Ultimate Guide To a Perfect Bike Wash

We all want to spend more time riding and less time cleaning our bikes.  While spending more time on the bike is the goal, neglecting a good cleaning schedule often times means more time in the bike shop fixing broken and prematurely worn out parts.

The bike frame is often the first thing somebody notices about your bike, but is also the first thing to be neglected when it comes to regular cleaning.    It is important to make sure your frame is regularly cleaned to keep dirt and debris from rubbing through the paint, causing structural damage, and make any damage more readily visible.  

Cleaning your frame gives you a great opportunity to find any cracks, scratches, or other structural damage on the bike before it causes a much bigger problem down the road.  If the bike is dirty, covered in grease, etc it is very difficult to spot these problems while they are still small and allows them to get to a size to potentially cause a crash down the road.

Cleaning your drivetrain is the best way to keep your bike running for years to come.  Neglecting a regular cleaning and maintenance of your chain and drivetrain can cost you big money over time with more regular replacement needed of chains, cassettes, chainrings, etc.  

Keeping your drivetrain clean not only saves money by reducing wear, but it also ensures your bike will run quieter, faster, and more reliably for years to come.

Cleaning your drivetrain is likely the best thing that you can do to keep your bike running well and prolong its life.  How often should you do such an important thing depends on a variety of factors such as riding conditions, lubricant used, etc.  Our favorite bike cleaning tip is to at least every other ride, give your chain a quick wipe down.  That can be with a gear wipe,a microfiber towel,or just an old t-shirt to keep any large debris from the chain.

For cyclists using a traditional oil based lubricant we would suggest following this quick 10 second cleaning up with a once a week deeper clean and re-lube.  This can be adjusted a bit depending on riding miles, but every 200 or so miles is a great rule of thumb to make sure that the chain gets cleaned well.  While something like Synergetic chain lube can last up to 300 miles or more per application, it is great to remove the contaminant from the chain.

If you are using those more traditional lubricants it is also ideal to clean the chain after every rainy/dirty ride.  This will keep the chain from holding that dirt and water which can cause more damage to the rest of the components.

One of the reasons we are so big on waxed chains is that the only recommended maintenance is the quick wipe down every couple of rides until you hit the 200-300 mile re-lube interval.  Once it is time to re-lubricate a waxed chain, you can either pour boiling water over to melt the wax off the metal, or wipe the chain with a rag or gear wipe and reapply.  This works well if you are hot waxing or applying a drip wax.

Cleaning your frame can be much more obvious, but shouldn't be neglected.  A quick wipe down after clean rides can really keep things like your stem bolts, headset bearings, and more from premature corrosion and wear.  

If you are regularly riding indoors, this becomes even more important.  The sweat dripping on the same spots during indoor season can be more damaging than the dirtiest of rides because it often goes ignored.  

For a full on washing of the frame we recommend at a minimum doing this two to three times per year with one being at the start of the busy riding season, often in March or April for those in the northern hemisphere, as well as October or November when the weather starts to get a bit cold and the bike might be going to the trainer for the winter.  

On top of maybe a mid-season deep clean, we highly recommend a thorough bike wash after any particularly dirty rides.  This would be a ride you got caught in the rain for a couple hours, a muddy ride on the trails, or that big dusty gravel event.  Getting all that contamination off the frame protects not only the frame itself, but keeps the dirt from finding its way into drivetrain parts, bearings, and other parts that it can quickly cause damage.

Cleaning your frame is a simple process that with just a few tips can help protect the finish for years to come.  

1. Always start the bike wash with a pre-rinse.  Going straight to a contact was such as scrubbing with a sponge or towel can just grind the dirt into the finish causing scratches that dull the finish.
   1. If you are running a waxed chain, this can be a great opportunity to remove the chain and dip it in hot wax so you have a freshly waxed chain to go back on your squeaky clean bike.
2. Use a high quality soap and detailing sponge to apply soap to the frame with as many suds as possible.  Let the soap sit on the frame for a few minutes to break up any dirt remaining on the frame.
3. Rinse the soap and dirt from the frame
4. Give the frame one more scrub now that any larger dirt or debris is likely removed from the frame.  This should focus on any drink mix, gels, sweat, etc that might have dried on the frame and take a little more scrubbing to remove.
5. Rinse all of the components to ensure no soap is left behind.  Starting from the highest point on the bike and finishing at the bottom is a great way to ensure no soap is left behind.
   1. If you have access to an air compressor, it would be ideal to use compressed air to dry especially the metal drivetrain components to help reduce the risk of rust and corrosion.

There are a couple of ways to clean your chain but our most recommended option is to remove the chain and place it in a jar, gatorade bottle, old water bottle, etc.  You can add your favorite degreaser but we have three good options here at SILCA with Ultimate Brake and Drivetrain Cleaner, or Chain Stripper.  Shake in the jar for a few minutes to agitate as much of the contaminants out of the chain.  Pull the chain from the jar and rinse with water.  Repeat this process until the degreaser is the same color as when you started.

For a quicker on-bike clean we highly recommend utilizing the spray bottle with Ultimate Brake and Drivetrain Cleaner.  You will want to apply it after the initial rinse, and once applied let it sit for 3-5 minutes.  It will foam a reddish/purple which you want to rinse with water until the water runs clear.  

For any of these steps with a waxed chain you will want to ensure you follow waxing steps to make sure the chain is free of degreaser before re-waxing.

Washing and cleaning your bike can be so important to making sure your bike rides are focused on the ride and not on that squeaking noise, or shifting that is just not quite right.  

It can take a few minutes but once you get your process down it is a pretty quick and easy way to keep your bike pristine for years to come.