Cleaning Up After a Big Ride
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- Soli Deo Gloria -
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Cleaning Up After a Big Ride
You guys know the drill...
You get done with a big ride and are exhausted. Everything is filthy, gear gets shoved into the trunk or back of the SUV and you head home. Bottles with various mixtures inside and a layer of dirt outside, legs and shoes covered in mud, the forest service roads make the car look like the Grapes of Wrath dust bowl hit it and the bike is a disaster...
Doing laundry after my last big ride I found a banana peel in the jersey pocket - as a practitioner of leave no trace I had carried it out of the forest and forgotten it was back there when I took it off after the ride.
Pulling into the driveway all I want to do is shower and sleep. The last thing I want to do is clean everything but leaving it for later or tomorrow is going to be ten times worse.
So what do you guys do to make things easier after a big ride? Is there a way to cut down on mess, reduce the time and effort required to clean up and generally make things more efficient?
An outdoor shower like some of the beach houses have would be really nice.
-Tim-
You get done with a big ride and are exhausted. Everything is filthy, gear gets shoved into the trunk or back of the SUV and you head home. Bottles with various mixtures inside and a layer of dirt outside, legs and shoes covered in mud, the forest service roads make the car look like the Grapes of Wrath dust bowl hit it and the bike is a disaster...
Doing laundry after my last big ride I found a banana peel in the jersey pocket - as a practitioner of leave no trace I had carried it out of the forest and forgotten it was back there when I took it off after the ride.
Pulling into the driveway all I want to do is shower and sleep. The last thing I want to do is clean everything but leaving it for later or tomorrow is going to be ten times worse.
So what do you guys do to make things easier after a big ride? Is there a way to cut down on mess, reduce the time and effort required to clean up and generally make things more efficient?
An outdoor shower like some of the beach houses have would be really nice.
-Tim-
Last edited by TimothyH; 07-11-19 at 08:16 AM.
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For me, one aspect is not being a neat freak in general so I don't have an insane level of cleanliness to maintain to feel comfortable. Sounds argumentitive but I mean it sincerely. My mini van is my bike hauler and looks a bit like a work vehicle. I mean.. it's a mini van - who would I impress anyway
I also prioritize the difference between cosmetic and functional cleaning. This also happens in scuba diving where rinsing certain things (regulators) has to be done if you want gear to last while others can wait a day or two. For the bike it is the drivetrain, rinse water bottles if they have something other than water, at least lay out sweaty wet stuff so it doesn't moulder.
After that I tend to tackle any cleaning as a more relaxing part of biking when I have the time.
I also prioritize the difference between cosmetic and functional cleaning. This also happens in scuba diving where rinsing certain things (regulators) has to be done if you want gear to last while others can wait a day or two. For the bike it is the drivetrain, rinse water bottles if they have something other than water, at least lay out sweaty wet stuff so it doesn't moulder.
After that I tend to tackle any cleaning as a more relaxing part of biking when I have the time.
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You guys know the drill...
You get done with a big ride and are exhausted. Everything is filthy, gear gets shoved into the trunk or back of the SUV and you head home. Bottles with various mixtures inside and a layer of dirt outside, legs and shoes covered in mud, the forest service roads make the car look like the Grapes of Wrath dust bowl hit it and the bike is a disaster...
Doing laundry after my last big ride I found a banana peel in the jersey pocket - as a practitioner of leave no trace I had carried it out of the forest and forgotten it was back there when I took it off after the ride.
Pulling into the driveway all I want to do is shower and sleep. The last thing I want to do is clean everything but leaving it for later or tomorrow is going to be ten times worse.
So what do you guys do to make things easier after a big ride? Is there a way to cut down on mess, reduce the time and effort required to clean up and generally make things more efficient?
An outdoor shower like some of the beach houses have would be really nice.
-Tim-
You get done with a big ride and are exhausted. Everything is filthy, gear gets shoved into the trunk or back of the SUV and you head home. Bottles with various mixtures inside and a layer of dirt outside, legs and shoes covered in mud, the forest service roads make the car look like the Grapes of Wrath dust bowl hit it and the bike is a disaster...
Doing laundry after my last big ride I found a banana peel in the jersey pocket - as a practitioner of leave no trace I had carried it out of the forest and forgotten it was back there when I took it off after the ride.
Pulling into the driveway all I want to do is shower and sleep. The last thing I want to do is clean everything but leaving it for later or tomorrow is going to be ten times worse.
So what do you guys do to make things easier after a big ride? Is there a way to cut down on mess, reduce the time and effort required to clean up and generally make things more efficient?
An outdoor shower like some of the beach houses have would be really nice.
-Tim-
#4
- Soli Deo Gloria -
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I'm hoping that we can have a conversation rather than a series of competing "I" statements or condescending as if the other person were an imbecile.
-Tim-
-Tim-
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The question to ask is: What will be ten times worse if left for a day or two? That guides my decision making.
If I am bone tired, detailing the car on the same day makes little impact (other than making me more tired and potentially grumpy towards my family). One shortcut is to have a dedicated sheet or tarp to lay in the vehicle so there is less mess (other than on the removable tarp).
Fenders also help to reduce post ride cleaning. In the summer I forgo them but during the rainy season they make the difference between limited mud carnage and zombie apocalypse. Of course, if the goal is to look dirty in a cool way fenders are out.
Last edited by Happy Feet; 07-11-19 at 10:04 AM.
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Why do you have to be so sensitive? If you're going to try to call me out at least dont edit your posts. Sometimes the threads you start are ridiculous and the subsequent posts will reflect that.
#7
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Yeah, no **** sherlock.
-Tim-
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Not sure how to contribute without using "I" or some goofy passive voice. I'll use goofy passive for fun... The arms, legs and head are rinsed from a gallon jug, surfer style. The clothes are dumped in the washer upon entrance to the house. Water bottles are put in the dishwasher. A shower is taken. The bike can wait for a convenient time. Seriously, the water jug really makes the drive home more pleasant. A trash bag to corral GU wrappers, etc is also useful.
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Tim, I have a friend who carries a pressurized water tank in his car for cleaning the bike after a ride before he jumps in the car. I think they make them for mountain bikers.
Sometimes I will jump in the shower with my whole kit on to save some time pre-washing clothes. Also using a hydration pack cuts down on all of the bottle washing (for me). I just need to clean a mouth piece most of the time.
Sometimes I will jump in the shower with my whole kit on to save some time pre-washing clothes. Also using a hydration pack cuts down on all of the bottle washing (for me). I just need to clean a mouth piece most of the time.
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Tim, I have a friend who carries a pressurized water tank in his car for cleaning the bike after a ride before he jumps in the car. I think they make them for mountain bikers.
Sometimes I will jump in the shower with my whole kit on to save some time pre-washing clothes. Also using a hydration pack cuts down on all of the bottle washing (for me). I just need to clean a mouth piece most of the time.
Sometimes I will jump in the shower with my whole kit on to save some time pre-washing clothes. Also using a hydration pack cuts down on all of the bottle washing (for me). I just need to clean a mouth piece most of the time.
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If the ride was muddy, I will put my jersey and other non-black colored garments in a large sink to soak for a while, and will even do several rinses and re-soaks before doing them properly in the laundry; this helps to actually get them clean.
For the bike, I will usually wait until the next day, when mud has hardened; will then get it thoroughly wet before trying to scrub off (with a clean rag) the dirt, so that it comes off more easily and results in less paint scuffing.
If the shoes are caked in mud, I just spray 'em with the hose, then keep stuffing (and removing/replacing) newspaper in them, leaving them in the yard if it's sunny outside. They may take a couple days to fully dry.
As for the rest of the stuff: I just throw it all in a pile on the garage floor and deal with it as I can. This is when it's nice to have a second (and third, fourth, etc) bike, helmet, pair of shoes, etc.
For the bike, I will usually wait until the next day, when mud has hardened; will then get it thoroughly wet before trying to scrub off (with a clean rag) the dirt, so that it comes off more easily and results in less paint scuffing.
If the shoes are caked in mud, I just spray 'em with the hose, then keep stuffing (and removing/replacing) newspaper in them, leaving them in the yard if it's sunny outside. They may take a couple days to fully dry.
As for the rest of the stuff: I just throw it all in a pile on the garage floor and deal with it as I can. This is when it's nice to have a second (and third, fourth, etc) bike, helmet, pair of shoes, etc.
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I take my kit and give it to my wife to wash. I shower, eat, clean my bike, then kick back and admire how clean my bike is LOL.
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After a 50 mile race I’m good for a normal rest-of-the-day, might even come home and do all my cleaning over the course of an hour and feel pretty normal.
After a 100 mile race, I come home and am exhausted, and it’s probably later in the day. It’s about all I can do to start a load of laundry with my kit, get my water bottles in the dishwasher, and take a shower before I shut down and Netflix/beer mode engages. Cleaning the bike? A day or two later, or if I’m riding again soon, after that ride maybe. Meticulously cleaning my hydration bladder for storage or the next race? Sometimes a week later. A lot of it is really just as important as you make it.
Anyway, I guess I don’t worry about it too much. Cleaning is a pain in the butt, so do it when you can/feel like it. I am happy I don’t have any Judgy Judgersons among my family/friends/neighbors.
After a 100 mile race, I come home and am exhausted, and it’s probably later in the day. It’s about all I can do to start a load of laundry with my kit, get my water bottles in the dishwasher, and take a shower before I shut down and Netflix/beer mode engages. Cleaning the bike? A day or two later, or if I’m riding again soon, after that ride maybe. Meticulously cleaning my hydration bladder for storage or the next race? Sometimes a week later. A lot of it is really just as important as you make it.
Anyway, I guess I don’t worry about it too much. Cleaning is a pain in the butt, so do it when you can/feel like it. I am happy I don’t have any Judgy Judgersons among my family/friends/neighbors.
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I live in a third floor walk-up so it's a priority to make just one trip. Everything goes in a big backpack, wet/dirty items get bundled in my beach-size changing towel and then hung to dry before washing. Shoes go in front of a fan. That's pretty much all I have to do immediately, I bring the bike up same trip but it gets cleaned later usually.
This year I've been letting the bike dry and then wiping off the dirt/dust with a dry cloth. Chain goes into the cleaning wax, use a damp rag to wipe down chainrings and derailleur, dry brush for the cassette. I dunno, it feels pretty efficient. Certainly better than when I'd have to go to my parents house and do yard work and chase toddlers around for a couple hours after a race
ETA: You know thinking about this a little more, what I really do to be efficient is pack and clean everything that needs it before I leave the venue/parking spot. When I'm still in that post-ride high is a good time to sort out the trash, wipe off the really egregious dirt and then get everything ready so that when I get home I can just grab it and go inside. Mentally very easy I think.
This year I've been letting the bike dry and then wiping off the dirt/dust with a dry cloth. Chain goes into the cleaning wax, use a damp rag to wipe down chainrings and derailleur, dry brush for the cassette. I dunno, it feels pretty efficient. Certainly better than when I'd have to go to my parents house and do yard work and chase toddlers around for a couple hours after a race
ETA: You know thinking about this a little more, what I really do to be efficient is pack and clean everything that needs it before I leave the venue/parking spot. When I'm still in that post-ride high is a good time to sort out the trash, wipe off the really egregious dirt and then get everything ready so that when I get home I can just grab it and go inside. Mentally very easy I think.
Last edited by Spoonrobot; 07-12-19 at 08:32 AM.
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our laundry room is right off our master bath. with gym every day at lunch & a nite job 2 nites a week, plus at least 1 bike ride per week, I'm doing a load of laundry almost every day. I have an area near the home HVAC where small items dry, either straight from the ride or after hand washing in the kitchen sink. I've got a towel bar over the laundry just for socks to air dry. there's a hook over & between the machines for my shorts
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Clothes/gear get washed right away, the bike on the other hand lol Depends on if it's wet or not, if it's wet, then I'll clean it and dry it right after the ride. If it's dry, then I'll let it sit until I feel like it, or before the next ride. I still need to clean it from the last ride, been on the road bike all week.
We have two car wash bays in the community, makes it easy to clean the bike when it's really dirty and just a wipe down won't do.
We have two car wash bays in the community, makes it easy to clean the bike when it's really dirty and just a wipe down won't do.
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If the bike needs cleaning, it gets cleaned with the hose. I use water to rinse off the dirt and any mud to avoid scratching the finish. Wipe the big stuff off the drivetrain. Then dry the bike. Then chain cleaner and relube. Next, inside, I rinse my cycling clothes while taking a shower. Sometimes I reverse the order of cleaning myself and my bike. I dislike driving somewhere to ride so I don't typically have to deal with that as I usually ride from home since I live in an area with more dirt roads than paved.
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Its called a garden hose. Assuming you stripped your kit before getting in the car, dump all the wet stuff and bottles in a pile and hose em off and spray down the entire bike. Wring evrything out and throw it in the machine no need to sort. Shower. Throw the clothes you had on after the ride in with the rest. Start cycle. Walk around the house naked with a beer. Crash on the couch
But yeah, even a 5 minute hose rinse is better than leaving the mud and dust to cake on everything.
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Completely unscientific observation on my part, but in my area I have noticed that rust forms much more quickly when tap water is applied and not dried off immediately (vs. rain water). Just something to keep in mind. If your bike is wet or if you spray it with a hose, dry it before you let it sit for final cleaning.
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I have no idea what it is like to throw dirty sweaty clothing /gear into a car, 99% of my rides start from home and end at home.
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Something I was taught by my wife was to "clean up after myself immediately", regardless of how late or my disposition.
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How many gravel rides can you guys do before you have to wash your shorts/bibs?
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