Cleaning your bicycle
Tips for cleaning your bike

Any type of bicycle, whether its a mountain bike, race bike, or city bike, must be cleaned and maintained. Not only does result in a flawless appearance, regular maintenance will also ensure seamless functionality. Bike owners will find a rather large selection of different care and cleaning products on the market.

Next to the most important basics products for a deep clean, there are also special cleaning materials. With such a large array of products, it is easy to lose the overview, especially for beginners.

Cleaning and caring for your bike

If you love your bicycle and place value in a flawless appearance, then you should be regularly cleaning your beloved two-wheeler. This has its costs and also takes some time. But in exchange, your bicycle will always look great and you will know that you can always rely on your vehicle.

Only with the appropriate cleaning products will your bicycle frame and moving parts gleam for years to come. It is best that you buy a special protective wax or a modern cleaning product based in nano technology. Both products offer a reliable surface sealant. With a sealant, you can prevent corrosion damage to your bike and frustrating rust in the future. Cleaning products that serve as sealants should also be used on all critical parts. The stem, saddle clamp, and headset are especially sensitive to dust and grime.

You can find an effective silica spray in stores. This reliably prevents stubborn filth from adhering to your bicycle. For tough oil and fat residue, we recommend “Special Bike Fluids”. While cleaning and caring for your bike, don’t forget the chain. If your bike chain is in impeccable condition, it guarantees an optimal power transfer. But if you don’t care for your chain regularly, corrosion can become an issue. This has an adverse affect on the durability of the chain and its functionality. There are special chain sprays that offer reliable maintenance for your chain.

Lubricating with oil or spray?

You can’t forget the essential step of lubrication after the regular bike cleaning. The rear derailleur, front derailleur, chain, and chainrings need to be lubricated from time to time, otherwise the important bits will wear down. Generally, it’s good to use either a lubrication oil or a special spray for this purpose. In particular with the bike chain, it’s best to use a special chain spray. When you buy one, make sure it has strong adhesion and creep characteristics. This spray can also be used to lube the front and rear derailleur components. Maintenance oil is easier to apply precisely, since it usually comes in a dropper bottle.

Preventing Chips in the Paint

Flying stones and chain slaps can quickly lead to chips in the paint. And certainly don’t look very nice. You can prevent them with a compatible paint protector. You’ll find, among other things on the market, robust stickers. These can be easily adhered to the most vulnerable spots on your bike. For the sensitive chain stay area, it’s best to use a special neoprene sticker.

This best care for your bike

A complete and thorough clean is very important and should be done first, before you use any waxing or sealing products. It is best to use a special spray-on bicycle cleaner. Just let it briefly “soak in” and then rinse it off with water. Ideally, you should be washing your bike right after every tour, while the grime is still fresh and easier to remove.

But for cleaning your bike with water pressure, be sure to only use suitable instruments. If the pressure is too high, the water could get through the seals and into the bearings. This would destroy the bearing tread and result in corrosion. Also, never use your bike cleaner in blinding sunlight, so that it does not dry out right away.

Before you move on from cleaning your bicycle to applying wax and other products, your bike needs to be completely dry. This is so that the polish and lubricant products have a reliable hold. Make sure to only use compatible cleaning agents and stick to the usage recommendations of the manufacturer.

Repairs and maintenance are also important

In addition to cleaning your bicycle, you should also be maintaining and if necessary repairing it from time to time. There are plenty of products available for maintenance and repair work. Due to sharp stones, nails, and splinters, damage to your tyres can happen rather quickly. So make sure you always have a small repair set and an air pump with you on tours.

Repair sets are available for every type of bicycle and your set should definitely fit to your own bike. Quality, high-end repair kits come with a special vulcanising fluid. This will let you seal holes in your tube with a strong patch. And afterwards you can just continue with your tour. A further alternative is a self-adhesive repair patch kit. The repair patch set fits comfortably in every bag. You only need to press the patch to a roughened up spot. In just one minute, the tube is ready to go again. Small damages to your tyres can be reliably patched up from the inside with the tyre patches.