Care After Wet Riding

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Question:

I ride in a lot of wet conditions and consequently, a lot of mud. I’m wondering what care/maintenance I should be performing after the ride. I’m specifically interested in the chain, hubs, and cables (and anything else I have missed).

I never use water on my bike. Water contaminates lubes/grease. I soak a rag in solvent. I use that to clean the chain and chainrings. I clean the cogs out if it was really muddy. I shoot down the rear pulleys with brake cleaning fluid (not the Citrus Type, the solvent type). I similarly use brake cleaning fluid to clean the cables at the entries/exits from the cable housing. I relube the chain and drylube the cables. Then I let the bike sit. After the mud dries I hit the mud with a stick and it flakes off. I only leave the mud on non-drivetrain and non-cable sections of the bike. I clean the drivetrain and cables ASAP after riding (even before I take a shower). Every so often I’ll clean the rims with a towel and isopropyl alcohol (which can work as the solvent for procedures above). I haven’t used a hose in years and if anything my bike is better for it. — Dave Blake http://www.keck.ucsf.edu/~dblake

Response:

Trail maintenance??

Response:

Hmm. Brake cleaning fluid. Sounds great. I thought I was the only one using a high quality product on my favorite machine. Guess I’m gonna hav’ta check the price diff, and cost to performance ratios on your solvent and mine —- carb and choke cleaner. Flailer – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I ride in a lot of wet conditions and consequently, a lot of mud. I’m wondering what care/maintenance I should be performing after the ride. I’m specifically interested in the chain, hubs, and cables (and anything else I have missed). I never use water on my bike. Water contaminates lubes/grease. I soak a rag in solvent. I use that to clean the chain and chainrings. I clean the cogs out if it was really muddy. I shoot down the rear pulleys with brake cleaning fluid (not the Citrus Type, the solvent type). I similarly use brake cleaning fluid to clean the cables at the entries/exits from the cable housing. I relube the chain and drylube the cables. Then I let the bike sit. After the mud dries I hit the mud with a stick and it flakes off. I only leave the mud on non-drivetrain and non-cable sections of the bike. I clean the drivetrain and cables ASAP after riding (even before I take a shower). Every so often I’ll clean the rims with a towel and isopropyl alcohol (which can work as the solvent for procedures above). I haven’t used a hose in years and if anything my bike is better for it. Dave Blake http://www.keck.ucsf.edu/~dblake

Response:

anything else I have missed

Pedals. Definitely pedals. a couple others have already covered the drive train pretty well, so I’ll skip that and go to what is, IMHO, one of the more overlooked pieces of your bike yet among the more vulnerable. When you ride in wet conditions, what’s going to be the lowest and thus the wettest thing on your bike? The pedal on the downstroke! You can ride through water that’s just short of everything else and still soak those pedals. SO… here’s what you do. After doing everything else, lay your bike on its side somewhere and take off the seal cap on the end of the pedal. Pour in some motor oil… yes, motor oil… and let it set to soak in for an hour or so before putting the cap back on. Flip the bike to the other side and do the same to the other pedal. Why do you do this? so your bearings don’t rust and turn square! ;) Believe me, pedals make a big difference in how much you enjoy riding, and keeping them oiled keeps them turning nice and smooth. =) –Dave Hibbs — "In the end there will be only one OS, The Mind.. Ponder that for a while…" –unknown "But if the mind is an OS, then there will be infinite OS’s, and a vast majority of them will still suck." –me

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Whatever you do don’t do what I did. After a long muddy ride I dunked my bike into a nearby lake. To explain briefly the results: Internal frame rust and lots of it!!! Enjoy the rides!!! Jimi

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This is one of those topics where everyone has there own opinion and methodology. As far as I have been able to determine, basic care boils down to the following: When you get back from a muddy ride rinse the bike off gently with a hose. Do not power wash it. Then scrub it down gently with a soft brush. Don’t squirt water into the hubs or drivetrain. To clean the drive train get a Park chain brush. Get all of the dirt out of the rear cassette and brush the chain down. Then use a chain cleaner and degreaser to get all of the gunk off the chain. Clean out the derailleur with the brush and some WD-40. Once the drive train is cleaned, relube the chain. After the bike is all cleaned up, give the frame and pedals a shot of PAM. That’s right the cooking spray. This prevents mud from sticking to the frame which is important if you have exposed cabling as I do on my Kona. Applying PAM to the pedals prevents mud from getting in and clogging the clipless mechanism. — Rob Hale Software Designer – Nortel Network Services Management www http://www.nortel-nsm.com (604) 244 – 4255 | peddle like mad ! O /_` _4–_

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i prefer a hot shower and a couple of not too cold pale ales from a local micro-brewery – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -Thanks Dan

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I never use water on my bike. Water contaminates lubes/grease.

Given that you have just been out riding in the rain and wet mud, surely any extra water won’t do any harm, and it usually makes it a lot easier to clean the bike. With modern bearings and hubs, no more water will get in than can get in while you are riding. A quick hose down first to get most of the mud and sand off, then degrease the chain & sprockets. Next priority is to attend to the cables – can be easily detached from their stops, cleaned and lightly lubed. Dale

Response:

: I ride in a lot of wet conditions and consequently, a lot of mud. I’m : wondering what care/maintenance I should be performing after the ride. : I’m specifically interested in the chain, hubs, and cables (and : anything else I have missed). If it’s bad enough, the whole damn bike needs to be overhauled. I would attack things in the order: chain, BB, headset, hubs, pedals, cables, but it all depends on the seals. If it’s wet, why not a road ride, or even a run? It would save the trails and a lot of work. Jay Wenner

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