How to Give Your Bike A Spring Cleaning
How to Give Your Bike A Spring Cleaning
It’s spring! We’re thinking about bikes all year round of course, but if you’ve put your bike away for the winter it’s time to think about dusting off the cobwebs and getting out there for some Chicago bike adventures!
And this is a good time to get your bike a spring cleaning and get it in tip-top shape to get rolling. However, cleaning your bike should be a regular part of your bike upkeep, so we’ll lay out the simplest way to do a thorough but regular cleaning. This is also a good way to look over your bike and see if there is anything that needs a tune up, which you should get at least once a year for the best upkeep of your bike. A tune-up usually does not include a detailed cleaning, so it’s great to know how to do this yourself!
At the end of this article we’ll go over how to do an even more simple clean and upkeep your chain. While you’re at it, make sure to look for the signs that your bike needs a tune up while you’re cleaning your bike.
Remember that cleaning your bike should be a regular part of your routine that will help all your bike parts last longer and save you money in the long run!
You’ll need these everyday, household items to clean your bike:
Clean rags or old t-shirts
Scrubbing Brushes & sponges
A bucket
Dish Soap
A cycling water bottle (optional)
And you’ll need to make sure you have at least these two things from your local bike shop:
Degreaser
Chain Lubricant
If you don’t have a bike stand, you can turn your bike upside-down and balance it on the seat and handlebars with the wheels in the air and the drivetrain accessible or simply lean it against a wall with the drive side (right side) of the bike facing out. Fill up your bucket with water and dish soap, and gather all your supplies. If your soapy water gets very dirty in the middle of this process, it's best to dump it and use a fresh bucket. Now let’s get cleaning!
Clean the Frame!
You’re going to want to get off any dirt and debris that has collected on your bike. Mud, ice salt, oil, dirt, and more can get all over your bike and make it look dirty and damage your bike parts! If you have a yard and a hose that can be helpful (or use a water bottle to squirt rinse water), but a bucket of soapy water and rags work just as well. Use a sponge or rag and a bucket of fresh, soapy water to clean the frame from top to bottom. You can use a toothbrush to clean any nooks and crannies you can’t reach.
Clean those Wheels!
Use a big soft brush if you have one, or a sponge will work too. Continue to use the soapy bucket you used for the bike frame and scrub all the way around the wheel, spokes and hub on each side of both wheels.This is especially important for a bike with rim brakes, because dirt on your rims will wear the wheels down when you’re braking!
Let’s Shine Up That Chain!
You can buy a chain cleaning tool that will click onto your chain and make this process very easy and contained, but if you don’t want to buy this specific tool, you can still clean your chain! Spray degreaser onto the chain and the cranks backward so that it gets on every link. After a few rotations through, rinse with a gentle stream of water or clean off with a rag. If the chain is still grimy, apply some more degreaser, and use a small brush to clean it section by section. You can also hold a sponge or rag in you hand, wrap it around the chain, and pedal backwards to quickly wipe down the entire chain. repeat as necessary, and Rinse or wipe down again.
Scrub your Drivetrain!
Buildup on the drivetrain will cause your chain to wear out faster, and if not replaced, can damage other parts of your drivetrain. Now is when you really need a brush - a stiff-bristled brush is great but a toothbrush will work! Dip your brush in your soapy bucket and scrub the chainrings, getting in the crevices around the teeth, pulleys, and rings. Then rinse with a gentle stream of water and repeat if you still see any lingering crud. Next, grab your rear wheel and drip dish soap onto the cassette, scrub, then rinse. Use degreaser as necessary for the toughest grime. Repeat until your drivetrain is clean!
Lubricate the Bike!
After you thoroughly clean your bike, you need to remember to lube everything back up. You should always use bike-specific lube, not any other type of lubricant. Start by wiping off the chain with a clean rag and then apply drips or a small stream of lube directly to the chain while turning the petals backwards. Ideally, you want to put a drip in each rivet; the round connection between the links. Try to use a moderate amount of lube; enough to keep it running smoothly, but not so much that there is excess lube, as that will cause dirt and grime to cling to the chain. To ensure this is minimized. run the chain through the rag once more to remove excess lube. If you’ve done a thorough bike cleaning, you’ll want to add lube back to all the other parts of your bike: specifically, any pivot points on your deraillieurs, and any pivot points on rim brakes, taking care not to get any lube on the braking surface (the rim). If you have disc brakes, they typically don’t require lube, and getting any foreign lube or grease on the pads or rotor can contaminate them and cause poor braking performance, and ultimately will need to be replaced.
And you’re done! Let the bike dry and then take your shining ride for a spin!
For a Simple Clean:
If you want to just do a very simple clean on a more regular basis to keep your bike nice and clean, you can buy a bike wash like Pedro’s Green Fizz and spray down your bike, and rise of wipe off grime and dirt from the frame, wheels, and other parts. Your chain should be lubed regularly, at least once a week, so include this step in your simple clean.
And we have another article called: “how to know if your bike needs a tune up” - read it here! Bring your bike in to BFF Bikes and we’ll happily help you get the items you need to clean your bike and if you need any work done to keep you happily rolling!