Pinkbike and
BikeCo.com are excited to bring back the mechanical “how-to’s” with the new Tech Spotlight articles that you can expect to see on the last Tuesday of every month. Joe Binatena, BikeCo’s owner and world class mechanic, will help walk riders through a variety of tasks, from basic jobs like the bike wash shown here, to more advanced work that you'll be able to read about in the future. We aim to provide readers with a gauge on difficulty and risk for these projects, and also encourage you to post any questions in the comment section below when it comes to things that need more explaining.
The Functional Wash Difficulty: low - no special tools required, and only basic common sense needed to perform. Risk: low - while there is little chance of damaging the bike, you should know about the chemicals you're using and be aware of any contamination that could occur.
When performed correctly you will minimize shift and chain drop issues, improve component reliability, and even help maintain maximum resale value. When performed incorrectly you not only sacrifice all of the positives listed above, but also open yourself up to more work, paying for service, replacing damaged components, and even possible component failures. So, here we set about showing you good techniques to help keep your bike riding right and increasing service intervals across the board. Performing a functional wash should take only between five and fifteen minutes, and it's something that can be done quicker once you have your routine down pat. There are a few things to be aware of, though, including overspray: Murphy’s law says things are going to go where you don’t want them, so don’t help it along by spraying at poor angles. It's also good to get into the habit of only using the water and supplies that you need to get the job done. Less is more, after all. | Tools for the Job:
• Workstand: No, you don’t have to have one, but it makes every service task on your bicycle easier. Easier means you will do it more often, and doing it more often means things last longer and you have more money for trips rather than parts. • Bike specific cleaner: Bike specific cleaners account for carbon fiber, aluminum, titanium, and disc brake pads and rotors. While most bike wash is safe on brake systems, avoid all degreasers - it doesn’t take much to chemically foul your rotors and pads. • Rags • Water • Chain lube • Bearing or dental pick |
• Step 1 - Mount your bike in the work stand. Be aware of how you position the clamp if you have an adjustable seat post. Here, Joe has marked his seat post height with blue painters tape and extended the outer tube for clamping. This protects the post's stanchion and cable, while also being a good time to assess your seat post / frame interface. If you have difficulty rotating or extending the seat post you may have the beginning of a fusion issue caused by contamination. If so, remove the post and thoroughly clean the interface. Electrolysis fusion typically takes a while to occur, so rotating and extending your post during a wash will almost totally eliminate the potential trouble down the road. This is a great example of an ounce of prevention being worth a pound of cure - a fused seat post in your $3,000 frame is a huge issue that is time consuming and high risk to solve. Also note that the FOX D.O.S.S seat post's cable is not clamped by the workstand's head, but rather routed around to prevent kinks or it being crushed.
• Step 2 - Here we see Joe using a spray degreaser on the chain to ease cleaning. Take note of the spray angles in each photo. In the front he sprays towards the three o’clock position on the chain ring, away from the bottom bracket. On the cassette he sprays at roughly the nine o’clock and directly behind to avoid accidental rotor exposure and minimizing potential hub exposure. Once around the chain is enough if your bike is getting functional washes regularly, with keeping the buildup to a minimum being the difference between a quick run through and a huge project. Also, remember that degreaser is only used on the drivetrain.
• Step 3 - With the degreaser still on the chain, Joe begins to spray the bike wash. Less is more with this one, so use just enough to get the job done. Bike wash is sprayed directly onto the frame. In this case the bike is dry, but it does depend on the brand as to whether you need to spray the bike first. The fewer times Joe has to spray his bike, the happier he is with bearing life, etc. While they do list this particular bike wash as being brake safe, Joe minimizes any contact by lightly spraying a thin stream near brake assemblies.
• Step 4 - Here are four ideas to control water when washing your bike. You will note that the upper photos are utilizing a spray rather jet. The jet is used on the chain and seldom anywhere else, and water should be angled to avoid blasting bearing systems. Headsets, bottom brackets, hubs, and suspension linkages are all susceptible to premature failure if they have water forced into them, so take care not to blast suspension seals! Even in dry, dry Southern California it isn’t entirely unusual for BikeCo’s mechanics to open a bottom bracket, or hub, or frame and have water come out from aggressive washing. If you think you were aggressive with your hose it may behoove you to pull the seat post out, flip the bike and see if water comes out of the frame.
• Step 5 - Cleaning the boogers off your pulleys, cassette and chain rings goes a long way to keeping your bike running well. Buildup on derailleur pulleys happens quickly and will negatively effect your shifting equally as fast. The time you take to lube your chain before each ride is also a great opportunity to knock off the buildup, and one of the first things to look for on a bike with a relatively fresh drivetrain and shifting issues is pulley buildup. On occasion we will see pulleys that have so much buildup that they appear to be completely circular, but the amount shown here on Joe’s derailleur is likely only from one or two rides. The same buildup on your chain rings not only affects shifting, but can also create chain drop issues on a single ring setup. A seal pick helps Joe easily clean in the tight quarters, although a dental pick will work equally as well.
• Step 6 - Joe uses a rag to finish cleaning the chain. As shown in the top sequence, he grasps both sides of the chain, and while back pedalling firmly closes his fingers against his palm while rotating his wrist to the right. This action, coupled with the chain ring teeth pushing loose debris to the outer radius, works extremely well. A couple times around with the rag engaged near the rear derailleur and you are done with excellent results.
• Step 7 - Cleaning the drivetrain also makes for an ideal time to review its condition. While you are cleaning the chain on the ring (
use the largest on a multi-ring crankset) use your hand to feel for links that are flared, bent or sticky. This is a great habit to get into between race runs, and only ten or fifteen seconds of checking a chain could prevent disaster. As you backpedal the system, review tooth condition on your cassette and chain rings. Bent teeth will stand out very clear when the system is in motion.
• Step 8 - When you dry your bike, take into account the coating. This bike features a matte finish and a large field of white. We have found that the finishes on most bikes seem to dull if they are aggressively dried. Joe uses just enough rubbing to eliminate any grease or finger print marks on the light colours. The less rubbing a frame endures, the longer the finish looks factory.
• Step 9 - We recently came across this 'Hard Part Dressing' which brings carbon and other parts to a finish that may be better than the day you unboxed your new bike. For lack of a truly technical term, it seems to give the carbon a “wet” or “liquid” appearance, even on matte bikes. Here again we see Joe using a good spray angle - you do not want this anywhere near your brakes so spray a bit into a rag rather than directly onto the bike and go to work.
• Step 10 - It's now time to lube your chain. For dry, sub-two hour rides we suggest thinner dry lube. For rides longer than two hours Joe has been experimenting with a combination of dry and wet lube. ''
I find that if I use a dry lube and let it totally dry, maybe even apply it the day before, and then use a bit of wet lube on top of it, there is a substantial performance benefit on three or four hour rides,'' he says. It seems that the dry lube creates a surface that will slightly absorb or hold the wet lube. This keeps the wet lube from flinging off, which keeps it on the chain longer. The dry lube also seems to provide a primer that easily wipes off with the wet, providing a better looking, better functioning chain. Safety check the bike and you’re ready to ride.
We hope that you found tips in this that will help you better maintain your ride. If you made it this far, checking off your good cleaning habits along the way - awesome, you’re doing it like the pros. We will look forward to the next installment here on Pinkbike on the last Tuesday in February. If you have an idea that you would like to see on Tech Spotlight please email Nate@BikeCo.com to let us know what issues you’ve had that can’t seem to be solved and we will put Joe on the task.www.bikeco.com
- A room furnished and used for sleeping.
- Commonly referred to as "bike cave" amongst members of the species Homo shreddus.
If you ride a lot there is the need to maintain equipment. This becomes a necessary routine or a habit, facing will to experience next riding without surprises or issues. Some store and service bikes in a garage, but it is usually not so cosy to stay for some time. Maintaining favourite bike can become a type of pleasure, so people often tend to do it in warm living rooms or bedrooms like it was mentioned by @johnnyo5 and @Nygaard. Then you wake up in some morning in a bed surrounded by strange bike gears and tools. Usually enough dirty bike is a total contrast in comparison with the rest of a bedroom, so there is potential space for new ideas and new products helping to keep things organised, ergonomic and higienic. It is good to have a large bedroom or to learn from experienced Pinkbike friends like @Sapki who devoted a special room to deal with his bikes. Here is the link to his work place www.pinkbike.com/u/sapki/album/work-place it's very tidy and clean.
After each ride, I just wash the bike as normal, and give the drivetrain a scrub with an old toothbrush, and rinse with water. It's then necessary to put a tiny bit of thin oil on the chain to stop it rusting, and then just before the next ride (or once the chain is dry), lube it properly. Then about once a month, depending on how much riding you do, remove the chain (buy one of the those magic-link pliers) and cassette and soak, like jef444 says. I also check for chain wear and replace as soon as my Park gauge reads 1.0. This might seem expensive at first, but I've so far got 2 years out of my cassette and chainrings, and they still mesh fine with new chain, so it's arguably worth it in the long run.
Edit: LOL just seen that hampsteadbandit says the same below....
Do you ignore other manufacturer's suggestions to keep your bike in top condition too?
Oh my god, how did the universe notimplode?Shifted perfectly..every couple months?people like you are why the bike companies charge so much.. I don't need to ask someone how to maintain my bike. Maybe you are going through chains so quick because your dumb enough to not clean your chain an all the grime caught in there is causing unneeded wear? Let me see why would a chain company tell you not to clean your chain properly? Maybe so you have to replace it more often? Go figure
I have a group of buddies parkcityplush that I go riding with and, just like the wonderful(?) world of PB, everyone has a different opinion about how to best maintain their drivetrain. Some use Kerosene baths, toothbrushes and copious quantities of lube to replace the grease the Kerosene washed out, others use water, rags and WD-40, others use degreasers and chain lubes, others soap and water and vegetable oil.
And unsurprisingly everyone has a great time riding, and a drivetrain that works how they want it to, because we are lucky that, in our group of mates at least, there is no-one that always has an opinion about what is best for everyone.
Some refer to such people as "a know-it-all smartarse", however I couldn't possibly comment.
You have a plethora of things yet to learn so I wish you well on your journey. Might I suggest with considering your choice of words in a public arena.
Secondly, if you were to scroll down a tad here you would find people who have had it suggested to them by professional mechanics that to prolong chain life, de-greaser be avoided, others who suggest using A, B or C and so on. Someone who did their own little longevity test found that by not using a de-greaser they prolonged the life of their chains many times over. You see, there are many ways to do things, and more often than not, it requires effort and an open mind to grasp.
I see though that you may not be ready to fully understand that yet since you seem to believe that "anyone who works on their own bike already knows".
Could you explain then the experience of my daughter, who is learning to look after her bike (she was thrilled at being able to change around the brake levers and grips the other day) due to her being 9 years old, as I would love to hear how and why she should, apparently, "already know".
Furthermore, this is a forum, meaning it is public, of discussion, and as such. anyone may choose to contribute (you prefer the phrase "chime in"), such is the nature of the beast. I disagree with your choice of words, and the exclusivity of your opinion that people who do not de-grease chains are making a mistake (as suggested by your choice of words thus "I'd hate to see you chain if you never use degreaser"). Locoola is not the only person here to suggest not using a degreaser to have merit.
Seriously PCP, the internet is a great place to learn and exchange ideas, and it would be so much more useful to all of us if we were to take just a moment to consider how we wish to express our (valid) ideas. You have very valid points, however they will get lost under your choice of language, leading to people like me, to borrow one of your phrases, calling you out. If you don't like people like me joining in, choose your words more carefully. Let's all be more polite, have a good time today and get some good riding in when we can eh.
But you're now suggesting that you should follow manufacturers suggestions around that and buy a new cassette at the same time.
Suggest that to an XX1 owner.
HAHAHA.
If you tell an xx1 owner he absolutely has to replace his cassette when it still seems to be functioning I bet I know what he will tell you??
Real world guys, comes down to how much will that cost then?
They are very effective for cleaning your bike's drivetrain:- especially for scrubbing the cassette, chain, chainring and pulley wheels.
another tip I picked up from speaking to tech people at Shimano and KMC is to never use degreasers, chain cleaning machines or aggressive cleaning products on the bicycle chain. In their opinion it ruins the chain by flushing out the factory installed lubricants in each roller bushing, causing premature wear to the chain and then the drivetrain.
Consider the amount of chains these guys produce (especially KMC) I've trusted their advice on this for the past 2 years for both my mountain and road bikes with great results.
By all means use solvent to clean the chainring, cassette, pulley wheels as these are not moving parts (the pulleys obviously have bearings so go easy on them), at work we use the Rozone bio-remediating parts washers for these items
www.rozone.co.uk/products/smartwasher3.php
For worst conditions I am using warm soapy water (KMC's recommendation), for best conditions just wiping, lubing with dry lube and wiping the chain clean by backpedalling the bike through a clean rag and pulling the rag down hard to pressure the chain and wipe any surface dirt onto the rag
smart thinking!
I've also found the cheap nylon brushes and sponges in "Pound" stores to be a much better value than buying "Park Tools" or similar branded bike brushes, as brushes get quickly ruined when cleaning bikes
don't worry about the sodium chloride in washing up liquid, it won't do the drive train any damage because of the very short time frame its applied to the drivetrain for during cleaning, before being rinsed off.
I'd be more concerned about the 'road salt' the authorities put onto our roads during freezing weather, as this is ground into the drivetrain during rides, and causes much more damage, especially if the bike is not cleaned after the ride, where the salt will start to attack the aluminium alloy components, especially the wheel rims, rear brake and front derailleur, and any aluminium alloy fittings on carbon fibre frames
Having worked in the marine industry for many years i have seen the damage done to gel coat and painted surfaces after repeated use of washing up liquid. why would you use a product that is not designed for cleaning bikes when it could damage it!
Some raw finished carbon frames have a clear coat finish which have waxes in them, washing up liquid can strip the wax leaving the carbon exposed to uv light damage which can turn the surface milky or to loose its shine.
in contrast, have seen products like "Muc-Off" change the colour of anodised aluminium alloy rims from black to gold/bronze with repeated use!
Well good fr you! My point is we spend all this money on expensive gear and then use what comes to hand to clean it. Would you wash your Ferrari with it? No of course not! Then why use it on your bike.
thanks for your input, I value your experience, and am not trying to start any argument with you
for years, I was told by the industry advertising to use "muc off" and did try it many times, but found it very expensive and that it did not clean any better, and actually changed the colour of my rims and seemed to ruin my chain
of course, there is a well founded industry telling us we have to use particular cleaning products to clean our bikes, which are ridden in dirt and rain, and thrown down the hillsides
when I wash my bikes, its diluted (mild) detergent in the bucket with warm water, then quickly rinsed off with clean cold water.
Bike is then wiped dry, and usually polished using Pedro's Bike Lust to install a protective layer to the frame, components, rims and tire side walls. Chain is lubed and wiped. Forks and shock seals have a dose of silicon spray
Sorry didn't mean to start an argument either! I just use a mild boatwash and soft brush myself! I don't agree with these spray on miracle cleaners either if it works that easily it cant be doing your bike any good!
thanks for the reply. I remember seeing a "muc off" advert (video with sexy nurses) some years ago and they advertised using something like 7 different products to clean your bike
I added it all up and it was £50 of expenditure, and would be used up very quickly.
The only "products" I use are quality chain lube (Finish Line) and disc brake cleaner (after washing) and the Pedros polish.
The silicon spray for the fork/shock seals is from Maplin / RS (this is the same product that is rebadged as "Fork Juice" or if no silicon spray available then Finish Line dry chain lube works just as well!
The factory lube on your chain is more of a grease than an oil. Once removed with a degreaser you cant get a grease to penetrate between the rollers and pins, chain lubes can penetrate far enough but are no where near as good at lubricating under the pressure that a bike chain has to endure. You used to be able to buy a tin a grease for motorcycle chains that you heated up and dropped your chain into. After letting it soak for a while you pulled it out, wiped of the excess, let it cool down and you had a fully lubed chain like when it left the factory. Might be something worth looking into.
Warm water rinse to get the mud/ salt off of the bike and drivetrain. Remove chain and dry. Apply wax lube allow to dry. Apply one drop of chainsaw oil or wet lube to each link. Wipe down. The combination of wax and oil creates a pasty/ greasy lube that stays on repels water and wipes off of your hands easily. This takes about 10 minutes and lasts at least a month. The process is repeated when the chain doesn't leave some lube on the fingers when pinched. In my case maybe twice for the life of the chain.
Silicone spray the fork and shock seals and wipe down. 15 minutes and the bike/ drive train is clean.
2. Rinse
3. Dry and lube
Job done
I'm going to watch some porno now.