Why wash your bike? Keeping your bike clean comes with a bunch of benefits. The biggest bonus is that clean, properly lubed components roll smoother and last longer without grit wearing them down.

When you’re cleaning your bike, it also gives you a chance to notice any potential minor maintenance issues before they become big problems. Plus, stuff like fixing a dropped chain is way nicer (and easier) to do on a clean bike than a sandy, greasy, muddy one.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

Heads up: cleaning a bike gets a little messy, so leave your good jeans and favourite t-shirt out of the equation. Wear something that can get grubby. Expect to take about 15 minutes once you’ve gathered your supplies; it might be a little longer for your first cleaning.

• Dirty bike
• A place to wash it – you can lean your bike against a fence or hook the seat over a low-hanging branch
• Clean rags – strips of old cotton towels, t-shirts or even socks work great
• Chain lube
• Degreaser / chain cleaning liquid
• Chain cleaning tool (optional)
• Bike cleaning brushes – an old toothbrush can work in a pinch
• Bike wash or good quality biodegradable dishsoap
• Bucket or 2 of warm water
• Hose (optional)

HOW TO WASH YOUR BIKE

Important: Keep lube away from disc brake pads and rotors. Some people even cover them with a plastic bag and elastic bands.

WASH AND SCRUB

If you’re using a hose, go gentle. Don’t blast your bike with high-pressure water or you could jam grit deeper in or get water in your bearings (bad).

1. Get sudsy: Top up your bucket with warm water. If you’re using detergent, add a small amount to get bubbles going.
2. Wet the frame: Give your frame an once-over with water from the hose or bucket to get the worst of the mud off.
3. Spray on cleaner: If you’re using bike wash, spray it on the frame. Read the directions to see how long to let it sit for.
4. Gently scrub: Use a large bike cleaning brush to scrub the bike wash, or to scrub your warm soapy water on your bike. Don’t forget the bottom bracket, cassette and wheels. As you scrub, keep an eye out for cracks or damage you may not have noticed before.
5. Rinse: Rinse off all the bike wash or soap with the hose, clean water from a bucket, or a water bottle filled with clean water.
6. Towel off the frame: With a clean dry towel.

THEN CLEAN YOUR CHAIN AND CASSETTE

1. Degrease cassette: Use a gear cleaning brush or old toothbrush dipped in degreaser to clean your cassette sprockets.
2. Degrease chain: For light chain cleaning, soak a clean rag in some degreaser. For filthier chains, use a chain-cleaning tool with degreaser.
3. Wipe off degreaser: Thoroughly rinse degreaser off with water, and wipe chain dry with a clean rag.
4. Lube your chain: Don’t go overboard with chain lube. Lightly drag the lube nozzle over the dry chain to get one drop on every link (spin the pedals at the same time).
5. Wipe off excess lube: Grab a clean, dry rag and wipe the chain to remove excess lube.

Note: If there’s lots of grime embedded in your chain, it might be time for a good soaking. Take the chain off entirely, fill an old container with some degreaser and soak your chain in it for a few minutes. Make sure to rinse the chain well before you re-install it on your bike.