Bike wash?

[rose_garden.livejournal.com]

My hose is trapped behind a snowbank. How do I wash my bike?

Is there a place I can go to hire someone to wash my bike? Should I just take it to the do-it-yourself car wash on Somerville Ave? ($3 for 4 minutes with the hose, not bad.)

Anyone want to offer me your bike-washing services?

Comments

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

My spouse washes the crap off his bike after coming home in the snow using pots of hot water from the tap inside that I hand him through the door. I suppose I could offer you the same service but it might be easier to just do it at your house with a friend or roommate :)

[ifotismeni]

yeah I was going to say - a bucket of water from the tap!

[darxus.livejournal.com]

Shower.

[kdsorceress.livejournal.com]

This is only useful if you can actually get your bike into the shower. (I know mine would be an...adventure. And I would probably have to scrub the kitchen floors after, if I could even manage it)

~Sor

[rose_garden.livejournal.com]

Do I know you?

[kdsorceress.livejournal.com]

I...don't think so? I read the davis_square LJ, where you made your post, and wanted to quip at Darxus (who I do know) a bit about the unlikelyhood of getting my bicycle into my shower (on the second floor, up a very narrow flight of stairs). I apologize for derailing your post.

~Sor

[rose_garden.livejournal.com]

I meant that the other way around. I payed to the community specifically to solicit thoughts from local strangers. And then your LJ name looked familiar. We do know people in common. Maybe I'll just ask them if I know you.

[kdsorceress.livejournal.com]

Oh! I'm so sorry --I got another reply in this community that was a little less than kind, so I'm kinda jumping at shadows.

Of our mutuals, I know jere7my the best (he is one of my best friends!) so he'd probably be the one to ask (followed by herbertinc or tirerim). Doing the nosy "look at the userpics for a picture!" thing makes me think that we haven't met though.

~Sor

[rose_garden.livejournal.com]

Maybe we'll run into each other some day.

[rose_garden.livejournal.com]

by "payed" I mean "posted"

blame autocorrect

Bike Care

[silveraeroguy.livejournal.com]

First off, unless you repack your hub/headset bearings twice a year do not use a high pressure hose to wash your bike. Doing any kind of washing when it is cold can do more harm than good. The water can freeze cables as well as other components. Either way, if you do rinse it off bring it inside overnight and get it in an area with moving air. Heating vent overnight or just a fan for a few hours can make all the difference.

Id say you might be better off getting a mess of rags (white) and a cleaner like Finish Line Super Bike Wash (In the shop we call it "the pink stuff"). The whole cleaning procedure is easiest if the bike is in a stand but most folks aren't so lucky to own one. A rope with a hook fastened to say a joist in the basement works. Take the wheels off the bike and spray the frame tubes to coat them. Lightly on derailleurs and brakes but avoid the chain, and chainrings. Make a first pass wiping all the major crud off the frame and component surfaces. Step back and see if you're satisfied with the result. If not grab a clean rag and spray the cleaner onto the rag and go to town getting into all the little nooks. Since the wheels are off shift the gears up on both deraileurs (low rear high front) as this will open them up making space for the rag to really get in there.

But why did I take the wheels off to do this?

The pink stuff isn't great for braking surfaces on the rim. It will wear off after braking for a while but its better to use degreaser like Finish Line's "Multi Bike". So reattach the wheels and spin them while spraying the rim. Coat evenly on both sides. Then wipe away with one of your slightly used rags. Change the rag to a fresh side often. Go from one side to the other and then get in between the spokes. After that you might also spin the wheels and very lightly spray the spokes and wipe them down as well. Spray some degreaser onto a rag and wipe down all the components, repeating as necessary.

Afterwords get your trusty can of lube and lightly hit the pivot points of all the components. Then take a clean rag and wipe away excess. Lube attracts dust, sand, and grit. We don't want that. My personal favorite is Tri-Flow Superior Lube in the drip bottles with the extender to reach hard places. Just a drop or two is all you need. Work the components as you apply.

But what about the chain?

The chain is arguably the most important part of a bicycles drivetrain. Sure its great to keep it lubed but more often than not on commuter bikes I see them over lubed with built up gunk and grime all over the place. (Im not going to get into that here, only to say get rid of it.) First wipe the chain with another dirty rag by turning the cranks backwards. You will feel some resistance but go through the motions a few times. Then change the rag's position frequently. Do this until it feels smoother than when you started and there seems less crud on the rag. Depending on the chain and crud level you might now grab another rag and spray a little of that degreaser on the rag and repeat the process. The whole point of this effort is, why lube gunk?

Now we can use that bottle of Tri Flow. Position the tip on the center of the chain's bushings and reverse pedal. All we need is a little on the center bushings. Start slowly for the first pass or two. We don't need alot of this stuff so if you are satisfied stop. Otherwise go faster on the cranks but stop after 4 or 5 turns. Let it sit. Check VM reply to an email, whatever. Grab a rag and wipe away excess while changing the rags position once per pass.

Good luck and happy riding!

[rose_garden.livejournal.com]

How much do you charge?

Re: Bike Care

[rose_garden.livejournal.com]

I have no indoor storage until the snowbanks melt.

Re: Bike Care

[rose_garden.livejournal.com]

You totally have me pegged. I have a dirty commuter bike and the chain is just as grimy as you describe.

Is it safe to spray isopropanol on my bike chain? Isopropanol won't freeze, the way water would.

[pywaket.livejournal.com]

silveraeroguy is right on, here. No high pressure hoses at any bearings (headset, bottom bracket, hubs) or the cables, or you'll drive water in, which is a big no-no.

What I've done when I can't get my bike inside is use warmed up windshield washer fluid as the "water" for washing. That way, it won't freeze in the cable housings and other areas where it *will* collect (which is why the suggestion to bring it somewhere warm to dry out). $3 for a gallon at the CVS/supermarket and that should be enough to clean your bike. If the bike is really grotty, you *can* wash it with hot water, but then make sure to do the final rinse with washer fluid.

It might be worth just replacing the chain. They come pre-lubricated and are cheap. Much easier than trying to clean one in this weather. Or, you could take yours off and clean it inside. Once done, dry lubricants are also the way to go. TriFlow is a good option, as is Boeshield T-9.

Finally, a set of full fenders, with a nice mudflap that reaches down as low as possible helps a *huge* amount when the weather is crappy. Grit and grime that doesn't get all over your bike in the first place is grit and dirt you don't need to clean off :-)

I really like the SKS Longboard fenders, with a homemade flap on the front like this: http://www.phred.org/~alex/bikes/fendermudflap.html

The SKS fenders are not cheap, but worth every penny, IMHO. If they're out of your budget, Planet Bike makes some decent ones as well.

The mudflap that reaches near the ground on the front is the big key to keeping a chain clean. Most of the grit on your chain is from crap flung up by the trailing edge of the front tire. Bonus: your feet stay much cleaner and drier, too!

Good luck.