Yes I may be a little OCD about the state of cleanliness of my bikes and workshop but that is a bit of an advertisement for what we do so it sort of males sense. Its not only from a business perspective but from a cost savings and performance perspective. It doesnt cost a lot to maintain a bike correctly even if you rely on a good local bike shop to service and maintain your steed. Chainrings, deailleurs, chains and wheels are expensive items and making them last as long as possible will save you money and improve performance over time. Im constantly amazed by people that will spend thousands of dollars on a set of carbon wheels but wont bother to clean the drivetrain on their ride. All the extra aero that the magazine article promised you when you bought your carbon rims can all go to waste with gunk blocking jockey wheels and making it more difficult to change gears. Giving your bike a good clean also forces you to have a good look at the state of your ride from a safety aspect as well. For cleaning the drivetrain I use a Park Tools chain cleaner and a citrus degreaser. A ridiculously simple way of cleaning, this makes a real difference very quickly. A few minutes of running the drivetrain through, a good wipe over and lube will make a huge difference. Using the cassette brush to get in between all the sprockets and removing the gunk from the jockey pulleys is vital as well. There are plenty of good YouTube videos on using these cleaning items. I highly recommend the Park Tools cleaning tool and can be had online for around $50. For a big clean up of the bike I use soapy water on the frame, wheels out etc along with giving the wheels a good inspection re the spoke tension along with tyre condition. I use Mr Sheen afterwards to help mud clearance as it wont stick as easily. For post daily rides I keep a packet of baby wipes in the workshop. Brilliant for getting rid of grease and dirt. There we go, thats what I do. Even your bike mechanic will appreciate it if you roll up with a clean bike!!
Posted on: Tue, 12 Aug 2014 01:09:49 +0000
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