"Doug Purdy" wrote in message
ble.rogers.com...

Looking for your ideas, experience for cleaning bikes in the
winter.

I'm trying to get better organized to clean bikes in the winter.
So far my procedure is to intend to clean but never actually do it
and have major maintenance-replacement in the spring. Bike shops
are kind of busy then though so service is sporadically effective.

I don't have a garage for washing. I have a finished basement room
(walkout) for bikes. My backyard is patio and flower beds. The
laundry room has a drain but indoor-outdoor carpeting.

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.

I usually just wipe down with a rag, unless I've just come back from a muddy MTB
ride, and the bike is wet and muddy anyway. In that case washing is the best
solution. You can wipe down when the bike is wet, or after everything dries.
How well either one works depends on the kind of dirt you have. Clay-type dirt
sticks like concrete, but most road-type dirt practically falls off. Be careful
about scratching the paint with heavy grit though.

Some people use furniture polish (like Pledge) to clean their bike. It works,
and the layer of wax it leaves behind helps keep more dirt from sticking.
However, this is probably more suitable for light road dirt than heavy winter
mud and grit.

Chain cleaning options:
1) forget cleaning and learn how to do the spring
maintenance-replacement myself
2) change all chains to the easy disconnect type and remove &
clean them in a pop bottle.
3) clean on the bike & use a mat or plastic sheet to avoid
degreaser damage to floor walls & furniture

My latest solution is my favorite so far. I bought one of those big cans (like
a paint can) of parts cleaner from an auto parts store. It has a little
platform of wire mesh inside, for the parts to sit on, just like a full sized
parts cleaner at an auto repair shop. Just remove the chain and let it soak in
there while cleaning the rest of the bike. You'll want to agitate the chain a
few times while it's soaking. When done, pull it out, rinse it out in the sink,
let it dry, and relube. The cleaning solution remains in the can with the dirt
settling to the bottom, as a self-contained system, to be reused for years. So
there's nothing to dispose of until you move cross-country or something.
Someone else mentioned having two chains and rotating them. That could be a
good solution too.

For cleaning the rest of the drivetrain, I use a rag dampened with solvent or
WD40. If it's really bad, those parts will fit in the parts cleaner can too.

Matt O.