downtube42

Over the weekend I rode a 600km brevet, almost all in light to medium heavy rain. It included twenty or so miles of gravel/dirt roads. At times my shoe covers were coated with a layer of mud and grit, later cleared off by rain.
Due to a last minute issue, i had a rear fender only, so you can imagine how much crap was flung onto the drivetrain.

Frame is steel, bearings are cartridge. Chain is newish, wheels are new, BB is pretty new.

I wonder what level of cleaning is recommended.
The next day, I hosed the bike down, washing away as much grit as possible from the drivetrain, disc calipers, derailleurs, and other surfaces. I then cleaned the exposed surfaces with a rag and Simple Green, rinsed, and wiped down what I could. Finally i applied chain lube, and sprayed WD-40 in all pivot points.

Brake pads are shot, so those will be replaced.

I wonder if i should go to the next level, disassembling jockey pulleys, replacing cables, even inspecting and potentially replacing bearings.

JohnDThompson 

Thoroughly clean drivetrain. Assess bearing smoothness, replace/repack as needed. Assess cable movement, replace as needed.

andrewclaus

Ditto the above. I assume you were careful with the hose, and didn't direct a jet of water into the bearings. Cartridge seals aren't that good.

RD jockey wheels are easy enough to clean out when you get a chance. If you have external cable housing, the important piece to check and service is the loop at the RD. I have a bike with the loop run up the seat stay rather than the chain stay, and I have more problems with that than anything else in the rain.

Sometime soon you may want to take wheels off the bike to check the hubs, maybe even remove the crankset to check the BB. You may get a different feel in the bearings without the mass.

And service your frame pump if you have one, before it's too late and you need it. Ask me how I know.

HillRider

Excellent advice. These things lead a rough existence with almost complete neglect until the day you really need them. I've had the same experience! One way to help them survive is to wrap electrical tape over the valve end to keep out dirt and water when they aren't in use.

Crankycrank

I recommend NOT using WD-40 on any lubed joints and bearings unless you plan on using it just for cleaning and use proper lubes afterwards. It has a solvent that will dissolve grease and WD-40 is a very poor replacement.

crowbike

Remove the seatpost and invert the bike. If any water drains out leave the seatpost out for whatever time it takes dry.

KerryIrons

Lots of good advice in this thread. The question none of us can answer is how good the seals are on your bearings. With good seals, you probably would have no issues. With poor seals you might need to repack all the bearings. As suggested, turn your hub axles and crank with a light touch and feel for any grittiness. And as suggested, use a better lube that WD-40 for the various pivot points. A drop of actual oil would be a better approach. Let it soak in and maybe even go for a few rides, and then wipe everything to prevent gunk accumulation on oily surfaces.

downtube42

Indeed, I discovered the pump was essentially a squirt gun when i was cleaning things up. I've never seen that before. Lesson learned.

downtube42

Thanks, good info. Looks like I have some more work to do this weekend.