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In article ,
David L. Johnson wrote:
On Mon, 15 Dec 2003 05:17:04 +0000, Doug Purdy wrote:

Washing options I've thought of:
1) do nothing
2) take the bikes to the self car wash on the bike rack 3) run a hose from
the hot water beyond the patio and bed (my summer cleaning site)
4) take the indor-outdor out of the laundry room and try washing there
5) make the bike room watertight and buy a shop vac.

Washing is, IMO, not the best way to clean a bike. In particular, a
high-pressure spray of water, especially from a car-wash hose, is not
beneficial to bearings.

Unless the bike is very muddy, wipe it down with a (old) towel. Maybe you
can put a bit of light oil on the rag, if you avoid the rims and tires.
If your bike has paint, you could wax the frame. The rest is really
lubrication and maintenance, not washing like a car.

If it is muddy, let it dry and the mud will come off pretty easily.

_ Depends where you ride. Around here the mud turns to a concrete
like substance when it dries and is very hard to get off. If you
really ride in mud you want make sure and clean the brakes before
it dries. Dry mud leave behind a thin layer of grit that makes a
fine abrasive on your rims.

2) change all chains to the easy disconnect type and remove & clean them
in a pop bottle.

This gets my vote.


_ Me too. I think you can just get away with buying power links
for your current chains, but you can get a decent chain for $18.
Buy two and switch them every couple of weeks.

_ Booker C. Bense


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