bblair

We all know a clean bike is a fast bike. And a quiet, happy bike.

In warm weather, a garden hose and big sponge and I am done in a few minutes. Spotless and shiny.

But what about in cold weather? There is no way I am getting all the grit out of my derailleurs and brakes with a rag. And I really don't want to spray it off in the basement and get water and dirt everywhere.

What do you do?

delbiker1 

I live by myself, ergo, no one to tell me not to do this. I put the whole bike in a shower stall, flexible shower head/hose, clean it just like I would outside. Bounce it on the tires a few times to remove the excess water, set out to either wipe or air dry. Spray down the shower stall. It does not make a mess, If someone went to use my shower, they would never know I cleaned bikes in it. I do the lubricating in my work area.
If the bike is not that dirty, I use LA's Totally Awesome cleaner at about 25% solution, 75% water. Spray it on enough to really wet the surfaces, let it sit a couple minutes, wipe it down with a damp, clean cloth. That includes doing the drive train. As always, re-lube.

Troul 

most US basements have floor drains. If you have an open area by a drain, I'd reconsider that as an option.

Otherwise, in an open space elsewhere using the ole bristle brush spray bottle & clean rags is likely the route to go.

indyfabz

Source?

cweb99

Crocodile wipes and a wet rag.(crock wipes leave some lint)

chain degreaser if cassette and chain are really dirty

choddo

It doesn’t get below 0°C here often and if it does, I’m not going out anyway so I just do the same as in the summer. I always pay attention to the grit in the drivetrain anyway because it is also rarely completely dry here on the country roads… so for the longer cleaning jobs I want to do in the garage I use a plant sprayer bottle, MucOff spray, cotton rags of course, ultrasonic cleaner for the chain and cassette once in a while, and pull the crank off at the same time to get the small ring and frame around the BB properly clean. All of this with a big beach towel under the bike stand to catch the crud. That towel has seen better days I can tell you.

bblair

My basement does not have a floor drain, although it does have a sump pump back in the corner. But that goes into the storm drain, so you are not supposed to put "gray water" into that.

I have removed wheels and cleaned those in a large utility sink; maybe I should get a sprayer attachment and put the frame over that too.

Sy Reene

Isn't it above freezing in Ohio? Why not outdoors?
Apartment dwellers who don't have garden hose access, often would be getting a garden sprayer (one of those 1-2 gallon things that you pump up for pressure) for rinsing. Then all you need is a pail of warm water and your sponges etc.

Koyote

Most newer homes have them as per local requirements, but plenty of older homes lack drains. And even in homes that have drains, they are commonly located right next to the water heaters (for obvious reasons) -- and those are often in fairly tight spaces that might not allow bike washing.

bampilot06

I fill a spray bottle with water and dawn soap and clean it in the garage.

t2p

back in the day I often used a lawn and garden pump sprayer to wash dirt off MTBs

( similar to sprayer in pic above )

had a area of gravel next to the garage where I would spray off the bike - and then would sit it in the garage

only washed a bike with water etc when absolutely necessary

bampilot06

It might have been a coincidence, but the one time I washed my Madone Gen 6 with a hose, the BB started creaking pretty soon after. I have not washed a bike with a hose since.

Iride01 

What kind of roads do you ride that you need to hose down your bike regularly? I've only used a damp rag or a pre-moistened towelette on my current 4 y.o. bike. I know that hosing them down is easy, but I wouldn't be inclined to do that unless it was covered with mud. Or do you ride slushy roads there where there might be salt spread for ice?

Will your bike fit in the shower stall or bathtub? Since dedicated pet showers are showing up in new homes, you might just add one for your bike and then tell others that don't cycle that it's a pet shower.

Koyote

Probably coincidence, unless you were spraying a strong jet of water right at the BB.

bblair

Yea, off and on.

The last few days have been typical: high in low 40's with chance of freezing rain or rain mixed with snow. Due to lousy plumbing, I have to shut off the water to one of my hose faucets or it will freeze and crack the pipes. I did that twice, so I am a slow learner.

The backyard faucet is ok, but standing out in the muddy grass washing down my bike in the cold is not much fun. But I have done it a few times.

WaveyGravey

I recommend a car care product called Meguiar's Waterless Wash and Wax. Works really well. Available at all the big box retailers and Auto Supply stores.

phrantic09

Wet, salt and sand covered ones.

I bring a bucket of hot soapy water and a sponge outside, wash everything, dump it on the bike, refill with clean water, rinse with another sponge, dump again and dry with a microfiber towel.

Jughed

Storm drain is where your outdoor/driveway water goes no? Wash indoors near the sump, outdoors in the driveway - stuff goes to the same place.

datlas 

Wait until temps above freezing. I do it in the driveway to avoid mud/muck. I am a lazy mechanic so just connect garden hose, spray down, then spray citrus degreaser on drivetrain, spray again, bounce the water off and let it dry inside the garage. Next day relube drivetrain (and maybe a drop of oil on brake pivot points, I still run rim brakes and clueless on disc).

This is not perfect, but it’s 10% effort for 90% results.

Sy Reene

Unless caked in road salt?

datlas 

Garden hose is frozen when too cold. Unclear if there is any harm in leaving road salt on bike longer vs shorter.

Anyone know?

brian416

I keep bike washing stuff in the house and an expandable hose in the the bucket. Expandable hoses shibk down small and are easy to drain so it’s quick and easy to use the outdoor faucet to spray the bike down

scottfsmith

I had a lot of salt on my bike a few days ago and it needed a hose-down in a bad way. I tried but the hose outside was frozen solid. So I got my garden sprayer and filled it with hot water and sprayed it off in the garage. It wasn’t quite as good as a hose in getting all the salt off but I got most of it off. Then it warmed up yesterday and I gave it a full hose-off and re-grease. Dirt isn’t great but salt is B-A-D.

Sy Reene

I'll go out on a limb here and theorize that salt on bike longer is more harmful than salt on bike shorter.

rm -rf

Rinse off the salt.
I've had this sturdy 3 gallon / 13 liter watering can for 30 years now.


I fill it in a sink or bathtub, then rinse off the bike outside. I'll use a rag if the bike is really dirty, but I'm mostly just trying to get all the salt off. Even dry, clean roads have leftover salt here all winter.