Bike cleaning & washing: A How-to Guide

• Here's why regular bike care and maintenance is important
• Bike maintenance and cleaning: What you'll need for the task
• The right cleaner
• Should you wax or oil the bike chain?
• Should you clean using a high pressure washer or not?
• Checklist: What you'll need to care for your bike
• Step by step guide: How to clean your bike the right way
• Step 1: Soak the bike and get rid of mud
• Step 2: Clean the bike chain
• Step 3: Clean the disk brakes
• Step 4: Clean the gears and breaks
• Step 5: Maintenance
• Step 6: Oil the chain etc.
• Bike cleaning FAQs
• How often should I clean my bike?
• How often should I clean and oil my chain?
• Where can I clean my bike?

It goes without any problems - so why should I clean or wash my bike? Quite simply: Dirt and the resulting rust, amongst other things, compromise the health of your entire bike. The cable's elasticity is reduced, the brakes get clogged with mud and the gears become too stiff to change. The service life of other parts is also shortened by dirt; the chain, for example, grinds off over time.

Especially in winter, regular cleaning is a must, because road salts attack not only the components of your bike but also the paintwork and promotes rust formation. But in general it is important to care for your bike as dirt can cause a component to break while riding and can lead to an injury!

There is a special cleaning agent for almost every part of the bicycle. They can be a bit expensive. For basic cleaning, you can do without expensive special cleaning agents. When caring for your chain, however, we recommend spending a bit more to ensure a long-lasting chain.

For the cleaning of the chain, particularly if very dirty, you can use a penetrating lubricant, such as WD-40.

Important: Don't use strong or aggressive cleaning agents. Excess chemicals drip down onto the wheels, paint or other components, often causing damange to the bike.

You can also use the following to clean your bicycle:

• A garden hose
• Several buckets of water
• A watering can
• A low-pressure washer with a water tank (e.g. the Mobile Outdoor Cleaner from Kärcher)

The most important up front:

• Coarse dirt should be removed from your bike after every ride. Follow step 1 to 3 for instructions on how to do so.
• In the following steps, we'll give you everything you need to know to clean and care for your bike.

Our Tip: Take the time while cleaning your bike to check for any damange.

» For step 1, you'll need:

• Water with soap
• Brush and sponge
• Toothbrush
• Spray oil (WD-40)

» Proceed as follows:

1. Soak the frame and wheels with rinse water for about 10 to 20 minutes.
2. Scrub off stubborn dirt with a brush or sponge.
3. Clean the wheels from inside to outside (hubs - spokes - rims).
4. Then move to the cassette, cleaning the chain rings and front derailleur with a sponge or toothbrush. For persistent dirt, use WD-40 or a degreaser.
5. Be sure not to pressure clean nuts, screws or bearings, shocks or the suspension fork, so that no water or dirt enters and rusts the ball bearings.
6. Finally, rinse the bicycle with a detergent on a low pressure setting.

Important: Rinse the brush or sponge often to avoid scratching the paint with microscopic rocks and dirt.

In the video you can see exactly how to clean the derailleur:

» For step 2, you'll need:

• Rinsing water
• 2 cloths/rags
• WD-40
• Toothbrush(es)

» Here's how:

1. Dip a rag in water and grab the chain with it. Turn the crank so that the chain moves under your hand with the cloth.
2. For tough dirt, put a bit of WD-40 on another rag and run the chain through the rag in the same way.
3. Use a toothbrush to remove dirt between chain links.

Still not clear? The following video should give you an idea of what we mean:

» For step 3, you'll need:

• Fine sandpaper or steel wool
• Water for rinsing
• Brushes
• Cloths or rags
• Brake cleaner, if needed

» Here's how:

1. Disconnect the bicycle's brake. This will help you better clean. You can find out how this works in the assembly instructions of your bicycle.
2. Remove coarse dirt with rinse water and a brush.
3. Use steel wool to remove any rust, or for any bumps you can use fine sandpaper.
4. Clean the disc brake again of residues that result from the brake pads being grounded up, for this you can use brake cleaner if necessary.
5. Reassemble the brakes after they've dried.

The following video will show you the individual steps:

» For the 4th step, you'll need the following:

• Wet rags/cloths
• Grease

» Here are the steps:

1. Disconnect the brakes.
2. Unhook the front and back brakes at the tyres.
3. Shift down to the smallest gear.
4. Release the inner cables in the clamping area.
5. Take the entire cable out of the holders and move the outer cover to the side.
6. Clean the inner cableswith a damp cloth.
7. Give the inner cables a light coating of grease (Caution: Not with Teflon-coating!)
8. Reattach the brake cables.

In the following video, you'll see how to remove and grease the brakes:

The drier the bike and the individual parts, the better the oil will stick. You can also spray the frame with an anti-dirt oil, let it set for 5 minutes and then wipe it away after. The oil will help prevent dirt and dust from sticking to the frame.

Also grease your bicycle chain with oil or wax.

» When applying oil to the chain, you'll need:

• Chain oil or chain wax
• A cloth/rag

Make sure to apply grease sparingly. You can either apply the oil directly onto the chain parts or by pulling the chain through a rag with oil on it.

Here you can learn how to oil your bike chain:

Important: Be sure that no oil comes in contact with the brakes. Should this happen, remove the oil with a brake cleaner immediately.

Tough dirt should be removed with a brush and water after every trip.

It is best to clean your bike on asphalt or concrete in your backyard or driveway. If greasing or oiling, you should do such on a piece of cardboard to protect the ground from harmful chemicals. If you have a bathtub that is big enough, you can also clean your bicycle there.

Our tip: With a mounting stand, you can fix your bike at eye level and get into hard to reach places

Your bike is spick and span and ready for the next adventure? Make sure your bike fits you from head to toe. In our article „Getting the right bike for you“, you'll learn how to find the right bike for your size.

If you plan on biking through the Winter, we have some tips for winter biking.

So that the next bike tour doesn't fall flat, you can't go without a individualised personal jersey. In our 3D Designer you can creatively design high-quality jerseys - for mountain bikes and road bikes alike.

Image Credits: Title Image: Vera_Petrunina/iStock, Image 1: AscentXmedia/iStock, Image 2: ZimaNady_klgd/iStock, Image 3: Portra/iStock, Image 4: yanik88/iStock, Image 5: ZimaNady_klgd/iStock, Image 6: yanik88/iStock.