Here are some things you can easily do at home to protect your investment: Clean Your Fork and Shock After Every Ride. A regular schedule of maintenance (monthly, weekly or more often depending on your type of riding) is important. This video addresses the question of how often you should clean your bike! Ideally, mountain bikers should be washing off their bike every time you oil your chain, which is actually quite often because smooth shifting of gears is essential to your climbing ability. 5 reasons why diesel turbochargers commonly fail. how to clean your vehicle’s mass air flow (maf) sensor. The reasons behind why it’s so important to clean your bike, whether you’re road biking, bicycle touring or mountain biking, are simple. How Often Should You Wash Your Mountain Bike Keeping your mountain bike clean is the number one thing you can do to keep it running well. – Keep your eBike clean. A mountain bike doesn't need to sparkle in the sunlight; it's just going to get dirty the next time the sun is out anyway. But a regular cleaning routine can prevent problems down the road. – Don’t use a jet wash or alike as this can drive out grease lubricating the bearings, it will also compress water into the internals which in turn will corrode essential components. As the saying goes, a clean bike is a fast bike. With your left hand, hold the tip of the chain lub bottle over the chain near the gears, and pedal backwards with your right hand. Wet lubes will often accumulate dirt. Considering what your bike chain has to bear and how important the chain is. If there’s dirt left it will stick to the lube and cause wear to your drivetrain and chain. Of all the parts that make up a bicycle, the drive chain is among those that receive the most wear. Hey guys! The only cleaning my BB's get is when I wash my bikes. And the best part is, you can do it all at home with the right supplies and some basic knowledge. At the very least you should check, clean, and potentially lube the chain every 1-2 weeks. My thumb suck is that decent quality hubs in average commuting conditions should be able to go 20,000 miles or so before servicing. I do that and lube the chain after every other ride and that's pretty much it. If dirt gets into your gearing components it can cause scratching … Clean your bike regularly to protect it from rust and damage. Dry lubes wear off quickly (which is somewhat desirable in dry and dusty conditions, and definitely not desirable when it's wet and sloppy). Cleaning your bike immediately after your ride helps to keep it going longer. This renders it useless, and removes it from your chain more effectively than you ever will! Check out the video below to see how easy it is to properly maintain your chain. Use a light, specially-formulated bike lubricant and not any old junk that you find in your garage. We recommend using our Bike Bundle to wash your mountain bike once a month. Completely clean your fork and rear shock after each and every ride. How often should you wash your mountain bike? When it comes to avoiding contamination in the first place, the cleaning process is important, as Ben Hillsdon at Shimano points out: "Our advice is that disc rotors should be cleaned AFTER you clean your bike to help avoid contamination. If possible clean it after each ride with bike specific cleaners. Cleaning a mountain bike sounds daunting. In my world how often you clean really depends on how convenient it is for you to clean your bike and how much you enjoy a clean bike. After one or two long rides or after wet rides, clean and lube your chain. But you also don't want to use the same lube that you'd select for a foul weather commuter bike as you would for a mountain bike in the desert. what’s the difference between a ‘wet’ & ‘dry’ chain lube? 5. When lubricating your bike, really all you have to look for is the moving parts, where metal pieces move against one another. The question of how often should I degrease and lube my bike chain is a common question, especially when beginning. Contrary to a lot of belief, road bikes and mountain bikes should use the same chain oils for the same reasons. You will likely need to clean your drivetrain more often than the rest of the bike. We're here to help you get the most out of your time on the bike, whether you're a road rider, mountain biker, gravel rider, cycle commuter or anything in between. Caring for Your Mountain Bike Suspension November 13, 2019 / ... the more often your suspension will need attention. You should be cleaning your bike after every few rides and definitely after any ride when you get caught in the rain. Plus, a clean bike will last longer and improve performance. Simon is here for a special maintenance episode of Ask GCN. Video: How to clean and lube a bike chain . Last week we broke down how full-suspension mountain bike frames pivot and flex to move through their travel, most often through rotating bushings & bearings.All of those moving parts require varying degrees of attention and maintenance to keep pivoting smoothly. Mountain bike chains get a lot more dust and dirt in them than road bikes do because they are much more likely to run through puddles and vegetation on trails. It was making a creaking sound that I had never heard before and figured after almost 25 years I might as well get a new one. It is all based on riding conditions. It's important to clean and LUBRICATE your chain that very same day for best results. Mountain bike vs road bike chain oils. Whether you’re commuting, road biking, mountain biking or just heading out for a sunny ride in July, always treat your bicycle chain to regular cleaning and lubing. You should wipe down and clean your bike monthly, at a minimum. Getting mud, dirt and water off helps to keep things working longer. Many people will use a hose to wash dirt and grease off their bikes but the spray can find its way onto your rotors. But it's actually not that hard. If there’s anything we’ve missed that you do when washing your own dirt bike, please let us know in the comments below. I just replaced the bb on my 1991 trek Singletrack at the beginning of last summer for the first time ever. Your suspension fork is typically the most expensive component on your bike, so cleaning the bike each time you ride makes bike cleaning a quicker task than waiting until your bike is grinding itself to an early death and the dirt is much harder to remove! https://www.cyclingweekly.com/video/how-to-clean-your-bike-221294 When you service, clean thoroughly, add fresh, good quality bike bearing grease, and use new balls. The chain is also open and exposed to any elements that can damage it, including water and dirt. Make sure to get all the dirt out before you relate. Keeping your bike chain clean and lubed is the best way to extend the life of your drivetrain, keep your bike shifting smoothly, and save money in the long run. If you also spray Silicon Shine on your frame and components (covering braking surfaces!) when should you use a graphite lubricant and not a multi-purpose oil? how to de-rust an old potjie pot or cast iron cooker . If there is a lot of water, or you need the lube to last as long as possible, use a wet lube. How often you clean your drivetrain, and to what extent, will vary depending on your lube selection, riding conditions, and mileage. How often should you clean your mountain bike chain? how often should you service your mountain bike? It doesn’t take long and is easy to do. A good benchmark is to go through a cleaning after every 20-25 rides or so. Shift your bike into the middle gear on your cassette or freewheel (the set of gears on your back wheel). Squeeze the lube bottle to make a light but steady stream onto the chain. The good news is that with modern bikes and modern tools it’s a total breeze. The main concern you should have when cleaning your bike is the care of your drivetrain. If you ride regularly then you should decrease and lube your bike’s chain at least once every month to maintain optimal performance. If you spend a lot of time riding in wet, muddy conditions, or if you ride hard, fast and often, plan to clean your bike more frequently. Play. Some extra bike cleaning tips. But even if your bike isn’t completely caked in mud and dirt, it still needs some TLC every so often. The chain is almost always in motion and under constant tension, bearing against other parts in the drive train. Look out for any worn components that may need replacing. You'd be surprised what taking 5 minutes and wiping your bike down with a dry cloth after every ride does for keeping a bike clean. If it’s full of mud or sand clean it as soon as possible. We hope this guide to dirt bike cleaning has been useful for beginners and experienced riders alike. You want to lube the chain only; it's not necessary to put lube on the gears. Including the can of worms question "How Often To Lubricate & Degrease A Chain". Dried-up mud and water can have a corrosive effect on your frame, chain and gears. If there is a lot of dust and grime, use a dry lube. Once you’ve cleaned your bike, applying a specialist polish can help stop dirt sticking and make your bike easier to wash next time. As a general rule, excess lube should always be carefully wiped away before the bicycle is ridden. I wash the bike with soap and water like once or twice a year at most, not needed and degrades the bike if done too often IMO. Use mild soapy water, rinse with a very light pressure water spray (taking care not … When riding in dirt and mud the chain lubricant you use gets broken down through abrasion and dilution with water and grit. For myself I have a fairly convenient set up so I clean my bike(s), in parts, almost every time I ride. While cleaning your bike, inspect it too. The more often you wash your bike, the less build up of dirt you will have, and the easier it will be to wash your bike. Don’t use a household polish! Check your chain after every ride and clean it if needed. 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