The Velotard Thread.

[MARKakaJIM]

Anyone got any quick tips or essentials for cleaning a bike?

Finally got myself a bike the other week and went out on it the other day but never really thought about cleaning until I got home, did the best I could with the hosepipe and a couple of old brushes I had knocking around but whilst it generally looks clean I imagine there are plenty of awkward little bits that are still hiding dirt. This cycling game is a lot more involving than I remember, long gone are the days of just buying a bike and chucking it in the shed/garage until you need it next, now there's all manner of safety gear, tools and maintenance requirements.

 

[MARKakaJIM]

Anyone got any quick tips or essentials for cleaning a bike?

Finally got myself a bike the other week and went out on it the other day but never really thought about cleaning until I got home, did the best I could with the hosepipe and a couple of old brushes I had knocking around but whilst it generally looks clean I imagine there are plenty of awkward little bits that are still hiding dirt. This cycling game is a lot more involving than I remember, long gone are the days of just buying a bike and chucking it in the shed/garage until you need it next, now there's all manner of safety gear, tools and maintenance requirements.

 

[PuntsWolf]

https://youtu.be/QvzVRxlIUL0

This is what I do

 

[machin05]

As long as you keep the drive train clean, the rest is mostly superficial. Get to Halfords and get some brushes and some Muc Off products -chain degreaser and lube being the most important ones.

Aldi have got a bike event this week I think, so if you have one local, there'll probably be some stuff in there.

 

[machin05]

Personally, I wouldn't use WD40 as a chain cleaner or lubricant.

 

[Keef]

If you're a cheapskate,elbow grease degreaser for a quid,dish brushes for a quid from poundland,one to degrease,one to wash degreaser off,weldtite chain lube from halfords(or the one out of wilko exactly the same,half the price) does the job of the stuff machin suggested

 

[MARKakaJIM]

Think we'll be going to Aldi later anyway so I'll have a look what they've got in there that could help my cause.

 

[machin05]

Think we'll be going to Aldi later anyway so I'll have a look what they've got in there that could help my cause.

Not in stock until 30th September - https://www.aldi.co.uk/c/specialbuy...vent:Cycling&lowerBound=2&upperBound=80&text=

 

[lemonjelly]

Personally, I wouldn't use WD40 as a chain cleaner or lubricant.

was gonna post the same. Wait til wombat sees this.
I spend about 15 mins a week cleaning my bike. Half of that though is allowing it to dry off. It isn't a massive time consuming job. & like machin says, I only really clean the chain & gears.

 

[machin05]

I spent nearly 90 minutes cleaning my bike yesterday :icon_lol:

 

[lemonjelly]

No need to spend excessive time imo. Too many other things to do. Plus it kept raining...

Tomorrow I'm having new tyres and chain fitted. Early bday present from my folks. Knew the tyres needed doing, but didn't realise how bad they were til I saw a really bald patch yesterday!

 

[machin05]

I genuinely don't know how to do it any quicker and end up with a result I'm happy with!

 

[MARKakaJIM]

Not in stock until 30th September - https://www.aldi.co.uk/c/specialbuy...vent:Cycling&lowerBound=2&upperBound=80&text=

You and your false hope!

We've started going there more than Tesco for our shopping now to be fair so I'll just have a look next week instead, not got any plans to use the bike this weekend as yet anyway so doesn't really make any difference.

Not sure how long it took me to clean it last time, didn't seem particularly long but then I'll be starting from a worse point that you lot given it'll be plastered in mud after each use, think it would certainly be useful to get me some sort of stand at some point though as propping it up with a few bits of wood under a pedal wasn't the most stable and trying to sort the drivetrain was a faff when you've trying to turn the pedals, hold the bike up and clean at the same time. Could maybe try and make something for myself out of all my random leftover bits of DIY material in the shed but not sure it's worth the hassle if I can get something proper for a decent price.

 

[Tredman]

Thanks for flagging this Machin. Lost my cycling gloves and my hands were bloody freezing today.

 

[machin05]

Yeah, a work stand is vital really.

 

[machin05]

Thanks for flagging this Machin. Lost my cycling gloves and my hands were bloody freezing today.

No worries. Was a bit fresh this morning!

 

[lemonjelly]

I spent nearly 90 minutes cleaning my bike yesterday :icon_lol:

I don't spend 90 mins washing a car, so how'd you manage to spend 90 mins washing a bike?

Either that or I'm just a lazy fecker.

@ tredman, been wearing my gloves for a couple of weeks - it's fresh in the morning! Was debating digging out the thin jumpers I wear, but as it is forecast to get warmer, haven't bothered.

 

[lemonjelly]

Yeah, a work stand is vital really.

Just lean mine against a wall. Think we're establishing how come I only spend 5 mins on mine!

 

[Wombat del combate]

W. D. Fucking. 40. You thundering bloody twatdanglers.

Johnny: Can I have a PM about your product too, please?

Shame about Velo South but the right decision, even if the weather wasn't as terrible as expected; one descent early on would have been lethal: 10% into a sharp left hand turn with no run-off. You can easily hit 50mph on it and it was about 15km in, so likely to have a mix of abilities going down. Lots of militant NIMBYs as well.

Been off the bike for a month due to holiday but want to get back on it and aim for my end-of-year target: All six major hills around here in one go. 70k, over 1,000m climbing.

 

[machin05]

That sounds brutal! Have you got a route sorted?