Washing Dirty Bikes When its Cold Outside

[bobscott]

I don't mind riding when it's cold and wet. But the wash outside afterwards is a drag. Currently I am avoiding this by using a soft brush to dust off the grime and then giving the bike a good wipe down and relube.
Anyone else have a better solution other than, or even with, fenders?
Thanks,
bobscott

[DarrenCT]

i think u have the right idea

its ok if a bike is dirty imho

[Grant McLean]

If you hose your bike down with beer,
the alcohol will keep it from freezing...

-g

[merckx]

Power wash it. If you don't have a power washer, go to your local car wash.

[manet]

garden hand pump sprayer.
fill with warm water and bio. soap.
spritzer away.

[barry1021]

You put cheesecloth over a bucket under the bike and then you have a cold brewski waiting for you when you finish.....

b21

[Frankwurst]

If you hose your bike down with beer,
the alcohol will keep it from freezing...

-g

Do not under any circumstances waste Beer on your bike. Not to be confussed with getting wasted on beer while on your bike. :beer:

[Erik.Lazdins]

I hand it off to my butler.

Seriously - If its cold I put a fan on the bike to dry it out then wash another day - I'll do many rides between each wash in the winter - the key for me is to dry the bike quick - I do relube between washes as needed.
break apart once a year redo JP Weigle framesaver then rebuild and repeat.

[Blue Jays]

bobscott, the utility sink in my basement has a faucet with a threaded end. I connect a gardenhose and run very warm water out to where I wash my bikes.
It definitely cuts through the grime quickly coupled with liquid soap and also makes for faster drying. Relubrication of moving parts is always part of the picture.

[witcombusa]

just clean their bike in the shower/bath in the cold weather?

Is that wrong? ;)

[AgilisMerlin]

wd40 / armor all - afterwards......my bikes, in unison, told me no washing spring,summer,fall, winter

but my wifes bike likes a scrub down all the time. go figure

[Hvorfor?]

just clean their bike in the shower/bath in the cold weather?

Is that wrong? ;)

Your bike will never look at you the same again... :)

[rwsaunders]

If you hose your bike down with beer,
the alcohol will keep it from freezing...

-g

I don't want Darren to hear of this scandalous idea of yours. :cool:

[Peter P.]

If the bike is still wet when I get home, I use a plant sprayer with PLAIN water (I don't have access to a hose). Hosing off the bike while it's still wet will get it much cleaner with less effort.

Most of the mess is wet brake pad material sullying up your wheels. Yeah; the gears can get mucky, too. In these instances, I have a spray bottle filled with Simple Green or Zep Citrus Degreaser. I merely spray anything that's dirty with the cleaner including the gears but I don't scrub them, BRIEFLY scrub the wheels, then rinse with the sprayer. Forget fastidiousness; 10 minutes, tops. Wait for the bike to dry (inside, of course!) then lube.

The other option I've used is to just plain let the bike dry. Dried muck brushes off very easily.

I can't say enough good things about fenders. They literally make cleaning your bike FIFTY PERCENT easier. And don't let anybody kid you about all this early season fixed gear stuff being about base mileage, adaption, spin development, whatever. It's all about a bike that's easy to clean in the early season.

[giordana93]

1. fenders 2. lube chain and wait until a nice warm day for a proper cleaning; until then, wear the scum on the bike as a badge of honor. if you can't bear that, a water bottle (filled with warm water if needed) can do for spot hosing, not a bad idea around the brakes or anywhere that has picked up a bunch of sand.. also not a bad idea to do a tire check, as wet and winter weather increases tire cuts greatly

[thwart]

I just take a pail of warm water outside and an old sponge and have at it. Of course, some days it takes two pails...

Then, especially if the wife's not looking, I'll bring it indoors to air dry... and lube the chain.

Note the rollers in the background. The road is always better, and well worth the bath afterward.

[William]

Thwart and Blue jays do it my way. I'm anal about keeping my bike clean. Then bring it indoors to dry off with a towel & air dry.







William

[myette10]

garden hand pump sprayer.
fill with warm water and bio. soap.
spritzer away.
yup

[Tom Kellogg]

Except for cleaning and lubing the chain almost every ride. I just don't clean it at all until either the weather is warming up for good or I am getting ready for the first race of the year. Fortunately, road dirt is the same color as titanium. It kind of blends in anyway.

[xjoex]

I fill two buckets with warm water and then wash my bikes down with the park tools brush set.
http://www.parktool.com/images/products/productimages/det_BCB-4_2005630_45841.jpg

-Joe