can a bike be "over-cleaned"?ie cleaned too much?

[L.T.G]

I love my bike being clean and shiny just as much as love her being barely recognizable after an awesome ride!

 

 

 

After a good ride, i'll do my best to wash and shine her up, taking

care to not use pressure to force water into where it shouldn't be.

 

Once dry, she'll be Mr. Min'd  to the tee, properly lubed and then put in the bike room till next time.

 

 

 

now, for me..this in normal...

 

 

 

I know i'm pretty anal, eg:- i'll check my car and house doors a

million times before  convincing myself they're locked, so yes, there

is an aroma of OCD in the air when i'm around,

 

 it freaked my mind how many people i noticed at the Silverstar on Sat

with flithy bikes. some looking like they'd been ridden on the way

there, no worries for me there, others like they'd had a great couple

of km's ripped onto them the day before, still minimal worries for me

there (yet i wouldn't be able to not clean before) but some came

looking like they'd never been cleaned before!!ever i felt so sorry for

them...the bikes that is.

 

 

 

Now, I'm not judging those people,  it's their bikes, but it made me wonder if I perhaps, "over-clean" my bikes?

 

[shimano 105]

Do u clean them after practices 2?

[Slowbee]

bikes are made to be ridden.

 

they are made to be dirty.

 

clean them every now and then when I cant see the brand name for all the dirt

[skaduwee]

It depends on your amount of riding.. i only ride my bike weekends, during the week its running/gym/spinning. I always clean my road bike the night before a race and then it stays clean through out the rest of my weekends on the road until the next night before a race. If i rode in the rain or through water on the road i would clean it off after.

 

 

 

My mtb.. cant really be bothered cleaning that, it looks better dirty anyways. I Just hose off and re-lube.

 

 

 

I'm a roadie, that's probably why i don't care/clean it like i do with my road bike.

[Christopher Brunsdon]

Agree with Slowbee. I give my dirty girl a good scrub about once a month as I mostly just commute with her.

 

Another hubber has gotten me into the habit of cleaning her after I've had her on the trails - makes a difference. I just scrub her down with a brush and hose. Let her drip dry in the sun and then I might spray some Mr Min - I find Mr Min helps to keep the mud off.

 

[Bos]

I try stay away with water as much as possible.. If I can get away with it I sctub the dirt and dust off with a little hand broom. then take a damp cloth and wipe off excess dust.

 

Water is evil.. it washes dirt into your seals- bb-pivots- cables- etc etc.

[TNT1]

oh... I thought it said "can a bike be oven cleaned too much" I would have said yes to that.

[tomic]

L.T.G

 My wife buys a case of mr min  a month just for our bikes  2 MTB and one road I can relate with you a typical training weekend is ride Sat morning home clean bikes polish relube a few extra wipe downs with Mr Min put to bed and do it all again the next day,my riding mates actually take bets to whether I will arrive at the ride on a dirty bike they have never won,so bike OCD rules O mr min has done 2 epics with me as well everyday same drill clean lube shine

[L.T.G]

 

oh... I thought it said "can a bike be oven cleaned too much" I would have said yes to that.

 

 

[L.T.G]

 

L.T.G

 My wife buys a case of mr min  a month just for our bikes  2 MTB and one road I can relate with you a typical training weekend is ride Sat morning home clean bikes polish relube a few extra wipe downs with Mr Min put to bed and do it all again the next day' date='my riding mates actually take bets to whether I will arrive at the ride on a dirty bike they have never won,so bike OCD rules O mr min has done 2 epics with me as well everyday same drill clean lube shine

[/quote']

 

 

[The expat cyclist]

Strange but true: My road bike has more dirt on it than my MTB! And I am not talking DUST from hanging in the garage!!!

[JohnnyReggae]

I don't see the point of cleaning it actually. My Mountain Uni is made to take the knocks and deal with dirt. In the 21 months that I've had my beast I have never cleaned it   In fact the only water it's seen is when I ride through puddles or in the rain. It gets cleaned by mother nature 

[IdeJongh]

LTG, I get that!  I wondered about this overcleaning thing as well, but cant sleep if i know there is mud and crap clogging up my back cluster (yes i can think of a million jokes about that line as well, feel free to fire).  The rest of the frame, Im not too worried, but the moving parts must be clean.

[SwissVan]

I love my bike being clean and shiny just as much as love her being barely recognizable after an awesome ride!

After a good ride' date=' i'll do my best to wash and shine her up, taking care to not use pressure to force water into where it shouldn't be.
Once dry, she'll be Mr. Min'd  to the tee, properly lubed and then put in the bike room till next time.

now, for me..this in normal...

I know i'm pretty anal, eg:- i'll check my car and house doors a million times before  convincing myself they're locked, so yes, there is an aroma of OCD in the air when i'm around,
 it freaked my mind how many people i noticed at the Silverstar on Sat with flithy bikes. some looking like they'd been ridden on the way there, no worries for me there, others like they'd had a great couple of km's ripped onto them the day before, still minimal worries for me there (yet i wouldn't be able to not clean before) but some came looking like they'd never been cleaned before!!ever i felt so sorry for them...the bikes that is.

Now, I'm not judging those people,  it's their bikes, but it made me wonder if I perhaps, "over-clean" my bikes?
[/quote']

 

As long as you have the time to do this and dont cause damage (polish the paint off ) then its great. I dont mind if my bikes are a bit dirty especialy the mtb but I'm lazy when it comes to cleaning stuff so I hardly ever have the time...

It is nice to arrive at the start line with a nice clean bike, kind of like going to work with your shoes clean / polished or not.

 

 

 

 

[JPW#]

Its time to move to the Karoo, there you can relax, a decent house cost you 200k and you dont have to ever lock your doors.

[Bos]

I love my bike being clean and shiny just as much as love her being barely recognizable after an awesome ride!

After a good ride' date=' i'll do my best to wash and shine her up, taking care to not use pressure to force water into where it shouldn't be.
Once dry, she'll be Mr. Min'd  to the tee, properly lubed and then put in the bike room till next time.

now, for me..this in normal...

I know i'm pretty anal, eg:- i'll check my car and house doors a million times before  convincing myself they're locked, so yes, there is an aroma of OCD in the air when i'm around,
 it freaked my mind how many people i noticed at the Silverstar on Sat with flithy bikes. some looking like they'd been ridden on the way there, no worries for me there, others like they'd had a great couple of km's ripped onto them the day before, still minimal worries for me there (yet i wouldn't be able to not clean before) but some came looking like they'd never been cleaned before!!ever i felt so sorry for them...the bikes that is.

Now, I'm not judging those people,  it's their bikes, but it made me wonder if I perhaps, "over-clean" my bikes?
[/quote']

 

As long as you have the time to do this and dont cause damage (polish the paint off ) then its great. I dont mind if my bikes are a bit dirty especialy the mtb but I'm lazy when it comes to cleaning stuff so I hardly ever have the time...

It is nice to arrive at the start line with a nice clean bike, kind of like going to work with your shoes clean / polished or not.

 

 

 

 

 

DUDE!!, My house mate is like this and It pisses me off soooo much! he stands at the effing door for like 2-3 minutes feeling if its closed, he is going to pull the darn Doorknob off the door if he goes onn like that. then its the security gates turn.. again.. 2-3 minutes, by the time he is done Im so irritated I just want to leave!!! my Gosh If I lock it, I feel the key turn, I check it onec- ITS LOCKED! If we go ride and he locks up, I have done 3 or 4 warmup laps around the block by the time he comes out..