What has been the biggest cleaning mistakes you have made with your bike?
#51
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It was about the Michelin tires that matched my Ksyrium wheelset. Since Ksyrium wheels were a light color aluminum, I decided the light shade of grey tires would be a nice match.
Those tires get dirty a bit faster as far as appearance. So I tried to clean the Michelins with the same spray-on that I used for my car tires. This resulted in the disintegration of the grey color on the Michelins.
Those tires get dirty a bit faster as far as appearance. So I tried to clean the Michelins with the same spray-on that I used for my car tires. This resulted in the disintegration of the grey color on the Michelins.
#52
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I clean my bikes when they need it and the other day I buffed off the monogram off one of the brake callipers. I am still bummed.
#54
Cycleway town
I just hammer it through huge puddles and it cleans itself.
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Biggest mistake was over washing and washing off all my paint
Seriously is there mistakes, you like a clean bike go for it. I can offer a tip or two, avoid overly aggressive soaps like dish detergents, buy a quality auto soap (I substitute it with hair shampoo in a pinch). 2 wax the non porous paint finishes, dirt washes off easier next time around and it keeps fine scratches down to a minimum. Armor all does that too. I even armor all rims then if the chain flicks any oil its easier to clean off with a wipe later.
Seriously is there mistakes, you like a clean bike go for it. I can offer a tip or two, avoid overly aggressive soaps like dish detergents, buy a quality auto soap (I substitute it with hair shampoo in a pinch). 2 wax the non porous paint finishes, dirt washes off easier next time around and it keeps fine scratches down to a minimum. Armor all does that too. I even armor all rims then if the chain flicks any oil its easier to clean off with a wipe later.
#56
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Quick wipe down as needed after a ride seems to work fine for me. I try not to over think it.
#57
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If you turn the set screw on the hyperbolic recirculating veeblefetzer, you can lessen the intensity of the lowest setting of the RS death ray just enough to make it a good bike sanitation device. It's a bit finicky though, I set it slightly wrong the first time and it cost me one tire and a cat.
The publication is pretty famous. See https://www.computerworld.com/articl...cabulator.html
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Water pressure
You need to get the bike wet to clean properly. I use on of those rain shower wands that are used for watering fragile plants. The water almost just falls out. Less pressure than the hose pressure. Wet / bike friendly spray on bike soap / wipe around with a paper towel and then rinse again.
Big mistake - letting lubrication get on your braking surfaces. Bad times when you need to stop.
The big thing is the chain. It's one thing to clean your bike and make it pretty. Cleaning the chain is something that I see a noticeable performance improvement from. You should get one of those chain cleaning devices (about $20), run it through until the chain is shiny. Then rinse and run it through a cloth to dry. Then use chain lube per bottle instructions and wipe / wipe / wipe. The perfect chain would have no lube on the actual visible surfaces. It's only doing it's job inside the link joints. Lube on the outside of the chain only helps attract and accumulate road dust / dirt, etc. Besides making the chain less effective, it also becomes and abrasive that can age your cassette / chain rings more than normal.
Big mistake - letting lubrication get on your braking surfaces. Bad times when you need to stop.
The big thing is the chain. It's one thing to clean your bike and make it pretty. Cleaning the chain is something that I see a noticeable performance improvement from. You should get one of those chain cleaning devices (about $20), run it through until the chain is shiny. Then rinse and run it through a cloth to dry. Then use chain lube per bottle instructions and wipe / wipe / wipe. The perfect chain would have no lube on the actual visible surfaces. It's only doing it's job inside the link joints. Lube on the outside of the chain only helps attract and accumulate road dust / dirt, etc. Besides making the chain less effective, it also becomes and abrasive that can age your cassette / chain rings more than normal.
#60
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You guys are using amusing pseudo tech babble and as an engineer I like doing this to my non-engineering friends. You mention a recirculating veeblefester, and they look at you like a dog does when its confused, twisting their heads. "That's not a real thing, right". "As far as you know, it is". But the most masterful use of tech psuedobabble is from a British engineer, John Hellins Quick, in 1944. You can find the article online (I did, but can't find it now). But there's been a couple of videos made. Here's one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ac7G7xOG2Ag
The publication is pretty famous. See https://www.computerworld.com/articl...cabulator.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ac7G7xOG2Ag
The publication is pretty famous. See https://www.computerworld.com/articl...cabulator.html
There's a bunch of videos on YouTube of people presenting the "product" in various eras. I spent a couple hours watching as many as I could find once, it was pretty fascinating watching the different deliveries and demonstrations.
I'm a huge fan of "The Missile Knows:
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To a degree this is true. But only true on more expensive components. Some of the cheap ones aren't sealed very well and the bikes that still use cup and cone bearings vs. sealed cartridge bearings don't stand up well to direct spray.
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On a more serious note...if you are going to wash your bike a few times a week...That's some serious OCD right there.
I'd post a pic of my hardtail but it's really dirty and I haven't washed it in 3 months. I don't want to be the source of a cardiac arrest for anyone here on this forum.
When I finally do wash the bike...I'll fill a pale with some hot water and dawn dish soap. Then I'll dip a big ol' rag in there and wipe all the dirt off.
I'd post a pic of my hardtail but it's really dirty and I haven't washed it in 3 months. I don't want to be the source of a cardiac arrest for anyone here on this forum.
When I finally do wash the bike...I'll fill a pale with some hot water and dawn dish soap. Then I'll dip a big ol' rag in there and wipe all the dirt off.
#64
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I use the air compressor to blow off debris a couple times a week, wipe it down a couple times a month. The air compressor gets the sand and stuff that collects in the hard to wipe places.
#65
Member
Hello,
Need some info on what to avoid.
I want to clean my bicycle regularly (maybe a couple of times per week), but i want to learn from the mistakes of other people.
What are some of the biggest mistakes you have made when cleaning your bike? Maybe as a result it caused breakage or damage to the mechanisms?
Thanks
Need some info on what to avoid.
I want to clean my bicycle regularly (maybe a couple of times per week), but i want to learn from the mistakes of other people.
What are some of the biggest mistakes you have made when cleaning your bike? Maybe as a result it caused breakage or damage to the mechanisms?
Thanks
I recommend waxing it right out of the box. Never use a high pressure spray on it! Wax it at least twice a year. Lightly oil after washing.
#66
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Bikes get muddy, its almost like a ritual to meet and power wash them off and drink a beer after riding dirty.
#67
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It's about me
I like having a clean bike but I do not clean the entire bike thoroughly that often. Most of the time it is wiping the chain, chainrings and cassette, rims and the areas where dirt and grime like to hide. Then I lightly wipe down other areas when they look like they need it. Also lubricate the drive train often and other parts/areas less often. I feel more tuned in with my bike when I have done what I feel is needed. As for what to use and when and where to use it, it somewhat depends on the material used to make it. It's your bike, it's up to you. Mistakes are made by all and they are the real teachers.
#68
Senior Member
Hello,
Need some info on what to avoid.
I want to clean my bicycle regularly (maybe a couple of times per week), but i want to learn from the mistakes of other people.
What are some of the biggest mistakes you have made when cleaning your bike? Maybe as a result it caused breakage or damage to the mechanisms?
Thanks
Need some info on what to avoid.
I want to clean my bicycle regularly (maybe a couple of times per week), but i want to learn from the mistakes of other people.
What are some of the biggest mistakes you have made when cleaning your bike? Maybe as a result it caused breakage or damage to the mechanisms?
Thanks
#70
Interocitor Command
You guys are using amusing pseudo tech babble and as an engineer I like doing this to my non-engineering friends. You mention a recirculating veeblefester, and they look at you like a dog does when its confused, twisting their heads. "That's not a real thing, right". "As far as you know, it is". But the most masterful use of tech psuedobabble is from a British engineer, John Hellins Quick, in 1944. You can find the article online (I did, but can't find it now). But there's been a couple of videos made. Here's one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ac7G7xOG2Ag
The publication is pretty famous. See https://www.computerworld.com/articl...cabulator.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ac7G7xOG2Ag
The publication is pretty famous. See https://www.computerworld.com/articl...cabulator.html
#71
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#72
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On the other hand, I did add the caveat that modern hubs are well sealed. Even cheap modern hubs. You would have to go way down into the cheapest of the HelMart bikes to find the kind of hubs you are talking about and, even then, the grease will stand up to a momentary blast of water from a handwand. Not minutes, to be sure, and the further away you hold the wand the better.
I'd post a pic of my hardtail but it's really dirty and I haven't washed it in 3 months. I don't want to be the source of a cardiac arrest for anyone here on this forum.
When I finally do wash the bike...I'll fill a pale with some hot water and dawn dish soap. Then I'll dip a big ol' rag in there and wipe all the dirt off.
When I finally do wash the bike...I'll fill a pale with some hot water and dawn dish soap. Then I'll dip a big ol' rag in there and wipe all the dirt off.
IMG_1248 by Stuart Black, on Flickr
A dirty bike is a happy bike!
With the caveat that my drivetrains aren't oily messy drivetrains and that I do more cleaning in winter to remove salt than in summer. Salt is corrosive and does damage. Good ol' dirt doesn't.
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Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
#73
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I only ride on paved roads so my bikes don't really get dirty. However, at the end of the ride I almost always wipe my bike down with a micro-fiber, a beer in one hand(for drinking) and the tunes cranked (in the garage).
Biggest mistake?.....putting Amour-all on the sidewalls and seat. Looks pretty but going around corners can get a little squirely and hitting the front brake hard can get the boys jammed. As a matter of fact I still do the Amour-all....on my Cruiser
Biggest mistake?.....putting Amour-all on the sidewalls and seat. Looks pretty but going around corners can get a little squirely and hitting the front brake hard can get the boys jammed. As a matter of fact I still do the Amour-all....on my Cruiser
#74
Senior Member
If you're wiping down your dusty bike with a dry cloth, you're doing much more harm to the finish than good. Have at it, but you should never wipe a dry surface with a dry cloth, if your aim is other than to cause micro-abrasions.
#75
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You think pilots walk around their planes before they take off because they're bored? Cleaning is a fundamental part of maintenance-- it's when you notice a frayed cable, or a loose headset, or any number of other things.
Don't assume that your successful inaction negates the actions of those who actually care about their stuff.
The implication here is, if you don't clean it, you probably don't maintain it very well either. I cannot generate the energy to care about your approach to bicycle touring. It just sounds lazy. Whatever... man.
Many times on this forum I detect the subtext of one who is deliberately contrarian, purely for the sake of being contrarian. Most times I can resist taking the bait. But not every time. Shame on me for that.
Don't assume that your successful inaction negates the actions of those who actually care about their stuff.
The implication here is, if you don't clean it, you probably don't maintain it very well either. I cannot generate the energy to care about your approach to bicycle touring. It just sounds lazy. Whatever... man.
Many times on this forum I detect the subtext of one who is deliberately contrarian, purely for the sake of being contrarian. Most times I can resist taking the bait. But not every time. Shame on me for that.
I couldn't agree more. I have been fortunate enough have been employed in aviation for 30+ years. I have applied the same standard to my bikes.
I have my bike work stand and my Harbor Freight work stool. I put on a proper work apron and clean my bike after every single ride. I look were I clean and I have found burrs on the chain ring, when it was getting worn, loose spokes, tell tale signs that the head tube bearings needed to be serviced, disc brake contamination, on and on, I have found numerous common issues as I use my older micro fiber towels and Maguires Final Touch detailing spray. I only spray the towel, not the bike. I get up and close to inspect and maintain my bike to highest level possible. I ride hard and average around 140 miles a week during the summer. I even use a bag of thin painters rags (small) to detail the FD and RD and pedals. Put my bike next to one that gets a once a month power wash, and the difference in appearance, reliability, integrity, and just overall functionality/safety doesn't even come close.
I see aircraft that are stored outside in the elements, never waxed and get cleaned when a rain storm passes. Those are the same airplanes that have system failures during flight, corrosion issues, dry rot, sun rot, on and on.
If you want to call that OCD, fine, I call it preventative maintenance and safety.