7 Quick And Easy Ways To Clean Your Bike

Skills + Knowledge

July 16, 2018

If you wash your bike after every ride, you’ll keep it running smoothly and looking great. It can be a pain sometimes to clean off your bike after a ride, but the effort is worth it.

Sure, cleaning your bike takes time and sometimes you’ll need to make sure you have a wash area that’s out of the elements like when it’s raining or scorching hot. But, taking care of your bike by washing it regularly will lead to more great rides in the future. Your clean bike will provide more enjoyment and hopefully cut down on costly repairs.

Of course, having a rustproof beach cruiser or hybrid bike like a bicycle from sixthreezero helps. But, you’ll still need to wash your cycle.

Here are some of the items you’ll need to wash your bike so it shines (or at least isn’t a mucky mess):

Sponge
Bucket or hose
Biodegradable soap or bike wash fluid
Brush
Cloth
Chain lube
Chain cleaning device

These are 7 quick and easy ways to clean your bike:

Clean Your Chain

Using a chain cleaning device as well as a degreaser, remove grime, oil, and mud that has built up on your chain. If you can’t find a chain cleaning tool, a brush and aerosol degreaser will work with just a bit more effort.

Clean Your Discs

If you don’t have discs, it’s one less thing for you to clean. If you do, don’t skip this step. Spray some degreaser onto a cloth and give your disc brakes a good wipe down. You’ll want to make sure you remove all of the drivetrain grease that may have accumulated.

Wet and Wash

Get out a sponge and bucket, or a hose, and give your bike a good spray of water. Use a biodegradable soap or bike wash (so you don’t pollute the ground you ride on) to clean off any dirt or grime on your bike’s frame. Don’t use a pressure washer on your bearings.

Brush Down Your Bike

Begin at the top of your bike and use a brush to agitate any debris that has stuck to your bike. Look into your gears and brakes for debris, and then gently loosen any grime with your brush.

Rinse Down

Rise your entire bike from top to bottom with clean water, making sure you’ve removed any muck that was stuck. If you see anything you missed, give it another pass with your sponge, brush or degreaser. Rinse one final time.

Buff Up

Use one chamois to soak up the water and then another to buff your bike to perfection. Some riders like to spray with a PTFE silicone bike polish, but be sure that you don’t spray this product into your braking surfaces. Buffing helps prevent road grime from sticking the next time you ride.

Lube Your Chain

Lubing your chain is the last step in cleaning your bike. Hold the lube bottle and let it steadily drop into the chain while you turn your pedals backward. Wipe off excess lube. Again, avoid spraying this product onto your braking surfaces.

Looking for a great bike that you can take care of like it’s your baby? Check out sixthreezero women’s bikes and men’s bikes. Our sixthreezero Teal 3 Speed Women's 26" Beach Cruiser Bike is a favorite. Sixthreezero’s SunLite Bike Cover Silver is a popular accessory for keeping a bike clean while parked or in storage.

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