How often do you wash your ride(s)?
- Thread starter stinkyboy
- Start date
How about a poll option for "when it's really dirty" 
I almost never wash my bike. But I will admit I've been forced to a couple times by mud. 
I wash my bike about twice a yearstinkyboy said:
Ill wash it before a race or after a really muddy ride.
I usually wash my bikes on Friday night, before the weekend rides. Typically, I wash my bikes 4 times before I ever wash my truck...
I wash my bikes when they are dirty enough to bring dirt into the house. I don't get very detailed when I do clean them.
I do have a friend that washes his bike to showroom condition after each ride, but shows up to each ride with an unlubed chain, two flat tires and a handfull of other problem that everyone else has to wait for him to fix. For years I have tried to convince him to make sure his bike works during the hours he spends polishing it instead of doing it during times in which we should be riding.
I do have a friend that washes his bike to showroom condition after each ride, but shows up to each ride with an unlubed chain, two flat tires and a handfull of other problem that everyone else has to wait for him to fix. For years I have tried to convince him to make sure his bike works during the hours he spends polishing it instead of doing it during times in which we should be riding.
If it's dirty... whenever it starts to build up in the tight spots I will usually do a quick rebuild to get the mud out and to grease it.
If it's dirty and performance suffers (ie: shifting / braking) I'll clean, lube, and make adjustments. I also can't stand any squeeks. I try to fix those right away. I end up doing this a lot as my wife and I both ride almost everyday.
Usually the mud which ends up requiring a wash is that stuff that sticks to everything like friggin' glue and then piles up in the chainstays & fork until the wheels don't move.stinkyboy said:I don't see a lot of mud down here, so jeez, I must be a little obsessive-compulsive...
Although I've found if you let it dry you can often times shake enough off to avoid a wash.
I dont really wash the bike, just flick off the dried chunks of mud with my fingers and take a brush to the chain/cassette once in a while
I usually give it a good clean down at the end of the year when i bring it inside for trainer duty though
I usually give it a good clean down at the end of the year when i bring it inside for trainer duty though
When I lived in Phoenix,...... Never. It's just dust. White lightning did the trick on the chain.
Now, in Virginia, still almost never except when warranted by mud and poor shifting.
My SS rarely gets any love from a cloth, but sees a lot of trail.
Now, in Virginia, still almost never except when warranted by mud and poor shifting.
My SS rarely gets any love from a cloth, but sees a lot of trail.
Once in a blue moon, but usually i'll just wait for the mud to dry and brush it off with my gloved hand.
i really should take better care of my chain and cassette, but i ride so much i don't care, since i have to replace both yearly or more anyways.....
Bikey's is tools they are not art. The ride is art.
i really should take better care of my chain and cassette, but i ride so much i don't care, since i have to replace both yearly or more anyways.....
Bikey's is tools they are not art. The ride is art.
In the winter right now, i wash them after every ride with soap and warm water, then lube them after...
In the summer once every 2 or 3 weeks, unless it gets real muddy, then i do it right away...
I hate riding bikes that are dirty and not working...
In the summer once every 2 or 3 weeks, unless it gets real muddy, then i do it right away...
I hate riding bikes that are dirty and not working...
Amen...Skookum said:
Thank God I'm not the only one that thinks this way......Skookum said:
You degrease your bike after every ride in arizona?
You talking pivots, bb or what?
You talking pivots, bb or what?
There's a trap in the art concept. One can wind up more focused on the polishing than the riding.stinkyboy said:
I wash the bike if it gets ungodly dirty or it's not performing, prior to doing maintenance. If I'm bringing it into a shop for work, I wash it first out of respect for the mechanics.
Tell your buddies to shut up and ride.
I completely disassemble all of my bikes after every ride.kidwoo said:
Nah, after a careful blast of water at the car wash, I degrease/regrease the chain, cassette and rear. My addiction to the smell of Triflow may have something to do with this...
You do way more damage to your bike doing that than just leaving it dirty. noob.....stinkyboy said:
Also another quick suggestion, try riding harder and faster, that'll knock all the dirt off the bike.
So trueSkookum said:You do way more damage to your bike doing that than just leaving it dirty. noob.....
If you don't stay away from bearings and seals you sure do...Skookum said:You do way more damage to your bike doing that than just leaving it dirty. noob.....
Yeah yeah, that's my buddies' arguement.Skookum said:You do way more damage to your bike doing that than just leaving it dirty. noob.....
Also, my bikes occupy the entryway and part of my garageless condo's living room, and bumping into dusty bikes is not fun for guests...
Doesn't bother me, if my guests don't like my dirty bikey's well then they can stand out on the patio in the cold for all i care.stinkyboy said:Also, my bikes occupy the entryway and part of my garageless condo's living room, and bumping into dusty bikes is not fun for guests...
When Its too muddy to pedal (=sometimes)
(=sometimes)
Usually for me its about keeping me happy in the girlies casa de stinky...stinkyboy said:It's all about keeping the girlies happy at la casa de Stinky...
