Quote Originally Posted by pardes View Post
My Trek, after several days in the rain has gotten a little caked with crud. I don't have a CLUE about how to clean a bike. How does one go about this....other than the obvious painted parts that need soap and water? I need a BleeckerST_Girl bike cleaning primer.
I'm no expert. Here's another thread with more info:
http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=27696

But I can say that you should get some citrus degreaser from a bike supply place to clean the stubborn black gunk off your chain and gears. Don't leave the citrus on your bike paint for more than 5 minutes (bad for the finish). Do front gear, then rinse, then do back gears for instance.
Buy a bunch of various cheap brushes at some bargain store. Get long bristles soft, long bristles stiff, even a dust pan brush and dish washing brush are good. You'll find uses for all of them and they'll all get ruined in time.
A hot sudsy bucket of soapy water with a big soft sponge and a handi-wipe sponge are good too.
DON'T AIM ANY HOSE SPRAY INTO YOUR HUBS. Spray/rinse the hubs from above on gentle hose setting.

After washing, let chain dry and lube it. Be sure to wipe the chain thoroughly after lubing with paper towels. The lube should be INSIDE the links, not all over the outside of the chain where it would just cause dust and road grit to stick to the chain.

Hope this helps?