Cleaning tips for your bike

If you love your bicycle and place value in a flawless appearance, then you should be regularly cleaning your beloved two-wheeler. This costs a bit of money and takes a certain amount of time, but your bike will always look good and you can fully rely on your bike.

A complete and thorough clean is very important. This is the first thing you should do before applying waxes or sealants. It is best to use a special spray-on bicycle cleaner. Just let it briefly “soak in” and then rinse it off with water. Ideally, you should be washing your bike right after every tour, while the grime is still fresh and easier to remove. But for cleaning your bike with water pressure, be sure to only use suitable instruments. If the pressure is too high, the water could get through the seals and into the bearings. This would destroy the bearing tread and result in corrosion. Also, never use your bike cleaner in bright sunlight, so it does not dry out right away. Before you move on from cleaning your bicycle to applying wax and other products, your bike needs to be completely dry. This is so that the polish and lubricant products have a reliable hold. Make sure to only use compatible cleaning agents and stick to the usage recommendations of the manufacturer.

Only with the appropriate cleaning products will your bicycle frame and moving parts gleam for years to come. It is best that you buy a special protective wax or a modern cleaning product based in nano technology. Both products offer a reliable surface sealant. With a sealant, you can prevent corrosion damage to your bike and frustrating rust in the future. Cleaning products that serve as sealants should also be used on all critical parts. The stem, saddle clamp, and headset are especially sensitive to dust and grime. You can find an effective silica spray in stores. This reliably prevents stubborn filth from adhering to your bicycle. For tough oil and fat residue, we recommend “Special Bike Fluids”. While cleaning and caring for your bike, don’t forget the chain. If your bike chain is in impeccable condition, it guarantees an optimal power transfer. But if you don’t care for your chain regularly, corrosion can become an issue. This has an adverse affect on the durability of the chain and its functionality. There are special chain sprays that offer reliable maintenance for your chain.

You can’t forget the essential step of lubrication after the regular bike cleaning. The rear derailleur, front derailleur, chain, and chainrings need to be lubricated from time to time, otherwise the important bits will wear down. Generally, it’s good to use either a lubrication oil or a special spray for this purpose. In particular with the bike chain, it’s best to use a special chain spray. When you buy one, make sure it has strong adhesion and creep characteristics. This spray can also be used to lube the front and rear derailleur components. Maintenance oil is easier to apply precisely, since it usually comes in a dropper bottle.

Flying stones and chain slaps can quickly lead to damage to the paint. And paint chips don’t look very nice. But you can prevent them with a suitable paint protector. You’ll find, among other things on the market, robust stickers. These can be easily adhered to the most vulnerable spots on your bike. For the sensitive chain stay area, it’s best to use a special neoprene sticker, for example.

In addition to cleaning your bicycle, you should also be maintaining and if necessary repairing it from time to time. There are plenty of products available for maintenance and repair work. Due to sharp stones, nails, and splinters, damage to your tyres can happen rather quickly. So make sure you always have a small repair set and an air pump with you on tours. Repair sets are available for every type of bicycle and your set should definitely fit to your own bike. Quality, high-end repair kits come with a special vulcanising fluid. This will let you seal holes in your tube with a strong patch. And afterwards you can just continue with your tour. Alternatively you can use a self-adhesive repair patch kit. The repair patch set fits comfortably in every bag. You only need to press the patch to a roughened up spot. In just one minute, the tube is ready to go again. Small damages to your tyres can be reliably patched up from the inside with the tyre patches. If you are in a great hurry, you also have the emergency option of a puncture repair spray. These let you quickly fix up small punctures. The sprays are suitable for every type of tubed of tubeless tyre. And don’t forget the special clean-up soap for your hands. It helps you remove even the most stubborn of grime, like oil and dirt, from your hands, without leaving a trace. The small tube is easy to store in your bag.