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Clean Bike, Happy Bike. How to Clean your Bicycle.

06.13.2015 by Scott Jangro // 3 Comments

There are lots of reasons to keep your bike clean.

Less grime = less friction
Less friction = more faster
Less friction = less wear and tear

And don’t you want your bike to look good?

Know your Enemy: Where does the grime come from?

Well obviously, if you ride in the rain (or snow, you badasses) you’re getting mud, sand, and salt (in the Wintery places) all over your bike. That’s no good.

Even in dry weather, dust and pollen accumulates everywhere, into every nook and cranny. This dust acts like sandpaper.

Additionally, what you may not realize is that sweat drips onto your frame and drips down into places where the salt will eventually do damage. Don’t look at me like that. It adds up over thousands of miles. Seriously. And if you ride on trainer or rollers, it’s a million times worse. You can actually get a guard or “thong” for your bike to protect it from the sweat shower on the trainer, like the Blackburn Sweat Net.

Your entire bike should be kept clean, if nothing else to show that you take things seriously. But the majority of your cleaning efforts will be focused on your drive train.

Many people hose their bike down after every ride — it’s ok. Your bike can get wet. Or wipe it down with baby wipes. Not a bad idea. Even if you aren’t riding in sloppy, wet weather, dust and pollen accumulate on every surface and in every nook and cranny.

Depending on how often you ride, and how dirty it gets, you should give your bike a thorough cleaning fairly often. The most important part is the drivetrain. Greasy, sandy, grime accumulates there causing wear and tear on your chain and cranks. If you can hear your chain rubbing against the cranks, and a gritty sound when you turn the handlebars, you’ve waited way too long friend. You’ll be replacing parts sooner than you need to.

Before: Dirty, dirty, bike

Cleaning Products

There are lots of cleaning products out there to help you with this. You can get chain cleaning devices that clamp onto the chain, fill with cleaning fluid, and spinning brushes give it a good cleaning. You can also buy special purpose brushes and floss to get into the hard to reach places. I’ll provide a list of these at the bottom.

But when it comes down to it, all you really need is a thick cloth, or a paint brush (big and floppy to get lots of soap into deep places) a small brush (like an old toothbrush), and a thin plastic or wooden stick (like a barbeque skewer) to get into the tight spots, especially if it’s been a while and things are really gummed up.

And you need some sort of degreasing cleaning fluid. There are lots of special purpose cycling cleaning products, and feel free to try them out. But you’re probably spending too much money.

Many people swear by Simple Green. I’ve been using LA’s Totally Awesome All Purpose Cleaner. Both are inexpensive, and handy to have around for all sorts of cleaning projects.

How to Clean Your Bike

First of all, this whole process is much easier if you have a bike holder. Some might consider this a luxury, but this is just a great thing to have for lots of reasons. Definitely consider investing in one.

Remove all the removable stuff: saddlebag, water bottle, front tire, computer, etc.

Start with the dirty bits first. Get the cloth or paint brush sopped up with a water/degreaser mix and watch the chain and cranks. You should be able to get it all clean to the touch. This part is going to get everything else dirty.

Some people remove their chain and soak it. This is probably unnecessary, at least for us amateurs. You can give it a good cleaning by leaving everything on the bike.

From a wear and tear standpoint, be sure to get all the dirt out of the cogs, especially the small ones on the rear deraileur. You’ll be amazed at how gummed up they get. Spend some quality time in there with the stick and brush.

Use the stick, or even thick string or twine like dental floss, to get in between the gears on the back cassette if there’s some thick gunk in there. The goal is to get all of the black stuff out of there. Make it shine.

Next, just like washing a car, soap up the rest of the bike and clean it off. You’ll find greasy grit everywhere. Get it wet and it’ll wash out of the important places where it will cause problems.

Dry it off with a towel, or air compressor if you have one.

That’s it. Nothing terribly scientific about it. If you’re like me, you’ll find it very satisfying.

Clean.

Lube the Chain

The last step is to apply lubricant to the chain. This is a religious topic for many, and probably the topic for a separate post, but you basically have a choice between wet and dry lube, meaning what’s the environment you’re riding in. To me, we always have the chance of riding in wet, so I go with wet. I use Boeshield T-9. It’s waterproof and it cleans. I find the drip bottle to be more effective than the spray so it doesn’t get all over the rest of the bike when applying it. Read the instructions on the lube bottle. You may be surprised to see instructions for letting it dry for a few hours.

You don’t have to apply this every time, especially if you didn’t need to scrub a really dirty chain. One application of waterproof lube will last for hundreds of miles.

Watch Out for Sharp Parts

You may not realize that over thousands of miles, your cranks are getting sharpened by the chain to a razor sharp edge as they wear out. Be careful of this as you’re digging in there to get the greasy grim out. Or you might get bit.

Those are sharp!

If you’re going to be a cyclist, get used to the sight of blood.

Watch a pro do it.

Keep in mind, this bike was probably cleaned the day before, so he doesn’t need to dig as deep as you do to get out the grime that’s been accumulating for two months.


Get Some!

Park Tool Home Mechanic Repair Stand - PCS-9

Park Tool Home Mechanic Repair Stand – PCS-9

Seriously, one of the best cycling purchases I’ve ever made…

LA's Totally Awesome All Purpose Concentrated Cleaner, 32 oz

LA’s Totally Awesome All Purpose Concentrated Cleaner, 32 oz

Park Tool Chain Gang Cleaning Kit

Park Tool Chain Gang Cleaning Kit

You can buy all these cleaning tools separately. I bought all of these, but I just use that brush tool, mainly.

BOESHIELD T9 Lube

BOESHIELD T9 Lube

Band-Aid® Fabric Knuckle/Fingertip Bandages

Band-Aid® Fabric Knuckle/Fingertip Bandages

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Categories // Maintenance

20 Over 20: How to Get Fit Cycling Without Even Trying

06.09.2015 by Scott Jangro // Leave a Comment

I not only a bike noob. I’m a bike geek.

Part of what appeals to me so much about this sport is the technology and opportunities to measure and test and repeat. Bike computers and Strava have been the best things that ever happened to my physical fitness. Because every time I go out for a ride, I have incentive to push a little harder a little longer.

To keep myself pushing both up and down hills with no coasting, I watch my average speed. I’ve got my own goals and bars that I set for myself. Depending on the route I’m taking, I know that I should be able to average 18.5 or 19.0 or more.

A bar that’s pretty high for me is to average over 20 mph over 20 miles. I’ve done it lots of times in a group, but it’s tough to do solo, especially with some hills in the mix.

Sometimes everything comes together — a day of rest, some tailwinds, a well placed cyclist to chase down and get the competitive juices flowing — And today I was 11 miles in, at the point where the loop turns back toward home and I was averaging 20.5. I knew I had some good uphills to get back home plus headwinds, but at that point I committed myself to keep it above 20.

It was a struggle, especially with a few stop signs and traffic, but I pulled it off. And the workout I got was like when I’m chasing down the crazy-good cyclists in the local club A group rides.

I pushed harder, got a better workout, just by playing head games with myself. That extra effort to simply keep the average up over an arbitrary number turned a good workout into an amazing one. And I get all the bonus accomplishment feels to go with it.

None of this would be possible without a good bike computer to keep tabs on the numbers. I have a Garmin Edge 510 paired up with a heart rate monitor and cadence/speed sensor. There are lots of alternatives. Even your smart phone running Strava will do the job. Though you need a handlebar mount for your phone to be able to watch the numbers.

And if you don’t use Strava, give it a try. If you’re worried about how you look to your friends and others, don’t. You don’t have to compete with anybody but yourself. Your goals are your goals. You don’t have to compare. Just be honest with yourself.

There is, however, something to be said about the accountability and support you get interacting with a community like Strava. Getting comments and kudos (likes) go a long way.

If you’re going for fitness this is how to do it. You have to push. No coasting. And lay off the “granny gears”. With all due respect to actual grannies.

Get Some!

Here are some of the things mentioned in this article.

Garmin Edge 510 GPS Bundle And Mount

Garmin Edge 510 GPS Bundle And Mount

The Garmin Edge 510 Bundle Version comes with a premium heart rate monitor and speed/cadence sensor, along with all the trimmings of the regular 510.
Running and Cycling GPS Tracker, Performance Analytics, Maps, Clubs and Competition | Strava

Running and Cycling GPS Tracker, Performance Analytics, Maps, Clubs and Competition | Strava

Connect with a global community of athletes and train like never before. By signing up for Strava, you agree to the Terms of Service. View our Privacy Policy.

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Categories // Uncategorized

How to Repair a Cut Bicycle Tire for $1

06.08.2015 by Scott Jangro // 4 Comments

Flats happen.

And we’re all prepared for a flat with a spare tube, patch kit, CO2 cartridges or pump. Right?

But have you ever seen a tire split or get cut enough so that it doesn’t hold the tube? At 100 psi, a tire will push its way out of even a small cut in the tire and will burst. And if you’ve already used your spare tube (because your tire is cut and you just had a blowout) you’ll quickly blow the second one while inflating it.

I know. Because I’ve done it.

Here’s an important tip: when you get a flat, try your best to determine the cause. If you can, find the hole in the tube, and match it up with the tire. At least inspect the tire very well for something sharp (glass, wire, metal) poking through the tire. Slide your hand through the entire inside of the tire to feel for something sharp. Something caused the flat, and if you can’t figure it out, be very suspicious.

Types of Flats

There are many different types of flats:

  • Puncture: glass shard or metal wire
  • Pinch-flat: hitting a pot hole or rock. Sometimes called a snake-bite because the tube has two holes close together.
  • Tire damage: split tire or cut sidewall
  • Blowout from heat: Too much braking on a carbon rim can melt your tube or even the tire. (Or worse, warp your rim – ouch!)
  • Damaged valve: most likely caused when inflating, not riding.

Tire damage is the worst kind to get because we usually don’t carry spare tires around with us as they’re pretty bulky. Though you can get a folding tire into your pocket for longer rides.

How to temporarily patch up a cut or split tire

If you do get a split in your tire, there’s an easy fix that should get you home. Just take a dollar bill, fold it up, and insert it into the tire to cover up the cut. Get it in place between the tube and the tire and inflate.

If you don’t have a bill, a Gu wrapper, or some piece of strong flexible plastic will do the trick.

I always carry a dollar bill around in my saddle bag for this purpose.

This technique is called a “boot”. It is obviously not a permanent fix, but it’ll more than get you home or even to the end of your century ride.

Here’s a cut sidewall. You can see it between the two s’s in “Pressure”. And here’s the bill in place. (This is after we got home, we’re taking it apart at this point.)

Fold up the bill so that it fits into the full width of the tire. The tube will hold it in place.

Here’s the cut sidewall, fully inflated, kept intact with the five dollar bill.

Many things can go wrong with a bike when you’re out on the road, and most of them can be handled with just a little preparation, ingenuity, and out-of-the-box thinking.

Because there’s nothing like a two-hour round trip for your spouse to sour him or her to your favorite pastime.

We’ll cover more of these MacGuyver techniques in future posts.

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Categories // tires

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