yaw

Like many before me, I have established that there is no such thing as keeping our contraptions reasonably free of dust in the dry and worse stuff in the wet, no matter the repelling promises on the bottle of whatever product. So the next best thing would appear to be treatments that pay off in the long term, in terms of overall time spent, or reduced wear, by making the bike easier and faster to return to a clean state. This has become more of a topic for me recently when having to deal with muddy and dusty bike paths around the river on a daily basis after a few days of major flooding. The bike naturally looked like a month of neglect after each single ride, far too frequent to give it a thorough clean all the time, so I thought it would be interesting to mention a few things that worked well to reduce the time spent cleaning now that I bothered to do it, and learn more from all the wisened wizards here.

My new standard for a quick clean is a 30 second water hose down without having to agitate and work each surface clean. And the outcome now pretty much looks the same.

Frame/Wheels
Painted surfaces: Borrowing from the car world, a couple of layers of pure carnauba wax, polymer sealant or, as a more robust solution, ceramic coating on a clay prepared surface work a treat for dust and dirt not to stick to the coarse top coat. Whilst it will look nearly as dirty, a quick spray of water will carry all surface contamination away in the beading drops and the frame is pretty much dry after bouncing the bike on the tyres a couple of times. This takes anywhere from a few minutes (natural wax on, wax off) which lasts a few weeks, to a few hours (more careful sealing and curing of synthetics) that can be good for many months. With more time on hand, or if you enjoy that kinda thing, there's lots of little parts like hubs and spokes and what not that will also benefit from a slick layer.

Unpainted carbon surfaces: For raw carbon frames, parts, and wheels, I use 303 Aerospace protectant, mainly due to the UV protection benefit and being weary about putting products that do not specify safety on carbon finishes, which may matter long term. Whilst the surfaces look supreme when freshly 303 treated, it is still a dust magnet, however, just like with the waxed or sealed painted sections, it repels water well and leaves a cleaner surface after a quick hose down and only takes a few minutes to apply with a sponge and buff out with a cloth. It can also go on rubber (hoods) and seats if applied correctly, so as not to leave slippery surfaces. But I would leave it off the brake levers and never put anything on tyres.

(Not sure about unpainted metal frames/wheels as I don't have those, I am sure there's something good out there)

Exposed pivot points
Nobody likes to see their derailleurs and shifters caked in dust, leaving a grinding paste inside moving parts. Teflon dry lube seems to work far better for these exposed pivots than straight oil products, but I suggest additional care when it comes to the type of volatile carrier solvents sometimes used in these products, particularly with aerosols, which is why I prefer dry drip lube other than for hard to reach areas (like shifters). By far the most important thing, regardless of the lube, is to wipe the area around the lubed pivot entirely dry after it has been applied and the mechanism has been agitated to assist with penetration. It does no good on the outside besides trapping dirt.

Drivetrain
Here, I found wax to be the solution. Whether it's hot dipped or dripped on, a properly prepared and waxed chain stays far cleaner and does not require any degreasing, ever. It also survives a hose down, not excessively soaking and rotating the cranks, without requiring any re-lubrication after running the chain through a rag to get the surface gunk off. This includes the cassette and chain rings, drama free. Sand either comes out completely just by hosing or by brushing it out.

Brakes
I think these are best left alone unless very dirty or accidentally oil contaminated, however, if they need a quick wipe, isopropyl alcohol does a wonderful residue free job that evaporates immediately, just as on any other metal surface. It will take all the friction producing brake pad dust with it of course, but that returns of itself.


So with the above, a quick water shower, bouncing the bike on the ground a couple of times, should leave a surprisingly clean bike and far extend the time required between in depth cleaning/detailing. The difference between spraying down a surface untreated, oil lubricated bike and the above is night and day enough for me to make a thread about it. It even made me check the rain radar far less as hitting a rain shower does not result in so much time lost cleaning anymore.

What are your 'cleaner bike for longer' solutions?

Oh and if you don't care whether your bike is dirty, that's fine, but shoes off in my house!

qwaalodge

Full fenders with mudflaps that almost touches the ground.

yaw

But the weight, the style

PeteHski

Dry lubes and chain wax I agree with.

I don't bother with anything special for frame or wheels. But I do choose gloss finished frames as they clean up so much easier than matt. But now you've mentioned it I might give my new frame a quick spray with TurtleWax Graphene that I use on my cars.

Reflector Guy

I had my new car ceramic coated, and yes, the water (and dirt) just runs right off of it. So I tried something similar for my bike.

Then winter came and I had to roll up the hose for the season. It's just about time to get it back out and give the bike a good spray. I am looking forward to it sparkling afterward!

burnthesheep

My personal stuff:

1. Waxed chain. I buy spares and minimize the cleaning/waxing by doing all at once. Then one gets dirty, swap. Drip wet lube is the absolute devil to keep things on a bike clean.

2. On a painted frameset, automotive quick detailer. It's basically runny wax.

3. Not everyone is lucky to have nice roads, but route choice and learning to bunny hop or memorizing the things that could cause pinch flats or broken spokes.

4. Some bikes with bare internal cables can still fit a cable housing. It adds weight and might add a little pull friction. But if you can stand the added pull friction, it IMO makes the tasks related in the future easier. Some bikes have nightmarish internal bare cable routings. STI's of some years chew cables at the shifter so housing might be good for 3x cable changes.

Lastly, I'm a fair weather rider. To keep up wet riding skills I take it on a rain ride when it's going to need a wash and chain swap anyway. So no time lost. I would never go on a wet ride with a fresh washed bike and freshly waxed chain. Onto the Zwift. And yes, I can ride in the rain........I race cross in mud you can drift in.

badger1

Carbon frameset; gloss black paint. Bearings get checked every spring (b/b; headset; hubs), ditto seatpost. Other than that, during the season:

1. When the frame gets dirty enough to bother, I wipe it down with a wet soft-cotton cloth. Dry any excess.
2. Once in while, if I can be arsed, I'll clean off the rims.
3. When doing 1 and/or 2, always stay away from brake rotors.
4. Wipe off/lube chain as needed.
5. When doing 4, always stay away from rear brake rotor.

That's about it.

eduskator

Ceramic coating (car product) on my frames and I clean my bikes after every ride, including wiping the chain completely. It's a ritual. Chain waxing soon BC I'm tired of wiping it.

delbiker1 

When a bike is dirty, I clean and lube it. I do occasionally use liquid spray on wax after the cleaning, and once a year I do a polishing job after doing a deep clean on a bike. No special treatments or prep. One thing that that helps keep my bikes clean is keeping them covered when not in use. I just use old sheets or blankets. It really does help to keep the dust off of everything, also some added protection from environmental issues, such as fading.

prj71

I try to avoid riding my bikes in muddy, wet conditions. If I happen to be in those conditions then I just stop at the car wash on the way home and spray it down.

popeye

Pedro's Bike Lust is a start. Good for cleats and tastes good too.

Rdmonster69

I wash and then spray and wipe with a detail wax and then follow with a high quality car/ MC wax. I clean and lube the chain and clean the sprockets first. The Ti bike I haven't even cleaned yet and probably will have just a clean and lube routine as the raw finish is pretty plain.

deacon mark

It is a bike nothing complicated just wash it off with soap and water. Then re-lube the chain and things that might need lubing. It is that simple if you ride enough it will get dirty and dusty. I happen to clean my bike with WD-40 as it is TI and it is good to get off any tar splatter and grime. I then clean the chain with OMS and re-lube.....but use regular lube not WD40.

Nicke71

Wipe down when dirty, lube chain every few rides.

Reflector Guy

+2
Where I live, the rail-trails are still wet from the recently-melted snow and anything other than the slowest, most careful ride upon them will leave the bike covered in pasty limestone spray. Lots of people do it but I am too much of a neat-freak so I stay on the dry roads. But who knows.... It's supposed to be 67 today so maybe it will finally dry and I can ride there after work.

Rdmonster69

I am in a similar situation except I will ride them when it is mucky as he11. If it gets pasty I just spray down and wipe, then spray detail and wax. If the cleaning is kept up then they are easier to clean when they get filthy. I hate cleaning cars and motorcycles but I enjoy cleaning bikes.

Camilo

Raw, unpainted??? Are you sure it isn't clear coated? My matte "naked" looking CF frame has matte clear coat and is UV resistant just like any other painted CF.

Besides that: Technical FAQ: Carbon in the sun - VeloNews.com

HTupolev

...Come primarily as a result of using kludge fenders on bicycles that are designed aggressively against fenders. It's a self-fulfilling prophecy that has very little to do with how well-designed and properly-mounted fenders look and behave.

Same with rattling. Good fenders are silent.

Hiro11

I've come to believe that unless you are constantly riding in the rain, hot melt wax + three chain rotation is the way to go with bikes. You never, ever have to clean (let alone degrease) your drivetrain. There is never any black gook on anything. You can always grab your chain with your hand and not get a mark on it. I think people don't like the idea of having to take your chain off your bike to relube it, but it's honestly a thirty second process with a set of Park Tool quick link pliers.

Like the Zero Friction cycling guy, I've found waxed road chains don't really get dirty, so I just chuck them back in the crock pot once all three chains are making noise (this takes about 600 miles, in my experience). I melt the wax off my gravel chains in a bowl of boiling water if they're gritty before chucking them in the crock pot.

mstateglfr 

People sticker their bikes with places they have ridden. I like to show that thru the layers and shades of dirt.
Kidding, kind of.
I was my bikes a few times a season when they clearly need it(crunchy) and otherwise drip some dry lube on from time to time.

Pretty terrible maintenance routine, but it works.