Jul 31 2007
Keeping it clean
Get the gunk out of your drivetrain and your ridin’ will be easy
It’s mid-season so chances are your bike is looking a little grungy. Maybe it doesn’t shift as well, and maybe it just leaves a big black chain mark on your leg. Congratulations! It means you are riding. And now you probably ought to get around to cleaning it. To begin with don’t make it a big chore or you will be less likely to do it. You don’t need to clean it after each ride and you don’t even have to clean the whole thing. So here are the basics:Look at it
Look at the chain, the chainrings on the front and sprockets on the rear. Together, this is your drivetrain. The drivetrain functions best when it is clean and oiled. The more gunk it accumulates, the more issues you will notice. And who wants a bike with issues? Bike issues include shifting poorly, shifting on it’s own or grinding. If the chain is oily but not gunky and there are no issues, leave it alone and go for a ride. If it’s getting gunky, you need to address it. If the rest of your bike is dirty, go for it. It wont affect it’s performance, but it might make you smile.
Clean it
Chain cleaners rock. They are little plastic gadgets full of brushes and pointy bits that whirl around and clean the gunk out of the chain. They snap together around the chain, you put in a little cleaning liquid and pedal the bike backwards. As you pedal, the chain passes through the machine and after a few passes, it’s clean. Great stuff. If you want to use a toothbrush instead, go for it. But it takes longer and makes a mess. For the chainrings and sprockets, bike shops sell a long stiff brush that will get in and do a great job in there. As for cleaning the rest of your bike, a soapy sponge with dish soap and a garden hose works great. Just spray your bike from the top down, like rain. If you blast water at it sideways, you might get it into the bearings, which is a bad thing.
Lube it
Once your bike is clean, you have to lube the drivetrain. There are two ideas for that. One is good old oil. Bike oil is essentially thin motor oil. Tried and true. And as you might expect, it gets your chain oily. But keep in mind, your drivetrain was designed to work with oil on it. The other method is a “Dry Lube.” I don’t like this stuff but lots of folks do. The benefit is it doesn’t attract gunk like oil. The drawback is it is more likely to give your bike issues and it doesn’t last that long, so you have to keep reapplying it. If you use it, read the bottle first. It usually tells you to wait a few hours before you ride.
You are done!
It’s that simple. The best time to do it is after your ride, so it goes away clean and ready for next ride. Enjoy.
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