Can we wash our bikes like pros?

I usually just use some wet cloth to wipe my bike clean. I thought using the pressure sprayer like below on bikes isn't good. Maybe the pro bikes are more water-resilient? :confused:

At the 11th stage of Tour de France this year, after the race, the euskaltel team washed the bikes in front of their motel.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FSuwwYlN_M
Check the first 15 sec and the section after 2:49.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiEdIw3jVwM
they didn't use the compressed air much.

(Is there a way to embed video in this forum?)

You should not use a high pressure water to wash a bike....water can get into places were they are bearings (e.g. bottom bracket, headset, hubs). They pro bikes might get away with this since their mechanics probably rebuild or clean the bearings frequently enough before and corrosion can occur.

I use this to clean up my bikes. I dial it to the fine mist and it cleans beautifully and is so handy too! It's also great for misting off after a hot ride. :)

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Originally Posted by yetigooch

They pro bikes might get away with this since their mechanics probably rebuild or clean the bearings frequently enough before and corrosion can occur.

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I thought so too.

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Originally Posted by yetigooch

The pro bikes might get away with this since their mechanics probably rebuild or clean the bearings frequently enough before and corrosion can occur.

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Yeah, that's how they get away with white bar tape too. :rolleyes:

And ya know, not to put too fine a point on it and this is a family forum after all but if I was able to pee off the side of the bike while racing .... I'd want my bike pressure washed too ;) :rolleyes:

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Originally Posted by Trek420

Yeah, that's how they get away with white bar tape too. :rolleyes:

And ya know, not to put too fine a point on it and this is a family forum after all but if I was able to pee off the side of the bike while racing .... I'd want my bike pressure washed too ;) :rolleyes:

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hahha... good one.

Well, some people might disagree, but I also wash my bike with a hose/spray. My mechanic taught me that it was ok, as long as you do no spray directly on the parts that have bearings or whatnot. The spraying is for the frame, and great for the brake calipers, coz it gets the stuff from in between out. its also great to spray out excess gunk from the rear cassette. wipe everything dry with a soft cloth after hosing the bike down, and lube up, and viola, u're done!

I think its less likely for water to get into the bearings and parts because of the direction the water is coming from. hosing down its usually from top, so water doesnt get into the frame. the cases where I had water in my hubs, frames and bottom bracket was when i rode in super heavy rain, and the water came in the bike from below (flooded puddles etc)

Of course, this does not apply to steel frames...

I wash my steel frame bike with a hose but I'm really careful to not spray any hubs, etc. One of the best things I've found it McGuire's car wash. Really gets road grime off.

For the chain, after I clean it with the degreaser (citrus) I use some canned air & spray between the sprockets. Be sure to have a towel to catch the grime, but I'm always amazed at the excess gunk that comes out.

Some days, it would be really nice to have someone else clean up the bike and make sure everything's perfect for the next time. :)

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Originally Posted by Aquila

Some days, it would be really nice to have someone else clean up the bike and make sure everything's perfect for the next time. :)

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Well, not for me. It's part of the fun. I like to wash my bike. I see it as my favor in return. :D If you wash your bike often it only takes about 10 mins or so. Of course in summertime I wash my bike less. In the wintertime when the roads are muddy I wash it after every ride.

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Originally Posted by papaver

If you wash your bike often it only takes about 10 mins or so.

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How come it always takes me an hour??

Whether it's a little bit of dirt or a lot, in between the parts of the brake calipers, on the derailleur springs, between the rear cogs, etc., it's still a PITA trying to get it out of there...

Friend of mine says he removes the cassette every time for cleaning! I thought that lockring was only good for one use? That teeny little crush washer is DEFINITELY a single use item and I don't know where the heck you'd get a replacement, it's hard enough finding the big crush washers for oil drain plugs on the motorized vehicles!

I don't dismantle anything. I just don't know enough about the mechanics to do so... Yet. :D

I just use a toothbrush, other special brushes, two sponges, a special chain cleaner, and that's about it.

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Originally Posted by papaver

Well, not for me. It's part of the fun. I like to wash my bike. I see it as my favor in return. :D If you wash your bike often it only takes about 10 mins or so. Of course in summertime I wash my bike less. In the wintertime when the roads are muddy I wash it after every ride.

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I agree. I like seeing my bike gleaming after all the work I put in to get it clean. I second the comment about frequent cleaning, too.

I've been using Pedro's Green Fizz lately, and it does clean stuff off pretty well, but I think when it runs out I'll just go back to castille soap and water. The Green Fizz costs more than it's worth, in my opinion. For rinsing my bike I like to use a water bottle to squirt water. It's enough force to get gunk off, but not so much to get in the bearings (unless you have way stronger hands than I do! :p).

Keep old tooth brushes for cleaning the cassette -- works like a charm. Just spray some of your lube on there and brush the teeth in sections, wiping off with a rag periodically. Voila! Clean cassette, no removal necessary.

I use the Park Tool cog brush. It's the only special cleaning tool that's worth the money, IMO. Toothbrush bristles are too short for getting in between the larger cogs. The Park Tool brush has long bristles and a narrow profile, and slips right in. Toothbrushes are nice for the rims and spokes (although one advantage to frequent cleaning is that the spokes usually clean up with a rag).

For the narrower spaces between the pieces of the brake calipers I still find that a shop rag or folded heavy paper towel works better, though. And there are some of those nooks and crannies in the derailleurs, particularly, that I just use a narrow punch or a pick to manipulate a heavy paper towel (the "Shop Rags in a Box" type, which also come in rolls at the hardware store).

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Originally Posted by OakLeaf

I thought that lockring was only good for one use? That teeny little crush washer is DEFINITELY a single use item and I don't know where the heck you'd get a replacement, it's hard enough finding the big crush washers for oil drain plugs on the motorized vehicles!

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??? Really? I always reuse mine - and I move my cassettes around from wheel to wheel, and remove it to clean the cassettes too. I wonder why it would be a one-time use item?

Because deforming the metal creates pressure that enhances the lock.

Once the metal has been deformed and thinned in places, it can't create the pressure it's intended to exert.

I will say that I was surprised to find a crush washer in that location. I'm used to seeing them only as seals in pressurized fluid systems (oil or coolant). But by definition, a crush washer is meant for a single use.

And I've never seen a crush washer so thin! Those are practically foil.

Mmm. I think that's only on Shimano. My Campy 10-speed lock rings have been used repeatedly with no ill effects.

Pedal wrench and Oakleaf:

What is a cassette and where is this little thin washer you are talking about? Thanks in advance.

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Originally Posted by OakLeaf

Because deforming the metal creates pressure that enhances the lock.

Once the metal has been deformed and thinned in places, it can't create the pressure it's intended to exert.

I will say that I was surprised to find a crush washer in that location. I'm used to seeing them only as seals in pressurized fluid systems (oil or coolant). But by definition, a crush washer is meant for a single use.

And I've never seen a crush washer so thin! Those are practically foil.

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It's not a crush washer. It's just a spring steel lock washer. It doesn't stay deformed once tightened and removed.

You don't need to replace it unless you lose it.

I swap cassettes frequently with not a problem. So do the pros race to race.

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Originally Posted by Jen72

Pedal wrench and Oakleaf:

What is a cassette and where is this little thin washer you are talking about? Thanks in advance.

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The cassette is the rear cog cluster. The lock washer is between the cassette and the lock ring, and is actually attached to the lock ring. You'd have to pry it off the lockring to get it out.

http://www.parktool.com/repair/readhowto.asp?id=48

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Originally Posted by SadieKate

It's not a crush washer. It's just a wavy spring steel lock washer. It doesn't stay deformed once tightened and removed.

You don't need to replace it unless you lose it.

I swap cassettes frequently with not a problem. So do the pros race to race.

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There's a crush washer in my 105 cassette. Shimano's exploded parts fiche doesn't even show it, but it's there. As I said, it's extremely thin, maybe half again the weight of heavy-duty aluminum foil. It goes under the "wavy" lock ring. The old one was definitely permanently deformed. I guess if it's not in the parts fiche, maybe it isn't necessary??

Don't know about any other brands or models, but I guess I'd be surprised if all Shimano cassettes didn't have them.


ETA: off topic, but hmmmmmm - Shimano's site says not to use the Ultegra cassette with a triple crank. Didn't know that. If Ultegra had been available in 11-25 as I wanted, I would've gone that way. Lucky.

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Originally Posted by OakLeaf

There's a crush washer in my 105 cassette. As I said, it's extremely thin, maybe half again the weight of heavy-duty aluminum foil. It goes under the "wavy" lock ring.

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We're looking directly at an XT cassette. Between the lock ring and the 1st cog (both of which have serrated or knurled edges - what you call wavy?), is a washer. It is made of paper thin steel and is slotted into the threading of the lock ring and it is not meant to be removed.

We don't think of it as a crush washer. It is not thick enough or designed to deform. If you try to pry one off, it will behave like spring steel and it looks like chrome-plated spring steel. It returns to shape when messed with.

I think if it was meant to be replaced everytime you removed the cassette, Park Tool or Shimano would tell you to do it. And Shimano absolutely loves to sell you bits and pieces like chain pins. Not ones to shirk from making an extra penny.

I use this thing to clean the chain. Really handy. http://www.parktool.com/products/det...at=8&item=CM-5

I wash my bikes often. It seems ALL bottles leak:mad: I get sticky sugary stuff all over the bike from my long training (8+ hours) rides. My bike also gets filthy from commuting. I use a hose and dish wash soap (whatever we happen to have). I then wipe it down with either Finish Line Teflon or Pedros Bike Lust.

Revisiting this thread because I was swapping out cassettes and finally remembered to take a picture of the crush washer I was talking about...

This is the one from the cassette that had been sitting in the toolbox for the last 3-1/2 months. As you can see, the deformations have not relaxed even though there's been no torque on it for that period of time.

I re-installed it with that washer, but it still makes me nervous.

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_3vDkQwuSTy0/Sx...rushwasher.jpg

Also - this can't possibly be related, because the cassette I took off had only been installed once, with the new crush washer - but it was loose when I went to remove it. Not loose enough to rattle, but loose enough that it took very little effort to remove. I'd used my good Snap-On torque wrench to install it, as always, so it wasn't undertorqued. Why would it be loose? :confused:

Also - this can't possibly be related, because the cassette I took off had only been installed once, with the new crush washer - but it was loose when I went to remove it. Not loose enough to rattle, but loose enough that it took very little effort to remove. I'd used my good Snap-On torque wrench to install it, as always, so it wasn't undertorqued. Why would it be loose? :confused:[/QUOTE]

is it the deformed one you're re-using? did you try hammering it flat? If it's loose then I'd be worried... sometimes people don't put things together properly the first time either, maybe the shop just grabbed the wrong washer in the first place when they built it? or maybe you put it on backwards? I always accidently put things on backwards, lol!

The cassette I just took off was brand new when I put it on, and actually the crush washer was deformed in the package - not to the extent of the one in the picture, but it had some indentations on it. Again, brand new never been torqued. If someone at Shimano grabbed the wrong washer, they've done it three times now with the three new cassettes I've put on this bike. ;)

Re-using it is what this conversation is about... I really don't think it's a good idea, but I can't find anywhere to get new ones, and both PedalWench and SK think it's fine. I haven't looked, but probably I could mail order them from the UK, like the parts to rebuild the brifters. :p

I didn't try hammering it flat, that's an idea for next time. It doesn't appear to have a front/back that I can tell, but I didn't remove it from the lockring when I installed the new cassette, so again, it went on in the orientation it was in the package. And I torqued it to spec with my good Snap-On torque wrench.

I'd be surprised if re-using the crush washer "as-is" could be proven to cause any issues.

Think of all the cassettes in the world, ever taken off and put back on: they all re-use their crush washer. Including all of mine - and I've done hundreds (thousands?) of them if you count the ones I did when I worked in a shop.

Except the cassettes that don't come with a crush washer - then the lockring goes on directly against the last cog. Still no issues.

So, no need to flatten it (hammer or otherwise), just put it on and tighten it up. If in doubt tighten it with a torque wrench. The spec is printed on the lock ring and the number is pretty high, almost as tight as BB cups and cranks IIRC.

On the other hand, I don't know why your previous installation might have seemed loose. Speculation here: a bit of dirt or something was there, then fell out... nah, that doesn't seem likely. But at any rate, if you simply re-use your crush washer when you reinstall your cassette it should be fine.

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Originally Posted by dianne_1234

The spec is printed on the lock ring and the number is pretty high, almost as tight as BB cups and cranks IIRC.

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Actually it's only 40 n-M (30 ft-lbs) which seemed to me awfully loose! Something of that physical size makes me want to put at least 40 ft-lbs. But I didn't, I torqued it to spec. :)

I don't know what the spec for the BB is, but I would sure hope it's 45-50 ft-lbs! Maybe I'm just too used to working on motorcycles, but I want my chassis and drivetrain parts solid. ;)

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Originally Posted by OakLeaf

Actually it's only 40 n-M (30 ft-lbs) which seemed to me awfully loose! Something of that physical size makes me want to put at least 40 ft-lbs. But I didn't, I torqued it to spec. :)

I don't know what the spec for the BB is, but I would sure hope it's 45-50 ft-lbs! Maybe I'm just too used to working on motorcycles, but I want my chassis and drivetrain parts solid. ;)

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Thanks for the number Oakleaf. :)
Posting them made me look up a typical BB cup. Shimano asks for 35 ~ 50 Nm. Cite here:
http://techdocs.shimano.com/media/te...9830667739.pdf

So it's nice to know my memory isn't that bad!

Bottom line the lock ring should be *tight*.