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In short, failing to wash your bike (particularly after riding in wet conditions) allows the dirt and grime to build up. As your bike trundles along, that grime and grit rubs against your components, wearing them out unnecessarily. Instead of a brake pad hitting a clean shiny rim, it’s being exfoliated by small pieces of grime. And unlike the Champneys spa, exfoliation is never a phrase you want to associate with bicycles.
Rims
Adjusted your brakes but still can’t get rid of that squeak? Dirty rims could well be the guilty culprit. Grab a couple of rags and some degreaser or rubbing alcohol and remove your wheels. Either spray degreaser on both sides of the rims, or dab the rag in some alcohol and get cleaning. Even with rims that appear clean, you’ll be surprised by just how black your rag will become.
Drivetrain
As soon as your shifting feels less precise, or you’re hearing a slightly grainy noise when turning your cranks, it’s time to clean that drivetrain. You’ve got a couple of options here. You can either - option A - grab a couple of old toothbrushes, some degreaser and clean your drivetrain whilst it’s still on your bike. Or, option B, completely remove it, giving it a long old soak.
Option A: If you want to save those aforementioned pennies, white spirit can work, but we reckon it’s worth investing in a drivetrain cleaner. Muc-off do some great degreasers which also happen to be biodegradable - a gold star for you muc-off.
All you need to do is spray your degreaser over your cassette, chain and inside of the chain rings, trying to remove as much muck as you can with the brush. Make sure to pull your chain away from the jockey wheels too, giving them a good scrub. Dry everything off with a rag and remember to relube your chain.
If you don’t want to remove your drivetrain, you could purchase a chain cleaner to help you out.
Option B: You’ll need a chain whip, cassette removal tool and crank puller (or preload tool depending on your cranks). You’ll first need to remove your drivetrain. This is a whole other blog post in itself, so why not hop onto GCN's YouTube channel. They do a series of tutorials on removing each components of your drivetrain. For any budding mechanics out there, GCN’s are some of the best tutorials on YouTube.
Grab an old kitchen bowl or bucket and pop all your components in, pouring in just enough degreaser until they’re nearly covered (you can buy several litres of degreaser off of amazon for £10). We’d leave them to soak overnight, coming back in the morning to scrub off the remaining grime. Make sure to dispose of the degreaser sensibly, rather than just pouring it down the sink where it will cause blockages - we’re here to save your bike and your marriage.
Dry off your components with an old rag or kitchen towel and pop them back onto the bike, making sure to relube your chain. On a side note, they say the best way to protect your drivetrain is wipe down your chain after every ride. We’re also supposed to eat 5 pieces of fruit and veg a day and consume less coffee, so let’s be realistic here. However it is a good point to clean it up fairly regularly and prevent it clogging.
