TIPS FOR CLEANING YOUR BIKE
TIPS FOR CLEANING YOUR BIKE
After a harsh winter, every bike deserves a proper cleaning! This prolongs your bike's life, while enhancing your security and the pleasure of pedalling.
PRE-WASH
PRE-WASH
A pre-wash is the ideal way to clean up a muddy bike: with a hosepipe and low-pressure jet, you can get rid of most of the dirt. A bucket and sponge can also do the trick. The brushes are particularly useful for cleaning places difficult to access. It's easier to remove stubborn dirt if the bike has been cleaned beforehand with a special product. Important
during the pre-wash: a too powerful jet of water or cleaning with a high-pressure device are fatal for any bike. A high-pressure jet introduces water and dirt into places where they would never find their way themselves, for example, in the bearings.
CLEANING
CLEANING
Equipped with a dry cloth and a bit of elbow grease you can easily remove most of the dirt. By adding a cleaning product on the cloth, it's even quicker and cleaner. You can use either normal soap or special bike detergent, available in specialised shops.
Du kannst sowohl normale Seife nehmen wie auch auf spezifische Veloreiniger aus dem Fachhandel zurückgreifen.
TREATMENTS
TREATMENTS
Once the bike is clean, you can then apply a protective product or a treatment to make it shine. Specific products have a slightly protective effect and bring a shine to tarnished paintwork, which then appears good as new.
CLEANING THE CHAIN
CLEANING THE CHAIN
It's also a good time to wash the chain. First clean it thoroughly and then oil it. Important: wipe off excess oil with a cloth immediately. Other movement parts such as the saddle or brake lever will also welcome a drop of oil, sewing machine oil for example.
BRAKING POWER
BRAKING POWER
The brakes work better if the rim walls or the discs are clean and free of grease. To do this, use pure benzine or, for the disc brakes, a specific degreasing agent. If you use oil-based products, make sure to avoid the discs or rims, as the braking power will be reduced.
CLEANING CLOTHS
CLEANING CLOTHS
Suitable cleaning cloths are almost as important as the cleaning products. Old t-shirts or linen towels are good options.
COMFORT
COMFORT
Cleaning the bike will be all the more fun if you don't have to get down on your knees to do it. Equipping yourself with a bike mounting base is an excellent idea. However, you can also improvise a bike support with two elastic bands, clip bolts and a crossbar.
GLOVES
GLOVES
If you don't want to get your hands dirty you can wear plastic gloves. Otherwise, having to remove dirt from under your nails once a year is not a big deal. To wash your hands effectively, you just need some dishwashing liquid. And after a day spent in the sandpit with the children or in the chlorinated water of the swimming pool, your hands will be completely clean again.
BRINGING YOUR BIKE FOR A SERVICE
BRINGING YOUR BIKE FOR A SERVICE
The comfortable solution: many bike shops provide complete services for bikes.
