Tips on looking after a road bike

[vickster]

Make sure you use lots of copper grease when you attach the pedals

 

[Garry A]

So its not Grangemouth in Scotland? In the Wet season, January to February next, I'd go stir crazy across the Forth for me there was a definite need to get out when I didn't commute

Smart trainer for bad weather, if it's ok then I'm out.

 

[HLaB]

Smart trainer for bad weather, if it's ok then I'm out.

Enjoy your once a year morning out

 

[carpenter]

The OP asked for advice; I gave it.

The statement that "the salt thing is absolute bollocks" is uninformed and rude.

While writing my response I did come up with a "working hypothesis" (sorry can't help it, the way my mind works and years of training/experience in the chemical industry):

metalwork is protected by paint and wax/grease from previous cleans​

washing up liquid has SLS (mighty fine surfactant ) which strips any wax/grease from paintwork​

Any scratches/bare metal are now open to "attack" by salt in the weak solution​

chemical reactions can be fast​

any damage now done/started before any rinsing (if you do it )​

​

possibly over the top on my part, but it is my advice and I see no reason to use washing up liquid when there are so many formulations available for washing and waxing cars at low cost.

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[Globalti]

Google reckons around 5%. Not a lot in a couple of drops then?

A typical dishwash contains 0.2% sodium chloride. Shampoos and shower gels about 2.5%.

 

[vickster]

A typical dishwash contains 0.2% sodium chloride. Shampoos and shower gels about 2.5%.

What is this washing dishes of which you speak...I have a machine to do that

 

[Dogtrousers]

I’m not sure what the weather is like where all of you live, but where I live it has been raining on and off for the last few days. My bike is getting fixed next week and I want to go out when the weather is nice (who does not?), but there is a chance I may get caught out in rain.

Once I get home, is it sufficient enough to use a towel, cloth, or whatever, and give the bike a quick clean/dry?

How do I avoid the pedals becoming seized? Do I spray WD40 or something similar on the pedals every now and then?

Similarly, do I use WD40 on the chain after every other ride?

I want to avoid getting any rust on any of the parts on the bike and keep it in good condition.

It's more than sufficient to use a cloth to clean the bike.

Pedals are tough beasts. I put a drop of oil on the cleat mechanism every now and then but generally leave them alone.

WD40 on the chain. Hmmm. That could cause a riot. See many threads entitled "what chain lube". But WD40 will be fine.

To avoid rust, just don't let it stand around in a wet state in a damp place.

 

[SpokeyDokey]

I’m not sure what the weather is like where all of you live, but where I live it has been raining on and off for the last few days. My bike is getting fixed next week and I want to go out when the weather is nice (who does not?), but there is a chance I may get caught out in rain.

Once I get home, is it sufficient enough to use a towel, cloth, or whatever, and give the bike a quick clean/dry?

How do I avoid the pedals becoming seized? Do I spray WD40 or something similar on the pedals every now and then?

Similarly, do I use WD40 on the chain after every other ride?

I want to avoid getting any rust on any of the parts on the bike and keep it in good condition.

I hate rusty bits especially little nuts and bolts etc. This stuff is squirted onto all such parts on my bike.

Amazon product ASIN B0761TV16YView: https://www.amazon.co.uk/ACF-50-Motorcycle-Automotive-Metal-Anti-Corrosion/dp/B0761TV16Y


A can lasts yonks - mine is around 9 years old and still has plenty in it.

 

[Fab Foodie]

The OP asked for advice; I gave it.

The statement that "the salt thing is absolute bollocks" is uninformed and rude.

While writing my response I did come up with a "working hypothesis" (sorry can't help it, the way my mind works and years of training/experience in the chemical industry):

metalwork is protected by paint and wax/grease from previous cleans​

washing up liquid has SLS (mighty fine surfactant ) which strips any wax/grease from paintwork​

Any scratches/bare metal are now open to "attack" by salt in the weak solution​

chemical reactions can be fast​

any damage now done/started before any rinsing (if you do it )​

​

possibly over the top on my part, but it is my advice and I see no reason to use washing up liquid when there are so many formulations available for washing and waxing cars at low cost.

​

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Sincere apologies if you thought it rude.
But in the context of washing bikes etc. it is bollox, but not an unreasonable thought that possibly needed a bit more thinking through....neither is it uninformed ( there are other scientists here from the chemical and associated industries). Aaaaaand we've discussed this many times before.....

So here is my logic....other logics may apply....
It's a fairly low concentration in the bottle
It gets very diluted in water
It's in contact with the bike for a very short time
It is washed-off with water and usually dried very quickly
It's fine on Aluminium pans that it's designed to wash
It's fine on mild steel pans that it's designed to wash

In addition....my own anecdata:
It's fine on cars - have used it all my life
It's fine on bikes - have used it all my life on all of my 10 bikes

Yes, there are other products sold by marketing people to folks who love the shiniest cars, but why should I have something I don't need in the shed when I have a perfectly good and mild detergent already in the kitchen cupboard?

PS: I wouldn't was my bike with dishwasher tabs tho....

 

[BalkanExpress]

If the bike is really covered in crud, give it a quick rinse before wiping with a cloth as this will minimize the number of bits of grit you drag across your paintwork. In winter I carry an old water bottle to give the bike a quick wash off before I lock it up. if I used mudguards and kept off the path along the old railway I wouldn't need to do this

 

[Fab Foodie]

I’m not sure what the weather is like where all of you live, but where I live it has been raining on and off for the last few days. My bike is getting fixed next week and I want to go out when the weather is nice (who does not?), but there is a chance I may get caught out in rain.

Once I get home, is it sufficient enough to use a towel, cloth, or whatever, and give the bike a quick clean/dry?

How do I avoid the pedals becoming seized? Do I spray WD40 or something similar on the pedals every now and then?

Similarly, do I use WD40 on the chain after every other ride?

I want to avoid getting any rust on any of the parts on the bike and keep it in good condition.

Ok.
Even in the dry a bike gets dirty/dusty, road film. It’s OK to leave it wet, it’s OK, to wipe it down, whatever you prefer is cool. They don’t dissolve into a pool of tears.
The grease point was about fitting pedals, grease the threads well. Actually I only ever use vaseline as grease and it’s always worked just fine. Otherwise pedals need bugger all maintainance.
I wouldn’t use WD40 as a chain lube. For me finish line green stays put better than most, doesn’t get washed-away by rain. A WD40 soaked rag will help remove excess oil and dirt from the outside of the chain if you like after a ride. Lube again when necessary.

Bikes are simple and robust, most of the time a wipe with a WD40 or oily rag in the old days will keep it in pretty good shape.

Like most hobbies there’s a lot of rubbish proffered and people willing to sell you snake oil....

 

[DRM]

Good input. However, is the presence of sodium chloride actually going to corrode anything when used at the very low dosages that would be present in a foamy water solution? One which is applied and then almost immediately rinsed off? One that also contains a number of surfactant species?

My understanding is not causing corrosion, it does dull shiny paint so not recommended for that reason

 

[Brandane]

So to summarise - It's a bike; they don't need much looking after. Keep it clean if you want, but if you don't it just means it won't look so attractive to thieves - and worst case scenario means some components will wear out more quickly, but they are all replaceable anyway (and no matter how anal you are, they will still wear out eventually if you put in the miles). A bike is for riding; not an ornament!

 

[Fab Foodie]

So to summarise - It's a bike; they don't need much looking after. Keep it clean if you want, but if you don't it just means it won't look so attractive to thieves - and worst case scenario means some components will wear out more quickly, but they are all replaceable anyway (and no matter how anal you are, they will still wear out eventually if you put in the miles). A bike is for riding; not an ornament!

 

[Fab Foodie]

My understanding is not causing corrosion, it does dull shiny paint so not recommended for that reason

From quick google (the italics seem to sum-up the general consensus quite well) it seems the issue is that detergent removes the wax from the car surface exposing the paintwork to the elements, rather than the detergent being bad for paint per se or because of it's salt content (the devil really is in the details you see).
As many of us use all kinds of degreasers on bikes it's a bit of a moot point. Granted a wax containing car shampoo will give you a slight wax finish which will look slightly shinier and add some protection. However, in the overall context of a bike's usage it's still a moot point....

Using dish washing liquid on your auto paint will strip off any of the good "stuff" which is on there, such as waxes and or oils. This leaves it unprotected. If you use stuff specifically for washing your car, you'll leave the wax in place and it will last much longer between applications.

This site says it pretty well:

While the detergents in dish soap do a great job cleaning the car ... they also remove much more than just the dirt from the surface. The detergents break down the wax, stripping it away and leaving your paint dull and unprotected.
Good car wash soap will not contain any detergents and will be rich in lubricants (which safely lubricate the dirt, allowing it to glide from the vehicles paint). A “feel test” you can use to test your car wash is to put a small amount of it between your finger and thumb and rub it back and forth. You will notice that better car washes will be much more slippery. Lesser ones may contain detergents to “help” clean the car (since the lubricants aren’t there), so make sure you check that before buying.

EDIT: To answer your real question, though, it won't ruin your paint work, but will leave it dull and lifeless. You will have to rewax every time if you expect it to look good and stay protected. I'm not sure why you'd want to do this when you can just use car wash instead and not have to worry about the wax every time you wash your vehicle?

In short - the age-old method of rubbing the bike over with a lightly oiled rag still seems to hold!