How do you clean, degrease and lube your bike?

[ejh]

Hey,

Will be happy to get tips on cleaning, degreasing and lubing your bikes.
Specifically, is dish soap and water good enough?
Do I need some other degreaser?
Any specific lubes which are good and not expensive?
Should I invest in expensive materials since this will improve the lifetime of my bike?

Thank you all.

[dilinger]

For cleaning and degreasing, I recommend Bling Juice: https://kentsbike.blogspot.com/2012/03/what-wd-40-is-good-for.html

Lube is a personal decision, based on your tolerance for certain things, your climate, and riding conditions.

[Primm]

According to my LBS, dry lube is better in dirty conditions (dirty roads, trails etc.) and wet lube for ordinary road and concrete path riding. The wet lube holds in dirt particles and ends up creating conditions that can destroy your components quicker.

The main thing is to wash and relube every time you ride it. That's what will destroy bike components quickest, dirt and grime worked into the gears etc. because it wasn't cleaned off from last time.

[ejh]

For cleaning and degreasing, I recommend Bling Juice: https://kentsbike.blogspot.com/2012/03/what-wd-40-is-good-for.html

Sounds neat, but he mentions keeping away from brakes and rims. So how do you clean wheels and rims? Do you use that for your whole frame, seat, handlebars too?

According to my LBS, dry lube is better in dirty conditions (dirty roads, trails etc.) and wet lube for ordinary road and concrete path riding. The wet lube holds in dirt particles and ends up creating conditions that can destroy your components quicker.

The main thing is to wash and relube every time you ride it. That's what will destroy bike components quickest, dirt and grime worked into the gears etc. because it wasn't cleaned off from last time.

I read that dry lube is better for dry weather, while wet lube is better for rainy/wet conditions.
You wash/lube after every ride? That's twice a day for me. How long does it take?

[dilinger]

For cleaning and degreasing, I recommend Bling Juice: https://kentsbike.blogspot.com/2012/03/what-wd-40-is-good-for.html

Sounds neat, but he mentions keeping away from brakes and rims. So how do you clean wheels and rims? Do you use that for your whole frame, seat, handlebars too?

The majority of the wheel does not touch the brakes.  And I use it to clean rims, also.  It will leave a film, but I just wipe with a clean cloth afterwards and it's fine.  Worst case, you get some squealing immediately after that goes away after you brake a few times.  No need to clean the brake pads, obviously.

I use it for my whole frame.  My handlebars have handlebar tape, so they get new (clean) tape when they get gross.  The bottom part of a saddle gets bling juice; the top gets a damp cloth.

According to my LBS, dry lube is better in dirty conditions (dirty roads, trails etc.) and wet lube for ordinary road and concrete path riding. The wet lube holds in dirt particles and ends up creating conditions that can destroy your components quicker.

The main thing is to wash and relube every time you ride it. That's what will destroy bike components quickest, dirt and grime worked into the gears etc. because it wasn't cleaned off from last time.

I read that dry lube is better for dry weather, while wet lube is better for rainy/wet conditions.
You wash/lube after every ride? That's twice a day for me. How long does it take?

See, this is why I said personal preference. :)

I use Squirt, which is a wax-based lube because I absolutely will not tolerate grease stripes on my pants or ankles (before that, I used to dip my chain in melted wax).  I'm willing to put up with the extra hassle of that.  I'm also not willing to clean the chain on a regular basis, so I won't use a lube that causes dirt/gunk to stick to the chain.  The downside to the wax stuff is that a heavy rain will wash it right off (and I live in a pretty rainy place).  So I end up lubing the chain quite a bit during the rainy season.  That's a trade-off I'm comfortable with.

Most people do not clean/lube after every ride.  Depending upon how dirty your drivetrain gets, I usually recommend cleaning/relubing weekly or monthly for road biking.

[GuitarStv]

I bike through a salty/slushy winter . . . I have to clean my bike after every long ride or it will just melt away from corrosion.  This is my approach for a quick clean:

1.  Take a bucket of hot/soapy water and quickly scrub down the saddle, seatpost, chain, derailleurs, cassette, cranks, chain-rings, pedals, rims, bottom bracket, down/top tubes, bars, and headset.  (3-4 minutes)

2.  Bounce the bike a couple times to get most of the water off.  (30 seconds)

3.  Take a couple dry rags and wipe the derailleurs, chain, and cassette down.  (1 minute)

4.  Lube the chain (drop of Progold Pro Link on each link), Lube the brake pivot points (drop of White Lightning Wet Lube), Lube the derailleurs (Quick spray of Jig-a-loo silicone water repellent lube).  (1 minute)

That's the bulk of my regular winter maintenance.

Each spring I pull out my waterproof marine bearing grease and:
- Replace the bearings and grease the hubs
- Take apart the pedals and grease the bearings
- Grease the headset
- Grease the seatpost
- Remove the rack and water bottle holders and grease the bolt threads



My summer bike gets similar treatment after any particularly wet rides or about once a month (I wipe down and lube the chain about once a week).

[Primm]

I bike through a salty/slushy winter . . . I have to clean my bike after every long ride or it will just melt away from corrosion.  This is my approach for a quick clean:

1.  Take a bucket of hot/soapy water and quickly scrub down the saddle, seatpost, chain, derailleurs, cassette, cranks, chain-rings, pedals, rims, bottom bracket, down/top tubes, bars, and headset.  (3-4 minutes)

2.  Bounce the bike a couple times to get most of the water off.  (30 seconds)

3.  Take a couple dry rags and wipe the derailleurs, chain, and cassette down.  (1 minute)

4.  Lube the chain (drop of Progold Pro Link on each link), Lube the brake pivot points (drop of White Lightning Wet Lube), Lube the derailleurs (Quick spray of Jig-a-loo silicone water repellent lube).  (1 minute)

That's the bulk of my regular winter maintenance.

Each spring I pull out my waterproof marine bearing grease and:
- Replace the bearings and grease the hubs
- Take apart the pedals and grease the bearings
- Grease the headset
- Grease the seatpost
- Remove the rack and water bottle holders and grease the bolt threads



My summer bike gets similar treatment after any particularly wet rides or about once a month (I wipe down and lube the chain about once a week).

That's pretty close to my regime (I don't ride my bike to work so definitely not every day!) except that I had a quick-link put in my chain. I take the chain off first, put it in an old water bottle full of degreaser, give it a good shake and rinse it off. Then reattach chain between steps 3 and 4 and lube up.

[TrMama]

I clean with citrus degreaser from the hardware store. I use a tile brush on the gears and one of these for the chain, https://www.mec.ca/en/product/4007-008/Chain-Cleaner. An old rag cleans the wheel rims and frame.

Relube the chain with ordinary bike lube in the summer, or thick winter lube for the PNW rainy winter.

[CanuckExpat]

So the short answer is that I don't really, unless my local bike coop is having a fund raiser where they will clean and lube your bike while you eat BBQ.

I commute about twice daily, my bike is a mess, and beat up, but it still gets the job done. I'm not saying this is a good idea, just that bikes are resilient, even for us lazy folks :)

But the times when I did manage to get around to doing it, I found the Park chain cleaner to be pretty handy.

ETA: this is on my beat up commuter bike. If/when I road bike for fun, I take slightly better care of it

[ejh]

I use Squirt, which is a wax-based lube because I absolutely will not tolerate grease stripes on my pants or ankles (before that, I used to dip my chain in melted wax).  I'm willing to put up with the extra hassle of that.  I'm also not willing to clean the chain on a regular basis, so I won't use a lube that causes dirt/gunk to stick to the chain.  The downside to the wax stuff is that a heavy rain will wash it right off (and I live in a pretty rainy place).  So I end up lubing the chain quite a bit during the rainy season.  That's a trade-off I'm comfortable with.

Read some more about Squirt and it sounds like it does a great job.
I just got myself a small bottle to test it out.

I read that before initial application, the chain should be completely clean and dry.
Will I be able to get it clean enough without removing it, buy scrubbing and washing? And how should I dry it? Is a dry rag enough?

[GuitarStv]

Squirt should be applied to a completely degreased chain.  That means removing it from the bike, soaking it in a degreaser, removing it from the degreaser, and then letting it dry completely before application (mebbe just hang it on a hook or something overnight).

I really wanted to like the product (especially because I had heard so many rave reviews) but found that with Squirt my chain was noisier and it completely washed off in the slightest sprinkling of water.  I didn't like it, but YMMV, there are certainly many who do.

[oldmannickels]

I use simple green degreaser and it works. I only use it because it was recommended on the youtube video I learned bike maintenance with. I commute on my bike everyday and wash and lube every quarter or when things start to squeak and replace the chain about every year.

[ejh]

Hey,

So today I cleaned and lubed my bike for the first time. It took a few hours, but I enjoyed it.
I got a chance to see some parts up close.
The frame was pretty clean, but the drivetrain was really gunky. I bought it second hand and the previous owner rode it once or twice and then kept it in storage for a couple of years.

I'm pretty happy with the results, though not sure I used the best stuff for degreasing.
I had to spray and scrub the chain 3-4 times to get everything out.
You can see the results in the pictures - what do you think?

When done, I lubed with Squirt as instructed. It says to let dry overnight, so I haven't given it a ride.
However, when turning the cranks now, I hear a slight squeak at certain points. Will this go away, or do I need to add more lube?

[GuitarStv]

Hey,

So today I cleaned and lubed my bike for the first time. It took a few hours, but I enjoyed it.
I got a chance to see some parts up close.
The frame was pretty clean, but the drivetrain was really gunky. I bought it second hand and the previous owner rode it once or twice and then kept it in storage for a couple of years.

I'm pretty happy with the results, though not sure I used the best stuff for degreasing.
I had to spray and scrub the chain 3-4 times to get everything out.
You can see the results in the pictures - what do you think?

When done, I lubed with Squirt as instructed. It says to let dry overnight, so I haven't given it a ride.
However, when turning the cranks now, I hear a slight squeak at certain points. Will this go away, or do I need to add more lube?

I couldn't get squeaking to go away without adding a huge amount of Squirt lube . . . for me, without a white waxy coating covering pretty much everything it would still squeak.  You will also need to reapply every time that it rains.

[ejh]

OK, I got a small bottle so I'll give a try for a while.
If I don't like it, I'll try your suggestion (Progold).

[ejh]

GuitarStv, you mention that you lube the brake pivot points - I have V-Brakes, so wasn't sure what part to actually lube in my case.

[GuitarStv]

I use a drop of lube just behind the tension screw (between the frame and the brake arm).  There's a small space there that the lube can follow down to the posts below.  Then squeeze the brakes a couple times to let the lube work it's way in and wipe off any drips/dribbles.

The brakes need to move freely around the posts that come out of the frame.  (You can also unbolt the brakes entirely and grease the brake posts - this is a good idea to do this every few years but not necessary for weekly maintenance.)

[ejh]

4.  Lube the chain (drop of Progold Pro Link on each link), Lube the brake pivot points (drop of White Lightning Wet Lube), Lube the derailleurs (Quick spray of Jig-a-loo silicone water repellent lube).  (1 minute)

Each spring I pull out my waterproof marine bearing grease and:
- Replace the bearings and grease the hubs
- Take apart the pedals and grease the bearings
- Grease the headset
- Grease the seatpost
- Remove the rack and water bottle holders and grease the bolt threads

GuitarStv, do you mind showing me where you spray the derailleurs? Do you just spray them over, or in a specific area?

Also, I lightly greased my seatpost a while ago and ever since it keeps slipping down about a centimeter or so by the end of my ride. I did clamp the post as tight as I could. Do you have any issues like that? Which grease would you recommend for mostly dry comfortable weather with some rain? There are so many - lithium, ceramic, teflon.....

Thanks

[GuitarStv]

4.  Lube the chain (drop of Progold Pro Link on each link), Lube the brake pivot points (drop of White Lightning Wet Lube), Lube the derailleurs (Quick spray of Jig-a-loo silicone water repellent lube).  (1 minute)

Each spring I pull out my waterproof marine bearing grease and:
- Replace the bearings and grease the hubs
- Take apart the pedals and grease the bearings
- Grease the headset
- Grease the seatpost
- Remove the rack and water bottle holders and grease the bolt threads

GuitarStv, do you mind showing me where you spray the derailleurs? Do you just spray them over, or in a specific area?

Also, I lightly greased my seatpost a while ago and ever since it keeps slipping down about a centimeter or so by the end of my ride. I did clamp the post as tight as I could. Do you have any issues like that? Which grease would you recommend for mostly dry comfortable weather with some rain? There are so many - lithium, ceramic, teflon.....

Thanks

I grab an old piece of cardboard and stick it between the derailleur and the wheels to protect the rims, then give a little shot to each of the pivot points and then a quick spray over the whole thing.  Same general approach with the front derailleur.  The stuff that I use is teflon based, so water and wet gunk tends to slide off of it . . . it keeps your derailleur looking pretty clean until it's time to spray again.


As far as grease goes . . . don't overthink it.  Any grease is better than no grease.  My experience is that waterproof grease tends to last a pretty long time.  I've had no issues using regular white lithium grease, marine bearing grease, snowmobile grease, etc.  If you want to get really fancy, use a thinner grease on your hubs (may have an effect on rolling resistance - the next time I'm redoing my hubs I'm going to try out some Motorex Bike Grease 2000 because I think it may roll better than the marine bearing grease I usually use - this is quite likely all in my head though).


Couple ideas off the top of my head for your seat post :
- If you're a heavy rider and are sitting very upright you may be putting too much pressure on the post.  Lower your handlebars a tad so that you're more leaned over and weight is distributed off your butt so much.
- Are you lifting your butt off the saddle every time you go over a bump/pothole?  The shock and impact of going over rough roads (with your butt bouncing up and slamming down) can overcome your clamping force.
- Once you have your seat post in the perfect position, take some electrical tape and wrap it as tightly as you can around the base of your seat post just above the clamp.  About five or six turns will build up a little ledge that can give a little resistance to help prevent the post from slipping down.
- Carbon frames can't be clamped very tightly, so they use special anti-sieze paste with grits in it at the seat post.  The grits give the paste a lot of bite so it doesn't move much.  It's expensive, but if you clean all the grease out of your frame and off the seat post and then use some of this carbon paste it might solve your problem.
- Maybe the problem is your clamp.  Some clamps are supposed to work better than others, although I've got no idea how to tell which ones are better.  Check at your local bike shop. 

[acroy]

No reason to clean bikes unless you like clean bikes! I gave it up years ago...  used to be quite anal about cleanliness/lubes on the bike - finally figured out it's one more way to separate a consumer sucka from his moolah. A bike is a really simple machine. No special products required.

Here is my commuter at work this morning. I put 3-5k miles/yr on this one. No salt, but plenty of rain from time to time. It's filthy, and it works great, and I like it that way ;)

I really like Fluid Film as a general purpose lube. It is super sticky and slick and smells nasty and works awesome. Ride through a rainstorm, it doesn't care.
- The chain gets a shot of Fluid Film whenever it gets a bit graunchy, this is every 2 weeks or so.
- Annually, I check all the sealed bearings. Occasionally a crank or pedal bearing needs replacing, or a derailleur pulley is worn out.
- I check chain wear every month and get  1.5-2k miles on chains.

YMMV. This build is almost 10yrs old (check out sweet Magura Vidar hydro fork and Fetish frame); has never been washed.

[FiftyIsTheNewTwenty]

Run your chain through a rag before riding and it won't pick up as much dirt.  What matters is the lube that's inside the chain.

For lubes, I've tried 'em all, and like Boeshield the best.  Next would be any old oil, but usually Phil Wood 'cuz I have it in my toolbox.

Dish soap and water to clean, with a bucket if it's really dirty, spray bottle for lighter cleanups.

Mineral spirits for the drivetrain -- shake the chain in a jar, run a rag through the cogs, and around the chainrings and derailleur pulleys.

I get 5-6k road miles out of a chain.

[sandmaninator]

I'm with acroy. The best cleaning is no cleaning.
I bike in salty slush during winter. When the chain is dry, put on 3-in-1 household oil. That would make grease stains on your pants but who wears khakis to work in Winter? Also, I cuff my pant leg so that the cuff is not caught by the big ring and ripped.
Painted surfaces require no maintenance. I do plan to put a plastic baggie over the front derailleur this winter because the corrosion caused it to become non-functional. Banged it back to life in the spring, oiled it and it's working great again.
I also have hydraulic disc brakes so, no maintenance there (or on the rims).

By the time this bike experiences catastrophic failure, it'll be time to upgrade to power-assist transportation treadmills.

[monkeyman]

I'm one of those people who only rides my bike in good weather but during spring/summer/fall I do put about 100-150 miles/week on my bike. I usually go over my frame with paper towel and some basic non harsh spray cleaner every week to make sure there's no major dings on the frame. Once a month or so I will wash my bike. This include using dish soap everywhere and spray simple green on the drive train to fully degrease everything. I then use dry lube to relube the chain and wipe the chain with a rug to make sure there's not too much lube to attract dirt. Dirt/sand will kill your chain/cassette. I currently have over 2500 miles on one of my chain and the chain checker does not show any wear chain whatsoever because of my cleaning ritual. This will make the cassette and chainrings last much longer. 

[GuitarStv]

I'm one of those people who only rides my bike in good weather but during spring/summer/fall I do put about 100-150 miles/week on my bike. I usually go over my frame with paper towel and some basic non harsh spray cleaner every week to make sure there's no major dings on the frame. Once a month or so I will wash my bike. This include using dish soap everywhere and spray simple green on the drive train to fully degrease everything. I then use dry lube to relube the chain and wipe the chain with a rug to make sure there's not too much lube to attract dirt. Dirt/sand will kill your chain/cassette. I currently have over 2500 miles on one of my chain and the chain checker does not show any wear chain whatsoever because of my cleaning ritual. This will make the cassette and chainrings last much longer.

Yep.  This is my experience.  Bikes are generally pretty tough.  If you cycle rarely, don't care about the occasional part breaking/malfunctioning, and don't tend to go very far on your bike you can get away with a lot.  If you cycle long distances regularly and want your stuff to both work well and last as long as possible then getting into a cleaning/maintenance schedule is a pretty good idea.

[robartsd]

I really like Sheldon Brown's articles on bike maintenance. On the topic of chains Sheldon says:

Chain maintenance is one of the most controversial aspects of bicycle mechanics. Chain durability is affected by riding style, gear choice, whether the bicycle is ridden in rain or snow, type of soil in the local terrain, type of lubricant, lubrication techniques, and the sizes and condition of the bicycle's sprockets. Because there are so many variables, it has not been possible to do controlled experiments under real-world conditions. As a result, everybody's advice about chain maintenance is based on anecdotal "evidence" and experience. Experts disagree on this subject, sometimes bitterly. This is sometimes considered a "religious" matter in the bicycle community, and much vituperative invective has been uttered in this regard between different schismatic cults.

While I actually treat my bike poorly (along the lines of sandmaninator and acroy), I really admire the efficiency of GuitarStv's routine and would attempt to emulate his practice if I wasn't just riding a commuter beater on dry(ish) paved surfaces.

This is my approach for a quick clean:

• Take a bucket of hot/soapy water and quickly scrub down the saddle, seatpost, chain, derailleurs, cassette, cranks, chain-rings, pedals, rims, bottom bracket, down/top tubes, bars, and headset.  (3-4 minutes)
• Bounce the bike a couple times to get most of the water off.  (30 seconds)
• Take a couple dry rags and wipe the derailleurs, chain, and cassette down.  (1 minute)
• Lube the chain (drop of Progold Pro Link on each link), Lube the brake pivot points (drop of White Lightning Wet Lube), Lube the derailleurs (Quick spray of Jig-a-loo silicone water repellent lube).  (1 minute)

[BuffaloStache]

following for information. I have a beat up commuter but would like to get into taking better care of it.

[Vertical Mode]

following for information. I have a beat up commuter but would like to get into taking better care of it.

Ditto. Salty, slushy winters here kill my drivetrain. Reading with particular interest the chain cleaning/degreasing tips.

[tsunad]

If I'm cleaning the frame in winter, I use denatured alcohol in a spray bottle.  It doesn't freeze up like soapy water.

For chains, I've been using mineral spirits lately and really liking the results.  The eco stuff never worked for me.

I really need to make a chain protector like this for the bike I ride in the snow:  http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/chain-ring-mudcrap-guard

[FINate]

Another recommendation for Simple Green here - it's cheap, works great, and is biodegradable.

Dry lube on my mountain bike chain. Web lube on my road bike chain. The suspension linkages on my mountain bike get HPG-1 High Performance Grease (thicker and more water resistant). DT Swiss freewheel is easy to clean and regrease with the recommended grease. All other grease locations get standard bike grease.

I regularly check my chain wear and replace when it's between 0.5% and 0.75%. Chains are cheap and easy to replace yourself, and replacing before they wear too much will save your expensive chainrings and cassettes.

[dilinger]

I regularly check my chain wear and replace when it's between 0.5% and 0.75%. Chains are cheap and easy to replace yourself, and replacing before they wear too much will save your expensive chainrings and cassettes.

I feel like this is backwards on a fixed gear bike.  I just paid $17 for a new chain.  I spent $11 on a (new) cog, and $20 on a (used, but in perfect condition) chainring.  Even though I check my chains for wear on a regular basis and replace them when stretched, I wonder if it might make more financial sense to just wear down the drivetrain and keep using the chain for as long as possible.  I wouldn't do this with my wife's much more expensive triple chainring and cassette, of course.

[robartsd]

I feel like this is backwards on a fixed gear bike.  I just paid $17 for a new chain.  I spent $11 on a (new) cog, and $20 on a (used, but in perfect condition) chainring.  Even though I check my chains for wear on a regular basis and replace them when stretched, I wonder if it might make more financial sense to just wear down the drivetrain and keep using the chain for as long as possible.  I wouldn't do this with my wife's much more expensive triple chainring and cassette, of course.

You may be right about using a chain longer and changing the gears and chain at the same time being more cost effective on single gear bikes (freewheel, fixed, or internal gear hub). On single gear bikes, it's also good to only use gears with an even number of teeth and always install the chain so that it engages the teeth the same way (the elongation of the chain happens between every other link). Often you can also flip the gears around to wear both sides before replacing the gear.

[BlueMR2]

I'm in the "I don't, unless I have a problem" camp.  I ride year round in NorthWest Ohio, so my bikes get dirty, muddy, salty, etc.  If the chain gets dry I run some 3-in-1 oil on it (I've replaced the chain once in it's life as it stretched so much I couldn't shift anymore, same cogs still in play).  A couple years back the rear derailleur started to stick on my old beater, so I cleaned and lubed that (mind you, I got the bike in '86 and had never cleaned that before).  In the late '90's I was often doing 50 mile days on it.  Nowadays it gets less use, so it's even less important.

If it makes you feel good to clean the bike all the time, go for it.  It'll probably last longer that way too.  However, for the price of all the cleaning you do over the years, I doubt it pays for itself.

[GilbertB]

I used to work for a cycling team, Slipstream, and was always amazed at how fast/simple the pros do it compared to simple mortals (even to the bike shop where I worked):

1) Pressure jet at medium distance (do it close and the water gets in the bearings)
2) big sponge with hot water and a lot of household detergent.
3) Drink coffee (wait a minute).
4) re big hot sponge
5) re pressure jet.
6) dry chain with rag, lube, next bike

Probably takes about 5 minutes per bike max.
Do it every 2/3 days and you'll probably never need degreaser.
After a wet race, is that they take the wheels off.

[BuffaloStache]

...If it makes you feel good to clean the bike all the time, go for it.  It'll probably last longer that way too.  However, for the price of all the cleaning you do over the years, I doubt it pays for itself.

This post gave me hope. Thanks

[Gmullz]

Love the recommendations to do nothing.

I'm sadly the type of person that lets things go way too long on certain things, such as bike cleanliness, particularly on my commuters. But once they get bad enough, then I go to town and they'll look brand new when I'm done. I like to take off the chain and cassette and dunk them in degreaser to get them shiny again. This video is a pretty good demonstration on how to strip a bike down and clean it thoroughly: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOHpyHjo950

[GuitarStv]

A full cleaning can be done in 5 minutes you lazy bastards!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvzVRxlIUL0

[BuffaloStache]

you lazy bastards!

That's me :-P

[wayfinder]

I'm trying to get in the habit of weekly (or every 2nd or 3rd week) lubing the chain on my hybrid mostly-road commuter.  Mostly it's an excuse to be better acquainted with my bike and check for other work to be done (tire pressure, break alignment, cable integrity).

I avoid spending too much time cleaning the bike, since Murphy's Law dictates that the cleaner your bike, the more fun filled muddy puddly trails there will be to ride.  I know too many people of the mindset "hey I just cleaned X so now I'm going to avoid using it for month so it can sit there looking all clean and shiny".   It's a bike, not a display piece!