I just bought a new and much nicer road bike (an Orbea Orca) than my previous trusted Focus Culebro from 2012. I have maintained the old bike quite fine with both washing, cleaning and so on. But now that I have a new, and maybe more finicky (is that term correct?) bike, i would like to know what you all do for a maintenance routine with a midrange or highend carbon bike. Like normally i just use like dishsoap and some universal degreaser stuff on chain, but is it necessary to splurge on bikespecifik products (when i look it is a jungle out there on the guides and the webshops). So what is need to have to keep a clean and functioning bike.
No real special care required for a carbon bike other than cleaning the exterior regularly. I’ve used a number of different products including car wash soap and a car sponge, silca gear wipes, rags and gentle all purpose cleaners. They all worked fine depending on whether I had a yard or was living apartment life at the time. The key is to avoid any harsh cleaners that could harm the finish, resin of the frame, or aggressively strip lube from bearings.
You may want to consider chain waxing. I’m a fan because it makes less mess of the drivetrain, is faster, and chains/cassettes/chainrings all last longer. Up front investment is involved, but worth it IMHO.
Chain waxing is your friend. Seriously. Having a chain that is easy to clean, doesn’t need degreaser, doesn’t attract dirt, makes bike cleaning easy and quick. Plus a waxed chain + top up routine will significantly extend the life of your chain and drive train components
Agree that chain waxing is the biggest difference you can make to bike maintenance. Once that’s sorted I will wipe my frame and wheels down regularly with some kinda baby wipe or similar. If the ride is real grimey a hose and brush does the trick. Detergent very rarely but I just car wash stuff from the supermarket.
I agree that chain waxing is a good way to make bike cleaning much easier - just be aware that prepping the chain for waxing can be quite involved and/or expensive. Whether or not it’s worthwhile for you is a question only you can answer (what tips it for me is that I enjoy the tinkering process).
For bikes with oil-based chains I just use whatever cheap citrus degreaser I can find on the chain with an old toothbrush.
For cleaning frames I’ve been told by people into car washing that some dish soaps damage some paints. I suspect most folk would get away with it but car shampoo is cheap enough that it’s worth it to reduce that risk. The last bottle I bought cost a about £5 and looks set to last at least 5 years.
Thank you all for your great answers. Very appreciated.
I am a bit worried about what SteveC mentions at the end, that the wax thing is rather too timeconsuming. I live in an apartment and do not have a bikefixing room or shed to my disposal, so often it has to be rather effecient in our apartment blocks yard. BUt i foresee that for instance a wax melter would be something i would rarely use, given that i have to transport it up and down stairs with hot wax.
Waxing doesn’t need to be very time consuming or complicated. There are a lot of options and it can be a bit to get your head around at first, but once you’ve got a routine it is pretty straightforward. I also don’t think you would expect to be carrying hot wax around - I think most people who live in an apartment just leave the wax pot in their apartment. You need to take the chain off anyway!
Another option would be to buy a pre-waxed chain (various places sell them online - can provide recommendations based on your location), and then you can just use a drip wax thereafter.
Similarly, if you don’t want to attempt stripping a chain at home (which is arguably the most difficult step, and causes problems if you get it wrong), you can buy ready-to-wax chains.
If you haven’t listened to it already, there was some discussion on keeping bikes clean it flats/apartments on Geek Warning a while ago: Geek Warning: Apartment-dwelling bike washing
You might find that a wax-based drip lube like Silca Super Secret works for you. As far as cleanliness goes, they’re probably an even better bet for you than drip wax (which can leave a few flakes of excess wax here and there. The crux still remains getting a chain that is clean enough for the lube to adhere to. Silca and Ceramicspeed both have (quite expensive) chain stripping solutions, or you can go down the road of multiple rinsings in white spirit and denatured alcohol.
Another option that comes to mind is Rock N Roll lube. It acts as a chain cleaner and lube in one , and while it might not have the same performance as some of the newer wax lubes it’s and incredibly convenient way to have a clean, lubed chain. If it was still imported to the UK I would certainly still be using it on some of my bikes.
I’ve gone through the mineral spirits and isopropyl alcohol route for chain stripping, and it was a real hassle. These days I use UFO Drivetrain Cleaner. Takes 5 minutes and voila. Would highly recommend.
I started out with using the Silca hot wax in its bag (you can melt it in a pot of water on the stove) but would not recommend it. Either get a small cooker if you have space, or use drip.
I’m going against the grain of this thread. I have never waxed and have successfully used a chain lube for many years. I have never needed to use a degreaser on a chain. I really surprised of anyone that allows a chain to get to that point of needing degreaser. My lubed chain is easily always kept clean.
I have maintained three bikes (buddies) that went full wax. The 1st bailed after about 6 months, the other 2 made it almost a full year. Their bail was the comparative effort and time to properly wax. The 2nd reason (from them) was the noise experienced during wet rides.
My bikes & drive train are easily kept clean using traditional chain lube. I think wax is a wonderful opportunity for those who have the time and environment to run these.
I keep three chains and wax them in one shot once every 3 months. I use the silca drip wax between waxings to keep things running smooth.
With the drip wax and strip chips, waxing chains need not be a major chore. I live in Seattle so I do ride in the rain but stay inside if the rains are torrential. To each their own, but chain waxing keeps getting easier and easier.
For washing my bikes, car wash and a clean microfibre cloth, warm water and a hose. Depending on how filthy they are, maybe a hose down after a bad ride to get the worst off straight away or once a week on good weeks. By good I mean I’ve not ridden through mud, cow shit etc which is often found on my local roads.
After washing, blow down the brake calipers and pads area, along with the discs and then a spray with alcohol and wipe with papertowel to help keep things squeal free.
I wax my chains and if I’ve been caught out in rain or post wash, wipe the chain, blow it down with air to get the chain dry and Silca drip on wax with occasional hot wax treatments to keep it all spinning smoothly.
I just use a drip wax and honestly, it is no harder than using lubricant. I just stripped the chain with the Silca Chain cleaner whilst it’s on the bike using a regular chain cleaning device, then just double up on the drip wax before the first ride. After that, I use alcohol on a rag to run over the chain if the chain’s not long been waxed, and just keep riding the bike until the wax needs to be topped up. The bike cleaning routine is so much quicker when you’re not using oil - everything is ridiculously clean in comparison. This Silca video is really helpful if you’re interested in wax, but want to avoid the faff and hard yards of immersion waxing.
A quick wipe down and quick lube after almost every ride. The chain pretty much stays clean.
Perhaps supplementing this I start with three new chains and rotate them about every 600 (965 km) or so miles. Each each removal swap go into the ultrasonic cleaner. I do a multi-bath cleaning and usually get by with hot water and dish soap. For heavier automotive engine parts cleaning, I will use mineral spirits or a citrus cleaner