Cleaning and Lube

In these lovely winter months when you just can't resist going out there and riding (more likely you need to get away from the woman in your life) your bike will get totally covered in lovely winter mud. It doesn't take long for mud to get into places that it shouldn't and wearing all your lovely alloy away. Remember that the only happy bike is a clean bike. While you are cleaning your bike take the opportunity to look at it and see where any damage is starting to occur and sort it out before real damage occurs.

Cleaning

1. Degrease. The place to start is to give the components (and frame if it's badly soiled) a good covering of a descent degreaser, before you put the degreaser on read the label to see how long your brand should be left. Most of these things come from Iraq chemical warfare factories and contain some funny old chemicals that will do strange things to your paint work and plastic if left on for to long.

2. The actually wash. Hot water is a good place to start as this will help lift the mud but you need soap as well, use a proper car wash as this will leave your paint and plastic ok, normal washing up liquid will damage you paint if not rinsed off properly

3. Wash the bike from top to bottom, and all those places that you don't usually see like under the saddle, some day you will want to adjust your saddle and it won't be much fun if it rusty and full of mud.

4. The chain, whole essays can be written about cleaning the chain, some use a special chain cleaning machine, although many people claim that they can clean a chain after it has been through one of these and still get mud out. Cover the chain with suds and brush with a stiff brush, then sponge all the lose stuff of, do this a couple of times and your chain will be spotless

5. The rinse, DON'T PRESSURE WASH, just sprinkle, at this stage all you are doing is removing the suds and much, to much pressure will put water in your hubs and bottom bracket, just use the sprinkle setting or a watering can.

6. If the whole bike is sitting around for a long period covered in water it's soon going to start rusting (especially that clean chain of yours) give the whole thing a light spray of WD-40, this will drive the water out of the places you don't want it, just remember that WD-40 is a lubricant and lubricants and brakes don't mix.

7. Give the bike a good rub down with a dry cloth, if you can get the bike in door's as this will give it some where nice and warm to dry (now I'll get complaints from all the wives out there) and will stop the rust setting in.

8. As clipless pedal's are designed so well to collect dirt, cleaning is essential, the best way I have found is to take the pedal off the bike and wash in bowl of water with a good long brush, if you spray in WD-40 when and leave the WD-40 will make sure all the water comes out of places you don't want it to stay.

LUBRICATION

Now that you have you bike nice and clean before, you need to make sure that it is well lubed in order to be fit to ride. Use a good Teflon based oil, that will give a dry finish this will stop you collecting to much grit next time. Always clean the bike before lubing. When cleaning remember that spray cans are as good at pressure washing small holes and cables as they are at lubricating them.

1. The best way to lubricate the chain is to pedal backwards and spray, wipe of any access, leave for a minute or two and repeat the process.

2. Lube all the pivot points in your rear mech, this will also remove any access dirt

3. Grease the springs in the rear mech

4. Jockey wheels need lubrication in order to stop seizing, if your Jockey wheels use bushes to much lubrication will cause them to squeak.

5. Cables, cables is again one of those things that you could write a whole book on, basically thought every now and again, remove the cables and Lube with a descent grease the whole length,on brakes remember to give the noodle (U shaped metal guide just before the brakes) a good clean remove the plastic sheath and lub in and out.  After every wash grease the cables at the point where they leave/enter the sleeves in both extreme's (brakes in and brakes out)

6. In cold weather things like the seat post and pedal/crank join can be cold-welded, remove the pedals and seat post give them a clean (using degreaser). Before replacing the seat post place a SMALL amount of grease to the bottom of the seat post and round the rim of the frame a refit to seat post, apply a small amount of grease to the pedals axle and to the crank thread and replace.