With the wetter weather your mountain bike rides on off road
and on trails are becoming muddier than ever. Cleaning your bike, just for it
to get muddy again may not make a lot of sense but it’s certainly the best
thing to do, if you want your mountain bike to stay in a good condition and run
smoothly.
Get prepared for a
dirty job with the correct cleaning supplies
To clean your bike, there are a few supplies that you will
need:
· 1 bucket
· Hot water
· Washing up liquid
· Sponges, brushes and cloths
· Chain scrubber
· toothbrush
· Chain lubricant
· Degreasing solvent
· Repair stand (if you have one, makes cleaning the bike much easier)
Clean
Remove items such as leaves
that may have gotten caught in your bike. Wipe down the entire bike with soapy
water and apply a degreaser to the drivetrain Gently use your sponges, brushes
and cloths to get rid of any mud and grit. Scrubbing too hard could damage your
bikes paintwork. If you have a repair stand, use this to remove the wheels and
clean these separately.
Use a toothbrush to scrub the chain and rear cassette, use a
rag to wipe the chain clean and remove any excess dirt. Once you have done this
backpedal the chain through a rag covered in degreaser.
Wash the rest of your bike with a soap and water mix and
rinse it down with an ordinary garden hose. Do not use a high pressure hose or
power washer on your bike, as water may push itself past the bearing seal and this
may cause corrosion.
Lubricate
When your bike has dried, you will need to lubricate the
chain, cables, levers, shifters etc. and never use
an ordinary household lubricant on your bike. Make sure any excess lubricant is wiped off the bike as this
can attract dirt.
While you are cleaning your bike, check
for signs of damage and give your bike a general inspection, feel free to give the bike
frame a good buff, to get it shining.
You will need to have a decent amount of outdoor space to
clean your bike and doing this inside obviously isn’t an option. Having somewhere to store all of these bike cleaning
and maintenance items is also a good idea. A garage is a good place to store
all of your bike maintenance equipment, accessories and of course your bikes.
If you don’t have a garage, there are a variety of garden bike sheds and cycle
storage units available on the market. The bike maintenance garage by Asgard has been designed to do just
that! This is a large cycle garage that can hold up to 6 bikes. Having all of your bike items
stored under one roof is a lot less hassle than traipsing in and out of the
house every other minute for items you've forgotten.
