Professional Bike Wash Guide by True Mobile
True Mobile Bike Wash Guide
A clean bike is a well maintained bike.
When the bike is not clean parts tend to wear out more quickly. The dust turns to fine powder as all of the pivots are moving quickly during use. Overtime this fine dust gets past all the rubber seals and starts to seize all the crucial moving components. This will lead to components becoming stuck and eventually breaking.
We wash our bikes after every ride. Think of it as a forced check over of each component making sure nothing is damaged for the next ride. With a clean bike, damage is much easier to detect.
Lastly there are ways to store your bike that prolongs the life of the components.
What You Will Need
Running Water and a Hose
Bucket - to keep all the brushes and liquids together
Bike Cleaner OR Dish Washer Detergent Mixed with Water
Chain Lube
Ready for the Washing Steps?
These washing steps take us about 5-7min per bike when washed after each ride.
Step 1 Rinse:
Rinse the bike with a low pressure stream form the hose - we like to use the "soaker". This gets off all the caked on mud or dirt from the bike. *Do not use high pressure as this pushes all of that fine dust past all the rubber seals - not good!
Step 2 Degreasing the Drivetrain:
Place a microfibre cloth to cover the rear rotor. There are fancy rotor covers out there but a microfibre towel works just as well. Spray the drivetrain (cassette, chain & chainring) with the degreaser. Take the small brush with the hard plastic hairs and scrub the drivetrain (this brush is only for the drivetrain). This step only needs to be done every few weeks as the drivetrain slowly collects dirt. Step 3 will be enough for a quick wash after a relatively clean ride.
Step 3 Bike Cleaner and Scrub:
Spray the bike with the cleaner or dish washer detergent mix. Make sure the bike looks soapy. Using the large soft haired brush, scrub in the following order: fork stanchions, fork lowers, shock, dropper post, cockpit then frame. Using the 2in1 sponge/bristle brush, run it around both rims, inside the rims to the hubs and in the pivots of the bike where the fit is smaller.
Step 4 Rinse Off Soap:
Rinse all of the soap off the bike using a low pressure spray. Spray away from pivots, away from brake levers and calipers, and other moving components. You can repeat step 3 & 4 multiple times for a showroom clean. Usually just once is enough if you are cleaning after each ride.
Step 5 Dry the Rotors:
For the most crucial step I like to use a new square of shop towel and wipe the rotors clean using 99% isopropyl alcohol - this way I am not wasting a new microfibre cloth each time as rotors must be cleaned with a clean surface each time. Spin the wheel and rub the rotors down with the shop towel until they are dry and there is no dirty streaks.
*More on brake cleaning and maintenance in a future journal! Rotors and calipers must be kept away from contaminants like degreasers and oils and best to cover the rotors until this step.
Step 6 Dry the Frame:
With a clean microfibre cloth I thoroughly dry: fork, shock stanchions and dropper post especially at the seals. Pick a colour for the frame towels which you can reuse a few times until it becomes visibly dirty.
Step 7 Dry the Drivetrain:
I then hold the chain using a new microfibre towel of a different colour and backpedal to get all of the residue off - this will never be perfect but it should not be black. Dry the rest of the drivetrain. You can reuse these towels more than a few times.
Step 8 Lube the Drivetrain:
The drivetrain should not be left dry. Lube the chain and shift through all the gears.
Ready to Store
When leaving the bike in storage here are a few tricks to keep the components lasting longer.
Keep the derailleur on the smallest cog. This keeps the spring with the least tension during storage and prolongs the life of the derailleur.
Keep the dropper post up. This puts the least pressure on the internals of the systems and prevents premature wear.
Keeping the bike with the front wheel up is great for the fluid in the fork. In this upright position any air bubbles in the brake system travel to the levers. If you take the bike down and the levers move closer to the handlebar that is also a great check for an overdue brake bleed!