As a cyclist in a city apartment, it can be a challenge to clean your bike. Imagine you live on the third story of an apartment building in Amsterdam and only have a small balcony or worse; no hose! How do you clean your bike? In the shower? With a watering can?
A number of our employees lives on the first or second floor of an appartment-building without an outdoor water tap and no garden hose. We asked them how they keep their bikes clean and with that information developed the ultimate bike cleaning guide for apartment dwellers
Contents
What do you need?
- Bucket with warm/hot water
- Sponge and brushes
- Suds: Badass Bubbles
- Dirt Destroy
- Chain degreaser
- Chain oil or wax
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How do I clean my bike without a hose?
Below, we explain how you can easily clean your bike without a hose.
Step 1: Rinse
Fill a bucket with warm water and pour this over your bike. This way you rinse a large portion of the dirt right off your bike. If you have a mobile pressurewasher, use this.
Step 2: Cleaning the drivetrain
One of the first steps in bike maintenance is cleaning your drivetrain. If you keep this clean, i twill last a lot longer. There are a number of ways to clean your drivetrain. Read our blog here about cleaning your drivetrain in four steps.
Step 3: Frame, wheels, saddle and handlebars
After cleaning your drivetrain it is time to clean your frame and other components. Our colleagues like using our ‘Dirt Destroy’ foam spray. This foam spray makes cleaning your bike easy and fun. On top of that you can use it on basically any bike part, even your chain, cassette and cranks. Spray the whole bike with the foam spray and wait a little bit for it to its thing, gives you the opportunity to make a satisfying picture. Watch out; do not use cleaners like Dreft or Dasty.
Then grab a brush and bucket with warm water and brush the foam of your bike.
Step 4: Drying and finishing
Thoroughly dry all parts of your bike, this prevents rust from forming on your chain, for example. Once the bike is dry, you can apply a nice finish to your bike. Make is shine!
Step 5: Lubricating
When all parts are fully dry, you can apply your favorite oil or wax to your chain. Read more about how to lubricate your chain in our blog!
Step 6: Brakes
If you have disc brakes, the final step is to remove all residues from your disc brakes. When cleaning your bike, residues of the cleaning products may end on your rotors, creating a squeaking sound when you’re trying to brake. Spray Brake Booster on the rotors or (even better) on a clean cloth and remove any residues with a cloth.
Extra tip 1: The carwash around the corner
These days, there are a lot of carwashes with an outdoor pressure washer that you can use for very little money. When using these pressure washers, it is important not to aim the nozzle directly at any bearings. There is a risk of blasting the grease from your bearings, which can result in a very awful running bottom bracket or wheels.
Extra tip 2: Tip for MTB and Gravel riders
ode some muddy trails but need to put your bike in the car? Always bring a can of Dirt Destroy and a plush microfiber cloth. Spray the bike down with the Dirt Destroy and use the cloth to remove most of the dirt. This way you don’t turn your car into an offroad trail by accident.
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