How to Clean Your Mountain Bike
How often to clean a mountain bike?
In a perfect world, you would clean your bike after every ride—with at least a quick spray—especially when trails are muddy. Try to clean it regularly so that grime doesn’t build up on the derailleur and chain. Many mountain bike areas offer much-appreciated bike wash stations. You enjoy a shower after a ride—and your bike does too! So take advantage of this amenity when it’s available.
You should know that a simple cleaning at home isn’t enough to remove the grime that accumulates in the pivots and pedals. Make an appointment with our bike repair shop for a full tune-up.
1. Prepare your space and tools.
Choosing where you’re going to do the cleaning is crucial. Ideally, you’ll do it outside because there’s going to be water everywhere. When cleaning your bike, a bike repair stand is your best friend. Your bike will be held off the ground, which makes the task easier and lets the dirt run off.
You’ll need about 30 minutes to perform this maintenance. Keep in mind that the time you spend taking care of your mountain bike will more than pay off in the long run. The mechanics will remain functional longer.
2. What to use to wash your mountain bike
The gear list is simple:
• A hose and a nozzle with a gentle spray setting (avoid the high-pressure jet setting)
• A bucket of warm soapy water or bike wash cleaner
• Clean, dry rags
• Cleaning brushes
• Degreaser
• Chain lubricant
3. Rinse the bike
Using a hose with the nozzle set to a gentle spray, you can begin rinsing off the bike. To do so, start from the top and go downwards, making sure that most of the dirt is washed off.
4. Clean the frame
Once you’ve finished rinsing it off, you can start soaping it up. You can use cleaning products, such as Muc-off or Min’N Dry. Then clean the frame using a soft-bristled brush or rag. Never scrub the fork stanchions or your brake discs. Doing so will damage both components, and you wouldn’t want to needlessly have to replace them. Then rinse and repeat this step if you still see dirt.
5. Clean the components.
Tires
Tires are one of the parts of the bike that gets dirty the fastest. Simply spraying them with water isn’t enough to remove the dirt that accumulates there. A brush with harder bristles is essential for cleaning tires. We recommend rubbing them vigorously to restore their original colour.
Shocks
As mentioned above, don’t scrub the shocks. For the front suspension, because the stanchions face downwards, you need to wipe them from bottom to top to prevent dirt and water from seeping into the shock. As for the rear suspension, because the stanchion moves the opposite way, go from top to bottom.
Drivetrain
The drivetrain also needs a good cleaning. Use brushes to remove dirt from the derailleur and cassette. Again, don’t brush the brake discs.
Using a degreaser specifically for bicycles helps you thoroughly clean the drivetrain. It’s an essential item!
The bike chain
Use a rag or brushes to clean your chain with degreaser. Your number one ally for this task is a bike chain cleaner like this one from Park Tool. It’s easy to use and extremely effective in dislodging grime.
6. Dry the mountain bike
Once you’ve finished cleaning your bike, use a clean, dry rag to wipe it off. It’s better to dry it by hand than to let it air dry. When drying off the shocks, the movement is the same as for cleaning, and you shouldn’t wipe off the brake discs.
7. Lubricate the chain
Next, lubricate the chain with a lubricant for dry or wet conditions.
Performing regular maintenance on your mountain bike allows you to inspect it closely and check whether any components are damaged. Have you noticed that your bike may need adjustment or a deeper cleaning? If so, your trusty steed probably needs help and advice from one of our specialized technicians.
