Bike Maintenance 101
The first rule to remember is a clean bike is a happy bike. Road grit and grime will work its way into the chain and cogs on your bike and create a lot of friction and noise not to mention wear out the cogs and chain early. Thankfully, cleaning your bike takes only a few minutes, a bucket of water with soap (bike-specific cleaner or, in a pinch, mild dish detergent) and a brush or old rag. Its a good idea to clean your bike after every ride you do in the rain or on wet roads. Generally, youll start at the front of the bike and work your way to the back, saving the greasy chain and gears for last. The grit and dirt will come off pretty easily.
Bikes generally require more cleaning in the spring when the roads are wet and may still be covered in grit from the winter.
Click here to learn more about basic bicycle maintenance
Drivetrain Care
Drivetrain is a fancy word for the chain, rear cogs and the front chainrings, basically all the parts that go into powering your bike forward. When it comes to cleaning the cogs and lubing the chain, things get a little messier than the rest of the bike. We usually use a separate rag for this part of the job. If your bike is very dirty (sloppy spring training rides or getting caught in a downpour on the ride home from work) and the cogs and chainrings are gunked up (Its actually a mixture of road grit and chain lube yum), you can scrub the drivetrain with an old toothbrush and some citrus-based degreaser. You can also use the toothbrush to scrub the small derailleur pulleys as they tend to collect the aforementioned gunk too. A major cleaning of your drivetrain is only needed if you can see gunk collecting
The first rule to remember is a clean bike is a happy bike. Road grit and grime will work its way into the chain and cogs on your bike and create a lot of friction and noise not to mention wear out the cogs and chain early. Thankfully, cleaning your bike takes only a few minutes, a bucket of water with soap (bike-specific cleaner or, in a pinch, mild dish detergent) and a brush or old rag. Its a good idea to clean your bike after every ride you do in the rain or on wet roads. Generally, youll start at the front of the bike and work your way to the back, saving the greasy chain and gears for last. The grit and dirt will come off pretty easily.
Bikes generally require more cleaning in the spring when the roads are wet and may still be covered in grit from the winter.
Click here to learn more about basic bicycle maintenance
Drivetrain Care
Drivetrain is a fancy word for the chain, rear cogs and the front chainrings, basically all the parts that go into powering your bike forward. When it comes to cleaning the cogs and lubing the chain, things get a little messier than the rest of the bike. We usually use a separate rag for this part of the job. If your bike is very dirty (sloppy spring training rides or getting caught in a downpour on the ride home from work) and the cogs and chainrings are gunked up (Its actually a mixture of road grit and chain lube yum), you can scrub the drivetrain with an old toothbrush and some citrus-based degreaser. You can also use the toothbrush to scrub the small derailleur pulleys as they tend to collect the aforementioned gunk too. A major cleaning of your drivetrain is only needed if you can see gunk collecting
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Lubing Chain
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Wiping Chain
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