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Post by Deleted on Mar 2, 2014 12:54:56 GMT
Anyone else have to do this? I'm in an apartment so no access to a hosepipe.
Managed it with a bucket of hot water, sponge and watering can. There must be better ways though!
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Post by Radchenister on Mar 2, 2014 13:10:14 GMT
Majority of my wash offs are without a hose as it's usually run around the garden to the chicken coop (sound like a hill billy lol).
Warm bowl of soapy water, top to bottom, front to back. Chain off in white spirit bottle, split link kept seperate to ease decanting liquid into another bottle. Sometimes before washing, I paint on some white spirit around cassette and crank. I use a synthetic shammy for clean area washes. A bike brush for fiddly non oily areas and 2 further brushes dedicated for oily areas, 1 discarded dishes brush and a cassette brush.
Leave bike to drip for 20 minutes, then rub over with dry cloth before bringing inside. You could just towel dry if security is an issue.
Chain clean, GT85, oil n lubing, plus wet wipe fiddling done at leisure. Take wheels off and scrub occasionally. Parts come apart for full clean and service in rotation.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 2, 2014 13:44:23 GMT
Great tips there, thank you. More to it than I imagined but would prefer to get into good habits early. Only my second time out on the brand new bike so being quite anal as you'd imagine.
Security is a concern I'll admit so generally try to leave outside unattended as short as possible. Was even considering taking inside and washing in the bath, though the Mrs will probably not be too impressed about that!
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Post by robertsims on Mar 2, 2014 13:47:35 GMT
Wet wipes! Hold one round chain to get most of muck off if dirty. Another wipe to give frame quick clean and wipe for each wheel to do the rims. Takes a minute. This if wet. Otherwise only clean about every 3-4 rides over summer.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 2, 2014 13:57:09 GMT
Wet wipes! Hold one round chain to get most of muck off if dirty. Another wipe to give frame quick clean and wipe for each wheel to do the rims. Takes a minute. This if wet. Otherwise only clean about every 3-4 rides over summer. Will add some wet wipes to the list Although my OCD will mean I can't finish a ride without getting it as close to new as possible unfortunately.
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Post by jondxxx on Mar 2, 2014 14:39:40 GMT
I always get the mud off straight away before it dries using an old paintbrush and water. I actually have a hose set up for this but a jug will do. Rarely see any oil because I'm trying the wipe and spray with GT85 regime recommended elsewhere. Wet wipes to finish off. This is a good opportunity to inspect for any damage and I also make a point of rinsing off the tyres and watching for air bubbles indicating a slow involuntary deflation.
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Post by Radchenister on Mar 2, 2014 14:48:06 GMT
Aldi for wet wipes, they're about 60p - unscented, I'm half way through my second pack in 15 months, run in some tap water if they're going dry ; you get used to using them like dental floss for fiddly bits after a while. The brush wash sounds complicated but it isn't really and doesn't need to be - having a few different brushed helps get different areas and stops spreading oily smears onto frame etc. I bought some dedicated bike brushes but a soft one that comes with a dustpan and brush, plus a dish brush and a cheap 2 inch paint brush for degreasing are what I use the most. I left my bike unwashed yesterday as needed to go out, this is rare but I've just cleaned it all off in less than 10 minutes - routine and techniques become habit and you get quicker. I keep a bowl with the kit outside the back door with an old plastic dustbin lid on it - ready to go immediately. I clean wheels in the garden scrubbed into a bowl, I risk inside occasionally, but they're already pretty clean before I do it - aim your scrubbing brush into the sink / bath, or you'll be in trouble, do it the cleaver way and your presence need never be known . One thing I should add, White Spirit never gets used excessively, just a little splash into a margarine tub for use on the cassette and I keep a chain wash bottle going for a couple of months, topping up occasionally; when I do need to dispose of it, it gets run on weeds on the gravel drive (not near watercourses).
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Post by Radchenister on Mar 2, 2014 16:03:02 GMT
Just got my bike back in before the rain hit, bit blurry this pic' but here's my little box of tricks for cleaning: Left to right, bottle with chain in, fresh white-spirit, empty bottle for decanting; bowl with two cleaning brushes, a paint brush / marg tub for applying white-spirit to cassette and crankset, synthetic chamois cloth; outside that, cassette brush, dish sponge (for rims), toothbrush for fiddly bits, scrubbing brush (for rims and tyres). Bike was filthy after 80kms yesterday, after the 5 or 6 minute wash off it's now pretty clean but still a few spots to go at when inside on the work-stand, chain will get scrubbed later and go back on after drying:
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richc
Peloton Rider
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Post by richc on Mar 2, 2014 17:01:32 GMT
I've had my second T3 for over a year now, I've washed it once. Does this make me a bad person? Is my cassette meant to be silver? Maybe not washed but at least well lubed!
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Post by Radchenister on Mar 2, 2014 17:12:44 GMT
Up to you buddy, I like them to run without any noise, as well as possible but they'll still run when dirty of course - there is a particularly nasty fine brown gunk in the vale here, that gets in things when it's wet and that does all sorts of damage, so I like to keep on top of it; personal choice, you could just ride 'em and throw 'em away, you can get through at least 3 before catching up with a carbon owner !
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Post by ianmoss on Mar 2, 2014 17:38:09 GMT
This was mine after todays run... Bucket of water with car shampoo, rags and the old carb cleaner for the greasy bits, dry and lubed.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 2, 2014 17:43:37 GMT
You can probably tell a lot by how the bike it running and how it sounds when running. I must admit my bike doesn't get cleaned that often, the frame has some dirt on it but the chain does get lubed and when dirtier than I'd like taken off for a shake in a bottle with some white spirit so the drive train tends to be running quietly even if the rest of the bike looks dirty.
Like most things mechanical the better you look after it the longer it will last.
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Post by phred1812 on Mar 2, 2014 17:59:09 GMT
This was mine after todays run... Bucket of water with car shampoo, rags and the old carb cleaner for the greasy bits, dry and lubed. And it looked so nice yesterday......
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Post by ianmoss on Mar 2, 2014 19:59:26 GMT
I know!
Gave it a good clean, it's 9/10ths perfect now.
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Post by Radchenister on Mar 2, 2014 20:15:34 GMT
Just reassembled and lubed the chain here, this chain went on the bike mid November and has done well covering perhaps 1000 kms through a very wet winter; the cassette is perhaps 12 months old now and only some minor cosmetic signs of wear in the valleys, having covered near to 5000 kms, still good for a fair while yet - that's why I keep it clean :
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