Comments on: Time for a little spring cleaning

By: TK Cyclist

TK Cyclist — Thu, 03 May 2012 22:24:05 +0000

Doing this cleaning on a lawn or gravel, rather than a paved driveway or parking lot, will let the ground soil filter the grime rather than having it flow down the storm drain. But yes, we are talking here about a minimal amount of grime and oil than is washing directly off the street itself or from cars & trucks, so no need to feel guilty about keeping your petrol-free ride clean & easy.
Also, getting an inexpensive chain cleaning tool that you can clamp onto the chain to run it through a series of small rotary brushes & cleaning solution can make this task much faster and a lot less messy…so you might do it more often! — Like a mini-car-wash for your chain.

By: Rick

Rick — Thu, 03 May 2012 22:03:39 +0000

@ Janet,
If you’re worried about runoff, here’s a few thoughts. First, the stuff you wash off was mostly picked up from the road. It was headed to the storm sewer anyway. But if you want to limit its progress, wash the bike off over a grassy area or on a patio that drains to the grass, where the gunk will be ‘treated’ naturally on its way to the river/sea. And that brings up choice of cleaners. Pick something that won’t harm your grass. Avoid harsh petrochemical cleaners for routine cleaning. Something like Dawn (diluted, of course) would work. You’re not going to use a lot, and you’re going to dilute it before use and dilute it further with the rinse water you use while cleaning over that grassy spot. As long as you don’t do this daily, your grass probably won’t suffer. A mechanic recently recommended rubbing alcohol (in a spray bottle) for cleaning the chain. (Spray a rag with alcohol, turn the crank backwards while holding rag around the chain and letting the chain slide through the rag. Although the alcohol is a petrochemical, it evaporates quickly. This means it doesn’t have to be rinsed off, and it doesn’t hang around and dilute the oil you use on your chain (as some less volatile chain cleaners might).
And as Kris said, be careful about ‘spraying’ down the bike. Don’t try to use water pressure to remove the caked dirt, grime and road film. Wet the bike gently, and wipe or brush it down to loosen the dirt. Then you can use a hose end sprayer, but on a low pressure hose using the ‘shower’ nozzle setting on the sprayer – the one with a pattern like a watering can. Better yet, use a watering can. The shower is just to rinse off soap & loosened dirt. Avoid pointing that shower at the sides of the hubs or bottom bracket or headset.
I think the carwash is a bad idea. Way too much water pressure.

By: Mimi

Mimi — Thu, 03 May 2012 22:01:46 +0000

Question for Kris. Your advice is to not to hose on the hubs, the headset and the bottom bracket. But they get very dirty. How should we clean them?

By: Janet

Janet — Thu, 03 May 2012 06:15:37 +0000

I’m wondering how to do this without getting the stuff I wash off onto the driveway where it will eventually wash into the lake/ocean/river. It would only be a little bit, compared to a car, but still–it’s the same grime, and they say to take your car to a carwash where that stuff is taken care of somehow. I don’t imagine they’d be keen to have me scrubbing my bike in their carwash, but…? Any ideas?

By: Kris

Kris — Wed, 02 May 2012 03:31:05 +0000

You need to be careful with spraying water on to the bike, as it can squirt grease out of the bearings. Direct the jet away from any area where there are bearings: the hubs, the headset, and the bottom bracket. If squirted directly, the water can penetrate the housing where the bearings sit, rust them out and damage the housing (depending on the bearings), which can be costly. Everywhere else is fine.