{"id":982,"date":"2009-08-12T19:44:32","date_gmt":"2009-08-12T11:44:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nargalzius.com\/blog\/archives\/2009\/08\/12\/bike-cleaning\/"},"modified":"2017-02-07T17:00:57","modified_gmt":"2017-02-07T17:00:57","slug":"bike-cleaning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/nargalzius.com\/blog\/archives\/2009\/08\/12\/bike-cleaning","title":{"rendered":"Bike Cleaning"},"content":{"rendered":"

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One of the first things I did when I got into biking, was thoroughly research bike maintenance. Naturally cleaning was a part of it. And I was lucky to be able to source a DVD wherein there was a segment showing how a Shimano tech would clean his bike; mentioning stuff to look out for, etc. etc.<\/p>\n

I thought I’d share the procedure because it really is pretty simple to do, but not as straightforward if you want to maintain the longevity of your components.<\/p>\n

Like I said, cleaning a bike is almost<\/em> as straightforward as you would imagine it to be. Water and regular detergent will do the trick. The only<\/em> time you have to be careful is when you clean any<\/em> rotating part.<\/p>\n

On Pressurized hoses<\/h1>\n

The quickest way to clean a bike would be with a pressurized hose. Anybody who’s had their bike soaked in mud<\/a> would not deny this fact. However, it is also the most dangerous method of cleaning if not done properly. <\/p>\n

One of the cool things about our trips to La Mesa Nature Reserve is that they’ve got bike cleaning via pressurized hose for only 30 pesos<\/em> (less than a dollar), the problem is that those who clean the bikes aren’t really people who are aware of how “sensitive” modern bike parts can be. In the DVD, the tech explains how you should never clean the hubs on your tires with a direct stream of water even on a hose – what more if you’ve got an industrial strength<\/em> pressurized<\/strong> one.<\/p>\n

After experiencing the hard way how the water on the pressurized hose decimated the lubrication on my remote lockout mechanism just after 3 washes. I would always tell the “cleaners” which parts to avoid and I’ll just clean them myself.<\/p>\n

Quick summary<\/h1>\n

As a general rule I guess it’s safe to assume that do not, under any circumstance, use a direct spray at any lubricated part. Water still can (and will) seep through those bearings and compromise the life of the product. Having an adjustable nozzle<\/a> will be a great investment (plus you can clean your car with it too!) so you can set the type of spray it gives and how strong it would be. <\/p>\n

Just “rinse” the entire bike and brush it down with soapy water and a brush – instead of doing the tempting “water pik” dental method with pressurized water.<\/p>\n

Here’s a video of how I hosed my bike:<\/p>\n

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