Home Depot or Lowes, by the gallon, mix 50/50 with water, microwave to hot) give it a good shake into froth, then let it soak for an hour or so.

Hey Ebasil,
What does the heat do for the degreaser? Does it break the grease down better?

[EBasil]

Originally posted by JerseyDevil


Hey Ebasil,
What does the heat do for the degreaser? Does it break the grease down better?

Yes, that's all. It just breaks down the chain wax and grease that much more quickly. Not a mandatory thing, just a "trick" for the impatient.