Bicycle Maintenance Guide – How to Clean and Lube a Bike

Clean

By cleaning, we don’t just mean blasting your bike with jet wash! We’ve seen so many ruined hubs, headsets, forks, bottom brackets & dropper posts ruined by excessive jet washing, so it pays to be smart about how you clean your bike. A selection of brushes, Muc-Off’s Nano Tech Bike Cleaner and Bio Drivetrain Cleanerand a bucket of clean water or hose pipe will give you pretty much all you need to  give a bike a good clean up without over-doing it. It might take a bit more time than a quick blast with the jetwash, but your bike (and wallet!) will thank you in the long run.

Protect

Once you’ve got your bike looking like it just came out of the factory, you’ll want to keep it looking that way. You can use Muc-Off’s Miracle Shine Polish to coat your frame in a deep, luxurious shine that also protects from atmospheric pollutants and helps remove imperfections and minor scratches. Muc-Off’s Silicone Shine is great for use on mountain bikes too. It can be used along the underside of the downtube to prevent dirt from sticking to it as well as use it to help keep your fork and shock working smoothly, reducing friction and making your suspension feel smoother for longer. Of course, a Muc-Off Premium Microfibre Polishing Clothis the perfect compliment to these to help keep your bike looking like new.

Lube

So, your bike looks a million dollars and you’re ready to hit the road or trails. Or are you? If your drivetrain sounds rough within the first few pedal strokes, you’ll know you’ve forgotten a key step; Lube! A common misconception is that any old lube will do. This is absolutely not the case! A thin dry lube might collect less grime but will wash off quickly in a downpour. Likewise, wet lube might last longer, but if used in summer it’ll collect so much dust you’ll effectively be left with grinding past that’ll wear everything out quicker. Use Muc-Off’s Dry Lube in dry and dusty conditions & Muc-Off’s Wet Lubein the dark and dank winter months and your drivetrain will run smoothly, quietly and last longer.

Ride!

Now your bike is gleaming and running smoothly it’s time to
smash the pedals and get out for a ride. Everything will run smoothly and
because you’ve put the effort in, if you need to clean your bike again after
it’ll be easier, quicker and look just as good once you’re done. Keep up the
cleaning and your bike will run smoother and look better for years to come, so
you can sit back and enjoy the ride!