I don't ride much in rain or mud, so my bikes get dirty mostly with dust (8-9" annual rainfall here in high desert NM), and while I keep the drivetrains very clean, I give them a bath only once or twice a year (unless I get caught in rain).
But baths are easy: put stand by hose, put bike in stand, half fill bucket with warm, soapy water, place near bike in stand. Taking hose firmly in grip, turn on spigot and gently spray loose dirt from bike. Firmly grasp large, soft bristed brush in dominant hand. (I use a brush that comes with those cheap, plastic brush-plus-dustpan combos, with a smaller, stiffer brush for the smaller and dirtier nooks and crannies around the rear part of the drivetrain). Dip into warm, soapy water and lovingly swab every nook and cranny. Replace brush in pail. Do same with smaller brush for the cassette and intricacies of the rear derailleur. Once again grasp hose and spray soapy water off bike. Turn off spigot and coil hose for future use. Remove bike from stand and bounce twice to dislodge what water you can. Wheel back to garage and let dry. Once dry, lube all pivots with a good dry lube; do same with chain. Do not, I repeat, do not wax or buff with cloth -- that is unmanly and will only harm your psyche. Fixed gears, with one cog, one ring and one brake, are of course easier than messy, complicated derailleur bikes. On Tue, Jun 29, 2010 at 8:43 AM, Mojo <[email protected]> wrote: > http://www.rivbike.com/assets/payloads/317/original_grim_three.jpg > I think the above URL should be changed from grim to grime! > > I like getting my bikes dirty, but it is not alot of work to clean > them afterward. > Drivetrain grime especially gets in the way of crisp shifting. > And I paid a heck-of-alot-of-moola for that JB paint job! > Nice bikes deserve to be cleaned. And even my beatup 1966 3-speed is a > nice bike in my book. > Of course this says alot more about me than Grant. > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "RBW Owners Bunch" group. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected]<rbw-owners-bunch%[email protected]> > . > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en. > > -- Patrick Moore Albuquerque, NM For professional resumes, contact Patrick Moore, ACRW at [email protected] -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
