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Just wondered how many people wash their bike down after a muddy winter night ride, not at all, quick sprinkle, full wash down or full on clean, all in the dark, myself, hose down and oil the chain, riding buddy just puts his bike away as it is.
Depends on how cold and knackered I am.
last monday was a slop fest and I knew it wasn't coming back out of the shed for a few weeks so I hosed down and did a quick squirt of drivetrain cleaner and then fresh lube
in the summer maybe just a rag run-through and lube on the drivetrain
Just gets put away. Its all properly protected and serviced tho so it will do no harm. I very rarely clean bikes
Hose off then a quick rag on the chain. I’ll then chuck GT85 on the drivetrain, so I can clean properly and re-lube when it’s light/when I can be arsed.
Full proper wash after every muddy ride. Have outdoor lighting, a hot water hose and a bike stand at the door.
Hose down bike getting worst off. Fill bucket with hot soapy water. quick brush/sponge all over. rinse. towel dry and lube chain.
Whole process only takes 5mins.
FOR A BIKE 😯a hot water hose
Hose the worst off, most times but not always , put in house
Its a SS so not the most important thing in the world and depends on weather, temp and whether i can be bothered
Err. Nah.
Bike goes in the garage. Isn't that what garages are for?
i'll give the drivetrain a once over, make sure it's running nice, all as shiny as possible, and maybe, just maybe clean the stanchions if they're particularly blathered....
Depends on how [s]cold and knackered[/s] [b]drunk[/b] I am.
🙂
At most a quick clean of the chain and a lube, as for everything else if it's not moving it's not doing any damage so it can be dealt with whenever.
Bikes live indoors so a full clean every time. Helps having a Mobi washer and if you do it as soon as you finish the ride it's not much hassle, if any.
Drivetrain only.
Quick hose if I can be bothered but usually just a squirt of gt85 on drivetrain & maybe a squirt of silicone spray on the fork seals.
Usually deal with it the next day.
Depends. If the drivetrain isn't too graunchy it just gets out away. If the ride was a horror show, it'll get a proper clean.
Sometimes give the drivetrain a wipe over. Last week I just chucked it in the garage and I'll have to sort out the carnage before my next ride this weekend. I don't normally neglect it quite that much but I had stuff to do.
Leave it or quick hose.
Those that are saying they re lube the chain, how are you cleaning the chain first ? As in I only ever re lube a chain when it’s been properly cleaned otherwise it’s just sealing dirt in.
As in I only ever re lube a chain when it’s been properly cleaned otherwise it’s just sealing dirt in.
Rock and roll, doesn't seal stuff in and a quick hose gets the crap off.
I just park it in the shed. Maybe a squirt of GT85 on the chain if it's been a wet ride.
Being single speed helps 😀
It's not in the dark, my garage is fully lit etc, so it gets the same full wash it would get at any other time of the day/year. Strip down, chain off etc.
Of course this is only if it needs it, if it's summer, then it just goes in the garage while i grab a beer.
As just about every night ride involves a drive somewhere first to meet up with mates ..its usually an upside down wipe over with an old towel at the end of the ride before going into the back of the car ( which has a very thick poly sheet covering the entire area)..a hose down the next morning or a " dry clean " depending on its condition..
* That's what used to happen.. night rides are but a distant memory these days 😥
People clean their chains !!
Hose off then a quick rag on the chain. I’ll then chuck GT85 on the drivetrain, so I can clean properly and re-lube when it’s light/when I can be arsed.
This.
Never, rolling in at 10.15 after a couple of pints the most it gets is a brush down and maybe a quick lube to the chain if its been a wet one.
Depends on how cold and knackered I am.
This
Hose the worst off with a brush attachment, leave to drip for a bit then rag on the chain and re-lube.
Hose off, spray on muck off or just car shampoo in squirt bottle. Hose off winter boots. Bike in garage, go get myself clean, then back out with sponge and brush and clean bike. Wipe down chain and lube. Quick squirt of GT85 on the mechs pivots and jobs done.
Never. It’s what singlespeed rigid bikes are for.
It’s the last thing I want to be doing at 11:30 when it’s just above freezing.
Old bike: throw it in the garage. Wet lube chain just before next ride.
New bike: quick blast with the hose to remove the mud while it’s still wet. Dry and lube chain. Not sure how long this will last.
Generally gets a quick hose down with minimal chain cleaning.
This is proving to be not enough as I see my drivetrain has quickly gone past the point of needing a new chain to needing to replace the whole chainset. cassette, and chain 🙁
FunkyDunc - MemberLeave it or quick hose.
Those that are saying they re lube the chain, how are you cleaning the chain first ? As in I only ever re lube a chain when it’s been properly cleaned otherwise it’s just sealing dirt in.
I have putoline on my chain - it needs neither cleaning nor relubing
Only if it's muddy AND wet. If it isn't pretty soaked then I leave it.
Never ride it without the various stanchions and chain clean and lubed.
The bike goes in the hall opposite the radiator on a plastic sheet. After a day or two most of the dirt has dried up and fallen off and what remains can be brushed off by hand.
lube the chain/forks/dropper, carry the sheet outside and throw the rich soil on the garden.
just puts his bike away as it is.
This
I've been better lately. I pull up by the back gate, nip in to turn on the hose. Then I spray a bit of muc off, use a wet brush to wipe it all down the hose it off. Then apply muc off to the chain and blast it with the hose on high pressure - done.
I very rarely clean bikes
Yeah you have sandy peaty mud though, not clayey. The type of mud and hence where you are in the country makes all the difference. Last week I MTBed around Swindon and the bike was a total mess. Gears skipping after a few miles off road, and when I got home the clag was caked on.
For local stuff I usually ride a rigid singlespeed with front and rear mudguards so no, just gets parked in the garage to dry off
If I take my geared hardtail then I might give it a quick hose, no wiping/brushing/spray though
When Bike was new back in April for a few months, it was wash every part after every ride and lube chain and stanchions.
These days, use GT85 as a cleaner and lube and also clean and lube the stanchions.
My bike lives in the house, the wife went mental recently about dried mud falling off the bike, to combat this I brought a big plastic sheet and leave it on that, give it a few bounces on the sheet before taking it out and wife is happy.
Dry ride - put it away, or maybe a brush off.
Wet ride - a watering can of rainwater all over it then put it away. Lube the next day when it's dry.
you have sandy peaty mud though, not clayey.
Incredible how much difference that makes. Riding through claggy clay needs a proper bike clean, whereas sandy peat just seems to dry and fall off on its own accord 😀
portable jet wash from boot of car - spray down - put away when home - next day rewax chain if needed.
FOR A BIKE 😯
Hot water makes cleaning any bike infinitely quicker and more pleasurable. Try it before pouring scorn because it's not what YOU do.
It gets no lotion on its chain , it just get the hose again.
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Its not Precious.
I'm with gwurk, hot tap is the baws, so much easier.
It was for me too ..but recently changed the mixer tap in the kitchen and the hozelock adapter no longer fits ..so cold only from the outside tap .. 😡
I have lights, a roof over the top, a radiator & hot(or cold)running water, but it's all irrelevant as I don't do the whole bike washing thing, chain gets lubed & muck falls off in my heated garage when it dries.... Did mention my heated garage, it's about 18 degrees in there at the moment..... 😉
Mind,I CBA to get the mucky thing out the of the car tonight, it'll still be there tomorrow....I'm sure 😉
Hot water makes cleaning any bike infinitely quicker and more pleasurable.
And more expensive and less environmentally friendly!
Normally do a full clean but just hose down if I CBA.
And more expensive and less environmentally friendly!
Christ, here we go.....
Actually. My hot water is probably far more environmentally friendlily heated than yours molegrips
hozelock adapters for mixer taps are available too
[img] 
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Hozelock 2274 adapter
Tried one of those and used to be a right faff to stop water spraying all over the kitchen.
Anyway, nope is my answer. There's no light in the garden to wash it. Got portable washer but where I do night rides I can't wash it where I'm parked if I've driven there.
Wipe down, brush off when it's dry.
Gwurk ..cheers .. 😀
The old tap was a mixer tap which accepted a different hozelock fitment and to be honest I just hadn't looked to see if there was a different one ..
Tried one of those and used to be a right faff to stop water spraying all over the kitchen.
I used to suffer this, I now close hose nozzle, turn off tap, go back and open hose nozzle to release trapped water, then remove from tap and no more spray of water over me and the kitchen.
I did discover the bathroom shower hose screwed onto another hozelock thing I had which worked pretty well. Needed a long hose though.
Mud is a fantastic preservative, so I just leave it on, wait for it to dry, knock off the dried mud, clean and re-lube the chain and crack on. Every now and again i'll treat it to a proper wash, chain off, cassette off and a good deep clean. I steer well clear of bearings though.
if you really want, have a look to see if the mixer tap has a screw in spout (many do) and you fit a regular hoselock end (as the threads are standard)
wash bike after night ride if it needs it.
One of my jobs over christmas is to fit an outside hot tap........ not sure i fancy sitting outside drilling holes in the wall when it's -10 though.
(Mines heated by ground source heat pumps, the geothermal pumps are powered by hydroelectric. Which i pay extra for. So pretty green.)
oikeith - Member
give it a few bounces on the sheet before taking it out and wife is happy.
Must try that tonight....
Usually a quick wipe down of the drivetrain, fork stanchions and dropper.
WD40 on the chain and a dribble of oil on the stanchions and dropper and a bit of bouncing to draw dirt out of the seals.
Wipe down and lock up.
As we normally end up in the pub after 10pm, then a couple of pints and ride home, getting home between 11 and 11:45pm, the last thing I want to do is clean the bike especially when the alarm goes off at 6am .... it will wait till the weekend.
Which is probably after Sundays ride !
Last week was... dunk bike in canal outside pub.
More usual routine is... hose down whole bike and lube drivetrain.
Deadkenny - if you mean it leaked. simply add an extra PVC plumbing washer and tighten it down properly tight. Otherwise. What the other bloke said.
Deadkenny - if you mean it leaked. simply add a PVC plumbing washer and tighten it down properly tight. Otherwise. What the other bloke said.
Gary, my bikes would like to thank you.
After reading this thread, I found out about this
[img] 
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I ordered one off Amazon and it arrived yesterday.
That meant that I could actually wash the bikes with some hot water without it freezing in place (it's been about -7C all day).
so much better isn't it?
🙂
on really muddy night rides you can also shower outdoors 😉
The only problem I had was the hot water then freezing on the bike by the time I got to the other end 🙂