How to Clean a Mountain Bike

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

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Your mountain bike is an expensive piece of gear. Keep it clean between rides and you'll extend its life.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

Liquid Dish Soap
Garden Hoses
Rags
Sponges
Rags
Tri-Flow
Buckets
Sponges

Step1

Use a hose and your hands to remove any large chunks of dirt from the bike.

Step2

Remove the wheels and seat.

Step3

Put some dishwashing soap in a bucket and fill the bucket with warm water.

Step4

Take a clean rag (an old T-shirt works well), dunk it in the soapy water and give the entire frame a good scrub. Soap up as necessary.

Step5

Do the same with the wheels and the seat. Be sure to pull out mud from beneath the saddle and get the grime between wheel spokes.

Step6

Replace the wheels and seat.

Step7

Use the hose to rinse the soap from the bike.

Step8

Take a couple of dry rags and use them to dry off the bike and remove any remaining dirt.

Step9

Treat all moving parts with an oil-based lubricant like Tri-Flow once your bike is dry.

Tips & Warnings

Wash your bike immediately after a ride when the dirt and mud is fresh and easy to remove.

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Comments

gza2002 said

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on 1/8/2007 More about water pressure... the following areas are particularly sensitive to high pressure: hubs at the axle, pedals at the axle, linkage joints, some bottom brackets (the traditional 3 piece type, whether Ocatlink or ISIS splined...the newer 2 piece type are much less susceptible, if at all).

High pressure forces the lubricant out of these areas, leaving the surrounding metal with nothing to glide on except whatever dirt, mud etc. that the high pressure water forced in.

said

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on 11/22/2005 Hose down your bike carefully with low water pressure. Too much pressure can contaminate the bearings on wheels and inside the bottom bracket. Clean your bike with a bucket of warm soapy water and an assortment of brushes and rags.