Dirty or clean, which bike is a happy bike?

[markojp]

Any correlation between clean bikes and well cared for skis? I'm guessing there is.

Me? Clean bike, tuned and waxed skis. I always just thought bikes were beautiful, and a clean one, more beautifuller. My neighbor who taught me to road ride and race would in no way let me ride a dirty bike (or a world championship, yellow, pink,etc.. jersey... "those you can wear when you earn." in his Serbo-Croatian accent. )

 

[Bruuuce]

Clean drivetrain, dirty bike. Had a bike tech in town tell me that people washing bikes often is what keeps him in business since most people do it improperly. Wash a bike...save a bike shop.

 

[crgildart]

Dirty bike is less likely to be stolen.

 

[Tom K.]

Any correlation between clean bikes and well cared for skis? I'm guessing there is.

I'm pretty OCD about tuning and waxing my skis, and equally so about keeping my bikes mechanically perfect - especially the drivetrain.

But clean? Nope. At least not the mtbs which get ridden enough that keeping them truly clean would take some serious time. Also, I subscribe to @Bruuuce idea that washing suspension bikes isn't really doing them a favor unless you're darn careful.

 

[crgildart]

I think of mountain bikes the same way as skateboards and other high impact sports gear. If it's pristine, odds are you aren't using it to its full potentiall. Or, it looks like you aren't using it at all and just displaying it. Mechanically sound with moving parts properly lubricated and tuned? Yep, but shining the tire sidewalls and touch paint on every nick? ... POSER

 

[AmyPJ]

Rinsed after every ride, drive train cleaned with soft brush and Dawn, the lubed and cleaned.

 

[Tom K.]

Rinsed after every ride, drive train cleaned with soft brush and Dawn, the lubed and cleaned.

You do a complete drivetrain clean and lube after every ride?

 

[AmyPJ]

You do a complete drivetrain clean and lube after every ride?

Rinse dust/mud off, dry well, reapply Rock N Roll Gold, yes. If I don't, I hear it, especially when it's dusty (which is most of the time here.)

 

[Lauren]

Any correlation between clean bikes and well cared for skis? I'm guessing there is.

For me, the correlation is spot on. I rinse my bike when it's muddy/dusty after a ride (I make sure my skis are able to dry well after use), do a good full cleaning once a month-ish or as necessary (I wax my skis once a month-ish or as necessary), take care of major issues as they arise (pertains to both bikes and skis). I will ride or ski on just about anything and rarely fuss over the "preciseness" of tunes.

 

[Superbman]

If you sweat a lot (like me), it's worth it to quick hose the bike more often than not. I've rotted out head sets, bolts and such in the past.

Also, a dirty bike tends too hide other issues (cracks, tech prob, etc)-a good cleaning and inspection saves a lot of trouble down the road.

As for mud-its a trail system by trail system thing--in most of New England, the soil ain't all that deep and once the flora is fully awake, moisture gets pulled out of the soil pretty quickly, and the old school single track tread is very, very, durable. Mud avoidance is mostly an early Spring thing. In places with more machine work and deeper, loamy soils, rain is a bigger deal (some of the more modern N. Vermont stuff struggles in rainy weather).

High alpine riding out west is very susceptible to rain/ snow melt/ mud--totally different biking ecosystem.

 

[Tom K.]

Rinse dust/mud off, dry well, reapply Rock N Roll Gold, yes. If I don't, I hear it, especially when it's dusty (which is most of the time here.)

Got it. That is a one-ride lube. Super clean, but I can "pedal through it" in less than three hours.

 

[AmyPJ]

If you sweat a lot (like me), it's worth it to quick hose the bike more often than not. I've rotted out head sets, bolts and such in the past.

Also, a dirty bike tends too hide other issues (cracks, tech prob, etc)-a good cleaning and inspection saves a lot of trouble down the road.

As for mud-its a trail system by trail system thing--in most of New England, the soil ain't all that deep and once the flora is fully awake, moisture gets pulled out of the soil pretty quickly, and the old school single track tread is very, very, durable. Mud avoidance is mostly an early Spring thing. In places with more machine work and deeper, loamy soils, rain is a bigger deal (some of the more modern N. Vermont stuff struggles in rainy weather).

High alpine riding out west is very susceptible to rain/ snow melt/ mud--totally different biking ecosystem.

Got it. That is a one-ride lube. Super clean, but I can "pedal through it" in less than three hours.

Yes, I've had rides at Powder Mountain (which we joke isn't just powdery in the winter) where my drivetrain is screaming after 3 miles. We did pick up some Rock N Roll Extreme so will have to see how that works in the dusty conditions we'll be seeing very soon.

Plus, what @Superbman said--it's a good opportunity to inspect the bike when I'm drying it off. With Trek's new geometry this year, I found that my left heel was rubbing the chainstay which is a first, so I wrapped it with protective film. I would not have noticed it nearly as early if I wasn't so anal about cleaning my bike. When my headset starts creaking, it gets pulled apart and cleaned and re-lubed. I'm also of the mindset that dirt getting into spaces = no bueno.

 

[4ster]

Drive train gets wiped, brushed & lubed (Rock & Roll Blue) every ride, suspension also gets wiped off. Once things get dusty the bike also gets a light rinse & dry.

Only takes a few minutes & everything works better & lasts longer. Yes, a clean bike is a happy bike !

 

[ZionPow]

Rinse dust/mud off, dry well, reapply Rock N Roll Gold, yes. If I don't, I hear it, especially when it's dusty (which is most of the time here.)

I switched to SCC Slick at the recommendation of my LBS. It is more expensive but lasts twice a long. I wipe drive chain after every ride but lube every 10 rides. This stuff is very viscous and really lasts!

 

[AmyPJ]

We just received two giant bottles of Rock N Roll partly thanks to household miscommunication Will look into that stuff when we run out in a YEAR!

And I just noticed this on Strava: I’m a Local Legend! I got a good laugh out of that—whatever that means!

 

[Joel]

I clean my bike after ever ride. A deep clean maybe every 4 rides depending where I've been. For me, the cleaning process is also an inspection process. I look for damage as I go. Some rides, the bike just gets slightly dusty, some rides pretty muddy, though I avoid anything that's really tearing up the trails.

Here's a pic from a ride that didn't get very dirty at all.

Joel

 

[Tony Storaro]

View attachment 104693

Been there, done that...

 

[Tricia]

Also, a dirty bike tends too hide other issues (cracks, tech prob, etc)-a good cleaning and inspection saves a lot of trouble down the road.

I like to do a light wash after every ride where the bike gets covered with dust. This is often a chance to give the bike a "once over" to see if anything needs to be addressed.