Cyclist
Watch: How to clean a bike in the time it takes to make a cup of tea
As with most things in life, giving your bike a quick clean on a regular basis is the best approach to avoid a situation where you end up with a monumental task on your hands.
If you clean your bike after each ride (ideally) but at the very least every few rides, you will find it much easier to keep on top of your cleaning regime, plus the drivetrain components will last a lot longer if they are regularly cleaned and re-lubricated.
Everything you need to clean your bike
- Bucket of hot soapy water
- Durable sponge
- Microfibre cloth
- Chain cleaning device
- Water-soluble degreaser
- General all-purpose bike cleaner
- Selection of bike-specific brushes
How to clean your bike: Step by step
1. Attack the drivetrain
Start with degreasing the chain – using a chain cleaning device will make this effortless. It’s important to do this before you get busy with the hosepipe or soapy water as this will only dilute the degreaser and reduce its effectiveness.
Spinning through 30-40 pedal revolutions through the chain cleaner should be enough to get the chain sparkling clean.
Use the remaining degreaser from the chain cleaner on a stiff brush to scrub the rest of the drivetrain. Long bristles are best to reach in between sprockets and between chainrings etc. Don’t worry about making everything really messy at this stage. Focus on cleaning the sprockets and jockey wheels thoroughly.
Top tip: Clean the bike as soon as you get home from a grubby ride – the dirt and grime will wash off much more easily than if it’s left a few days to dry on and this will also reduce the chance of products succumbing to further corrosion
2. Spray the bike all over
Now coat the bike in a generous amount of the general-purpose bike cleaner spray (many of these exist on the market). Focus on the hard to clean areas, such as hubs and disc brake callipers (if you have them).
Give it a little time to do its work and begin to break down grime (around 30 seconds to a minute).
Now using the sponge and hot soapy water, begin to work systematically around the bike, starting from the top and working down.
Top tip: The process of rinsing everything off once you’re finished cleaning is another reason why it’s important to use a good quality water-soluble degreaser (and not products like diesel or paraffin or turpentine solutions etc which cannot be washed away)
3. Hit the hard to reach bits
Use specific brushes to help to scrub those hard to reach areas. A good example of this is the hubs, where a purpose-designed brush can access the middle of the wheel, between spokes, and allow you to effortlessly clean around the hub shell and spokes, where dirt often gathers.
Finish off by soaking the drivetrain in soapy water to flush away as much of the degreaser as possible. Run the chain through the sponge a few times too. Note: If you’ve done a good job of cleaning your chain the sponge should be left quite clean, and not coated with black grime after this process.
Top tip: Buy high-quality sponges, not cheap ones, as poor quality sponges simply fall apart in no time. A good example is sponges for tile grouting, as these are much tougher and more resilient to tearing.
4. Rinse off
The final step is the rinse, and this should only require the hosepipe on a low pressure. If you don’t have a hose, you can do this fine with a bucket of fresh water and the sponge, or even just a watering can will suffice.
Be sure to dry the bike as much as possible, paying particular attention to the chain. Bouncing the bike on the ground lightly helps to shake water out of all the nooks and crannies.
Top tip: If you’re short on time, focus on where the money is – the moving parts that will cost you more to replace if left. A dirty drivetrain is a soon-to-be worn-out drive train. It will save you a fortune in the long run if you keep these components clean, lubricated and well-maintained
Now, go to our video on post-cleaning lubrication and protection to find out what to do next.
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