View Poll Results: How clean do you get your bike?
Shiny "as new"
22
34.92%
Clean but not shiny
15
23.81%
Clean(ish)
19
30.16%
Don't clean
7
11.11%
Voters: 63. You may not vote on this poll
How clean?
02-27-09, 02:35 PM
#2
In the wind
Depends on the bike.
My Lemond is pretty shiny most of the time.
I think I washed my winter bike last October and it has been my daily ride for the last three months.
My Lemond is pretty shiny most of the time.
I think I washed my winter bike last October and it has been my daily ride for the last three months.
02-27-09, 02:55 PM
#3
Lone-Star-Fred
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I should probably get around to cleaning mine thoroughly. Which means I need to buy the things to do it with.
I've rinsed it off a bit, but that's about it.
I've rinsed it off a bit, but that's about it.
02-27-09, 03:05 PM
#4
Senior Member
My race bike and my commute bike, I wash and wax... But, my touring bike. The panniers are a pita to remove. I do a *ta kind of wash.. I use body wipes on my tourer. Might not be a perfect wash, but it smells nice. To really get the chain clean, I say one needs really scrub the bike with bucket and brush. Plus , use the chain cleaner. Not only do I like my race bike to shine, but I like the drive chain and cassette to have a metallic sparkle.
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02-27-09, 06:04 PM
#5
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Hey, "shiny as new" isn't clean enough. The chains come with that sticky crap all over them. Once that's gone, you have "really f'ing clean". bk
02-27-09, 06:26 PM
#6
Senior Member
every nook and cranny as the saying goes,i usually listen to some sounds while i wash /polish/lube/check everything.i have a fanastic carbon roadbike look kx light ,and a beautyful thorn touring ,both of which i worked my as off to buy ,so i intend looking after them like they were my baby's.
02-28-09, 05:13 AM
#8
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Seems like quite a few people like getting it shiny! I am in the "clean but not shiny" camp, my reasoning being that both my bikes are commuters and as long as they are clean enough so they ride nicely and they don't break I am happy. Also once they are cleaned they will lose the shine quite quickly and I don't have the time to continually wash them!
02-28-09, 06:48 AM
#9
Senior Member
I give mine a wipe down every now and then, and try to keep the drive train clean. I don't obsess over it though. I don't usually use my main roadie when it is wet, but I took it out one day when the snow had melted and it came back covered in salt/sand. That I washed off immediately.
02-28-09, 07:57 PM
#10
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I do a full rebuild to mechanically and aesthetically perfect once of twice a year. Other than that, I just brush off some grime after ever ride.
03-01-09, 02:54 AM
#12
Senior Member
One encouragement for a clean bike. - I hate gooey drive trains. Seeing all the caked on crude about the derailleur, cassettes and chain makes me fume... Why bother to clean a bike if the drive train is foul.. And I don't like a disgusting chain.. Especially when I have to change a rear tire while out on the road.
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03-01-09, 03:00 AM
#13
Chasing the horizon.
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I use turtle wax on the frame to keep it shiny--also a good rust protectant if you sweat as much as I do while you ride.
I've given up on trying to keep the drivetrain spic and span.
I've given up on trying to keep the drivetrain spic and span.
03-01-09, 03:07 AM
#14
I have senior moments...
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I keep my road bikes cleaner than my mountain bikes, but then they're easier to keep clean in the first place. I rarely wash my mountain bikes, unless it's been a muddy ride; more likely to just brush them off when they get crusty. I do keep the drivetrains fairly clean on all of them, though.
03-01-09, 03:12 AM
#15
Senior Member
Drive trains are not that hard to maintain , as long as you use a chain cleaner and brush? Rotating the chain thru the cleaner tool, need not be done when you get back from a ride and are wearing a favorite jersey.. Because as you rotate the chain , crap flies all over you and the surrounding neighborhood.
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03-01-09, 04:05 AM
#16
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You can clean a bike? 
You must be doing something wrong, if it matters whether the chain is dirty or not when changing the rear wheel. In wet climates, it will be dirty anyway, no matter what you do to it. So you might as well try to make it last by using wet lube.
In my experience once or twice a year I end up riding in a good downpour which lasts for long enough for the streets to clear of the normal crap. The net result is that the water thrown off the ground is clean enough to clean my bike. Of course, someone who cleans their bike after every ride might describe the situation differently.
You must be doing something wrong, if it matters whether the chain is dirty or not when changing the rear wheel. In wet climates, it will be dirty anyway, no matter what you do to it. So you might as well try to make it last by using wet lube.
In my experience once or twice a year I end up riding in a good downpour which lasts for long enough for the streets to clear of the normal crap. The net result is that the water thrown off the ground is clean enough to clean my bike. Of course, someone who cleans their bike after every ride might describe the situation differently.
