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Ten top tips on how to clean your bike
Whether you’re an avid cyclist, love getting on the bike with the kids, or are just getting into the saddle, keeping your bike clean from grease, grime, dust, and dirt is key to the longevity and life of your bike.
After exercise, an adventure or muddy trail rides, these tips on the perfect bike clean will have you set for adventure whenever the moment takes you.
1. Get your tools ready – you’ll need the following before you’re ready to start cleaning:
> Sponges and cloths
> Rags
> Toothbrush & large soft bristle brush
> Buckets of water & washing up liquid or specialized bike cleaner/cleaning fluid
> Bucket of clean water
> A hose (if using this to rinse)
> Elbow Grease® All Purpose Degreaser
> Bike chain lubricant
2. Rinse your bike – whether it’s caked in mud from the trails or just looking a bit worse for wear, start off by rinsing your bike with some clean water; a sponge or a light spray with a hose will do. This will help loosen off any hanging debris.
3. Clean the chain– for the chain, you’ll need to use a degreaser. A degreaser will remove that old oil and get rid of that grime. Grab your Elbow Grease® All Purpose Degreaser and spray over the chain and turn the cranks backward, making sure all links are coated. Let it sit for five to 10 minutes, and then run the chain through a cloth to take away the old oil. Give it a gentle scrub, and if needed, use some warm water and washing-up liquid or a bike cleaning fluid to give it a final clean.
4. Clean the drivetrain, cassette, derailleurs and chainrings – apply some more Elbow Grease® All Purpose Degreaser onto these parts, let it sit briefly and then scrub lightly. Using a toothbrush on the chainrings will help to get into all of the teeth, pulleys, and rings and give it a good clean-off. Once clean, give it all a rinse with clean water.
5. Clean the brake pads – all brake pads will need a clean, but this is especially important for rim breaks. Give them a wash with soapy water or bike cleaner and then wipe. If you’ve got disc brakes, make sure to use a suitable cleaner.
6. Clean the frame– now that you’ve cleaned off the oily parts of the bike, give the frame some love with a clean bucket of water and a sponge. Scrub off the dirt and grime working from the front of the bike to the back, and rinse with clean water.
7. Focus on the wheels – using the water from the frame clean, grab your larger soft bristle brush and get to work scrubbing the wheels, making sure to get into all the indents. Start on the front wheel at the valve so you’ve got a good marker, and scrub all the way around the wheel, the spokes and the hub and then head to the other side of your bike to clean the opposite side. Do the same on the back wheel and then rinse with some clean water.
8. Dry it – Your bike should now look good to go, so give it a dry off with a clean, dry rag or let air dry before the next step.
9. Re-lubricate to stop rust on the chain – now that you’ve washed off the old oil, you’ll need to re-lubricate the chain to stop rust and keep your bike moving. Grab a high-quality bike chain lubricant and apply it to the chain.
10. Post clean tip – now that you’ve spent all that time cleaning your bike, protect it for longer while you’re cycling by applying a bike polish to help dirt and debris slide off instead of sticking to the frame; that way, you can admire your hard work for longer!
About Elbow Grease® All Purpose Degreaser
Elbow Grease® is the truly fantastic No.1 Degreaser for use all around the home. The ultimate power-degreasing properties of this cleaner make it the only cleaner you will ever need.
The Degreaser works by cutting through the grease, breaking up the grime and then dispersing it. It's easy and effective application means that users can simply use a cloth or scourer with normal, soapy water to rinse off the residue. The Degreaser can also be diluted prior to application down to one quarter for when dealing witha large surface area.
Elbow Grease® All Purpose Degreaser is ideal for removing grease from fabrics, metals, and plastics and cleans pots, pans, kitchen tops, ovens, microwaves, showers, sinks and BBQs. Its industrial strength solution means it is even able to clean greasy bike chains and vehicle parts.
Richard Shonn, Managing Director – Elbow Grease®
Ten top tips on how to clean your bike
Whether you’re an avid cyclist, love getting on the bike with the kids, or are just getting into the saddle, keeping your bike clean from grease, grime, dust, and dirt is key to the longevity and life of your bike.
After exercise, an adventure or muddy trail rides, these tips on the perfect bike clean will have you set for adventure whenever the moment takes you.
1. Get your tools ready – you’ll need the following before you’re ready to start cleaning:
> Sponges and cloths
> Rags
> Toothbrush & large soft bristle brush
> Buckets of water & washing up liquid or specialized bike cleaner/cleaning fluid
> Bucket of clean water
> A hose (if using this to rinse)
> Elbow Grease® All Purpose Degreaser
> Bike chain lubricant
2. Rinse your bike – whether it’s caked in mud from the trails or just looking a bit worse for wear, start off by rinsing your bike with some clean water; a sponge or a light spray with a hose will do. This will help loosen off any hanging debris.
3. Clean the chain– for the chain, you’ll need to use a degreaser. A degreaser will remove that old oil and get rid of that grime. Grab your Elbow Grease® All Purpose Degreaser and spray over the chain and turn the cranks backward, making sure all links are coated. Let it sit for five to 10 minutes, and then run the chain through a cloth to take away the old oil. Give it a gentle scrub, and if needed, use some warm water and washing-up liquid or a bike cleaning fluid to give it a final clean.
4. Clean the drivetrain, cassette, derailleurs and chainrings – apply some more Elbow Grease® All Purpose Degreaser onto these parts, let it sit briefly and then scrub lightly. Using a toothbrush on the chainrings will help to get into all of the teeth, pulleys, and rings and give it a good clean-off. Once clean, give it all a rinse with clean water.
5. Clean the brake pads – all brake pads will need a clean, but this is especially important for rim breaks. Give them a wash with soapy water or bike cleaner and then wipe. If you’ve got disc brakes, make sure to use a suitable cleaner.
6. Clean the frame– now that you’ve cleaned off the oily parts of the bike, give the frame some love with a clean bucket of water and a sponge. Scrub off the dirt and grime working from the front of the bike to the back, and rinse with clean water.
7. Focus on the wheels – using the water from the frame clean, grab your larger soft bristle brush and get to work scrubbing the wheels, making sure to get into all the indents. Start on the front wheel at the valve so you’ve got a good marker, and scrub all the way around the wheel, the spokes and the hub and then head to the other side of your bike to clean the opposite side. Do the same on the back wheel and then rinse with some clean water.
8. Dry it – Your bike should now look good to go, so give it a dry off with a clean, dry rag or let air dry before the next step.
9. Re-lubricate to stop rust on the chain – now that you’ve washed off the old oil, you’ll need to re-lubricate the chain to stop rust and keep your bike moving. Grab a high-quality bike chain lubricant and apply it to the chain.
10. Post clean tip – now that you’ve spent all that time cleaning your bike, protect it for longer while you’re cycling by applying a bike polish to help dirt and debris slide off instead of sticking to the frame; that way, you can admire your hard work for longer!
About Elbow Grease® All Purpose Degreaser
Elbow Grease® is the truly fantastic No.1 Degreaser for use all around the home. The ultimate power-degreasing properties of this cleaner make it the only cleaner you will ever need.
The Degreaser works by cutting through the grease, breaking up the grime and then dispersing it. It's easy and effective application means that users can simply use a cloth or scourer with normal, soapy water to rinse off the residue. The Degreaser can also be diluted prior to application down to one quarter for when dealing witha large surface area.
Elbow Grease® All Purpose Degreaser is ideal for removing grease from fabrics, metals, and plastics and cleans pots, pans, kitchen tops, ovens, microwaves, showers, sinks and BBQs. Its industrial strength solution means it is even able to clean greasy bike chains and vehicle parts.
Richard Shonn, Managing Director – Elbow Grease®
