Cleaning sand & salt off bicycle
This may sound like a stupid question, but I was riding my bike from Henley Bch to Glenelg and back and got caught in the rain and wind. Sand was crunching in the chain when I rode back to my car.
What's the best way to clean sand off my bike? I was thinking I pressure water and then oil/grease the chain.
Is that okay? Do I have to take my bike apart?...
And should the cleaning of sea salt and sand be done immediately?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Roger ... on -
you should give the bike a squirt down with the hose as soon as you can to get the corrosive salt and grit off. dont go using heaps of pressure and blow the sand into the bearings just wash it off and bounce the bike a bit to get it splashed dry. If you have time give it a wipe down with a soft rag or baby wipes and a spray of WD40 or similar will help get the water off the bikes crevices. Remember to get the salt of the spokes at the nipples. also turn your bike over which will make sure sure there isnt water in the seatpost silently ruining the bottom bracket
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Permalink Reply by Shari Xan on -
Baby wipes... I never thought to use baby wipes.
Had a feeling this would be an asap job.
Thanks Roger.
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Permalink Reply by Martin Turner on -
I was out in the rain today and picked up a fair bit of sand and grit off the road. The bike got a clean with warm water and car detergent followed by a dry down with a chamois. The chain got run through the Parktools chain cleaner filled with warm soapy water and then got lubed following a dry with a clean rag.
If salt is definitely on the bike then I'd give it at least a quick wash down immediately. Otherwise give it a clean as soon as you can.
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Permalink Reply by Shari Xan on
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Shall combine yours and Rogers method since I don't know how to take my bike apart
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Permalink Reply by Rob (Chewbacca) on -
Cleaning bikes:
Turn upside down and take the wheels off. You can use a chain holder to make cleaning chain easier (without needing to remove)
I use a general purpose cleaner in a spray bottle and spray the bike for the worst gritty dirt.
I wipe down with some tuffy wipes after including the chain. (Some people use a device called a chain cleaner with which you can scrub the chain then relube it)
Make sure the bike pads are clean and free of dirt and grit. While the wheels are off clean those as well with tuffy wipes and its easier cleaning the cogs.
I use a product called prolink which is a light chain lubricant on the cables.
Reassemble bike
Roughly 15-20 minutes and voila bike is clean......or you can bribe the partner or kids to do it all for you :)
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Permalink Reply by Michael Murray on -
My LBS told me to not use water under pressure. It can force the grit into the bearings requiring a complete strip down and repacking of the bearings.
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Permalink Reply by Martin Turner on
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A garden hose spray nozzle is fine ..just don't sit blasting water at the bottom bracket or head set where there are bearings.
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Permalink Reply by Pete (repeats ?) Roberts on -
I made the mistake of using a high pressure cleaner on my old bike once.
The bike looked nice and clean, but I managed to push the grit into my front derailler's hinges, which jammed the whole thing up.
This caused me hours of work, as the only way to remove the grit was to wear it down by wiggling it back and fourth by hand ( the derailler ) until I broke down the grit particles. Not Fun ...
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Permalink Reply by Martin Turner on
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Not surprising since even a domestic style pressure washer is pushing the water out at over 1000psi.
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Permalink Reply by Pete (repeats ?) Roberts on
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Hindsight is a wonderful thing....
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