Cleaning/washing my first bike for the very first time

**redridernl** · 08-02-2011, 10:29 PM

I spray it on a shop towel and wipe the rim.

**Smutty** · 08-03-2011, 11:59 PM

so how did it go?

**Corsara** · 08-04-2011, 07:55 AM

Originally Posted by Smutty

so how did it go?

Not too good unfortunately

The overall washing part didn't wash much...i guess just spraying with water and then wiping off doesn't do the trick.

The cleaning of the chain with kerosene---failure due to the fact that I had trouble applying the kerosene. I was soaking a towel, then running it on the chain, but felt like it's not really soaking the chain this way. Had to spray with WD40...

Previously I read that cleaning the chain is going to be messy, so I expected the kerosene/WD40 to be messy and I was well prepared.. what do I know---when I started spraying the lube, omg, I stained the garage floor, I got it on the tires....failure

To top this off, the next morning I decided the chain is too tight and need to be loosened up, and after I couldn't unscrew the axle bolt myself no matter what I tried, I rode the bike to the motorcycle shop. In the middle of the trip, as well as on the trip back, it started raining really hard... all the washing in vain, all the lubing in vain...what do I say.... failure

**smergy** · 08-04-2011, 09:37 AM

This is how I do it

1.) wash bike with garden hose, then use a bucket and one of those big yellow peanut sponges you get at CT ($2) to get the bugs off
2.) I would not recommend using a leaf blower for drying, your going to end up spraying debris/dust all over your bike, not to mention a towel is faster. A bike is not a large vehicle, I suggest using an old bath towel and wiping it off by hand
3.) gloves are good, i never both b/c i'm lazy, but you really should
4.) I would would just put a shop towel over a jug of keroseen and flip it upside down once or twice. Use this to clean the rim (good luck using water and soap, it will still look dirty, especially if its black). After your done with the kerosene, then use a liberal amount soap+water to get the kerosene off (repels water)
5.) I recommend either unmounting the rear wheel (not every wash of course) to get chain slack and bathing the slack in kerosene, slowly rotating it over 30 min, or leaving the wheel on and using a toothbrush + kerosene (safety googles a must, + other safety gear), place some shop towels on the ground . Simply wiping it wiht a rag will remove all the crap from the outside of the chain, but that is not the part you are concerned about. You want to make sure you get the INSIDE of the chain, where the metal wears.
6.) put 2 layers of wax on the bike, just to help protect things, only takes 5 min.
7.) go for a ride, with a warm chain, lube it. Good to ride in about 30 min.

Originally Posted by Corsara

Kerosene found in the camping section of CT successfully, many thanks!

I'm the OP btw. So, after reading everything and taking into account all of your advice and all, I can't wait to finish work and get on with my first cleaning

Here's what I'll do as a first-time wash, basic washing, here's the new sequence:

1) Wash bike with just plain water from the garden hose

2) Dry the bike with some clothes and leaf blower

3) Put nitrile gloves on my hands

4) Soak a shop towel with kerosene

5) Use it to wipe the chain

6) Use clean shop towels to wipe off the dirt and kerosene from the chain

7) Soak another towel with WD40 and use it to wipe the wheels

Warm up the bike by riding it for 20 or so minutes

9) Lube the chain

10) let sit overnight

How does that sound?

**matthew** · 08-04-2011, 11:55 AM

buy a cheap spray bottle for $1 and pour the kerosene in there

honestly, its just washing a vehicle and spraying it with chemicals, it shouldnt require this much thought

**kickstartt** · 08-04-2011, 01:00 PM

what about polishing, then waxing after washing...? Gotta make it spit shine~

**robertojiang** · 08-04-2011, 01:16 PM

This is what I do...

Cleaning Bike
1. Hose your bike down with water
2. Take 2 buckets of water, 1 containing your soap and 1 containing pure water
3. Wash your bike with container #1 and rinse off the sponge every now and then in container #2 (prevents getting any rocks or sand being embedded in the sponge and scratching your paint job)
4. Clean wheels using a sponge, toothbrush for small crevices and spraybottle with soap
5. Rinse Clean using a hose
6. Use a shammy or waffleweave microfibre to dry up the bike
7. At this point, you can apply your scratch removal compound (if necessary), polish and wax and wax again for better protection and shine or you can skip this (done every month or other month depending on how good your wax is)

Lube Chain
1. Lay out some cardboard over the ground and roll your chain area over it
2. Put your bike onto a rear wheel spool stand or whatever you use to elevate the rear wheel
3. Clean chain by putting your kerosene in a dollar store spray bottle and spritzing the chain while scrubbing it with a toothbrush
4. Roll wheel, rinse and repeat until you have gone through the entire chain -- Make sure you get both the top and bottom of the chain
5. Spray another coat on the chain and wipe off excess with a shop towel. No need to run it as it should be fairly lubricated and even due to wiping it off.

Clean Wheels (I don't normally do this)
1. Put front wheel on a stand as well as rear wheel
2. Wheel's should've been cleaned when you wash your bike (make sure to get nooks and cranny with a different toothbrush when cleaning rims)
3. Spray WD40 on a shop towel and wipe the wheel evenly

**09/D-675** · 08-04-2011, 02:22 PM

What should he lube the chain with?

Originally Posted by robertojiang

This is what I do...

Cleaning Bike
1. Hose your bike down with water
2. Take 2 buckets of water, 1 containing your soap and 1 containing pure water
3. Wash your bike with container #1 and rinse off the sponge every now and then in container #2 (prevents getting any rocks or sand being embedded in the sponge and scratching your paint job)
4. Clean wheels using a sponge, toothbrush for small crevices and spraybottle with soap
5. Rinse Clean using a hose
6. Use a shammy or waffleweave microfibre to dry up the bike
7. At this point, you can apply your scratch removal compound (if necessary), polish and wax and wax again for better protection and shine or you can skip this (done every month or other month depending on how good your wax is)

Lube Chain
1. Lay out some cardboard over the ground and roll your chain area over it
2. Put your bike onto a rear wheel spool stand or whatever you use to elevate the rear wheel
3. Clean chain by putting your kerosene in a dollar store spray bottle and spritzing the chain while scrubbing it with a toothbrush
4. Roll wheel, rinse and repeat until you have gone through the entire chain -- Make sure you get both the top and bottom of the chain
5. Spray another coat on the chain and wipe off excess with a shop towel. No need to run it as it should be fairly lubricated and even due to wiping it off.

Clean Wheels (I don't normally do this)
1. Put front wheel on a stand as well as rear wheel
2. Wheel's should've been cleaned when you wash your bike (make sure to get nooks and cranny with a different toothbrush when cleaning rims)
3. Spray WD40 on a shop towel and wipe the wheel evenly

**robertojiang** · 08-04-2011, 02:35 PM

Step 3. Kerosene

like others have said, you can get a jug at Canadiantires in the camping section and it will last you for years.

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**EngineerJoe** · 08-04-2011, 02:40 PM

So how often do you guys clean the bike?

**robertojiang** · 08-04-2011, 02:49 PM

Lube after every 3-4 rides, wash bi-weekly or do both the day after a rainy ride.

Washing is all up to personal preference. Some people don't do it at all and let the rainy day wash their bike. It's all about how much you care for your toys.

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**Surein** · 08-06-2011, 09:47 PM

so you lube it with kerosene?

**robertojiang** · 08-07-2011, 10:39 AM

I only lube the chain with kerosene. I have other products to clean and shine the wheels and trim (car detailing products).

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**dricked** · 08-07-2011, 12:19 PM

Lube with kerosene?

**short stop** · 08-07-2011, 01:52 PM

I wouldn't imagine kerosene makes for very good lubrication. You might want to reconsider how you're maintaining your chain.

**CruisnGrrl** · 08-09-2011, 08:54 AM

no one mentioned it, but keep the wd40 away from your rotors and brakes.. wd40 is for water displacement, not lubing, not cleaning.

cleaning the chain, get a chain cleaning brush, like the 3 sided ones or the tirox one. use a hard tooth brush if you have nothing else.

for lubing the chain I use gear oil on the street bike and chain wax on the track bike. I believe the gear oil gives better lubing properties but the chain wax makes less mess on my tire warmers and everywhere else.

for cleaning rims I like to spray brake cleaner on a rag (wear gloves) and wipe down the rim. rinse after. this will get rid of the brake dust.

for the bike plastics its self nothing beats hot soapy water... and elbow grease.