By Dan Kurzatkowski
It’s a beautiful rare warm winter day (or not so cold) and you just got back from a great bike ride. You get off your bike and think that was great. I’ll go inside and make a nice warm recovery drink or something to eat to top off the ride. You rack your bike in your garage or house and think what to do next. Well you can leave your bike the way it is and just go inside and do your thing. Or you can wash all of that salt and sand off your bike so it will last a long time. Not cleaning your bike immediately after a ride will start the corrosion process. Five or ten minutes with a small bucket of soapy water, a soft brush and pump sprayer is all you need to keep your bike nice.
When you get back from your ride (also after any Tri race where you swam in salt water) a small amount of prevention will save a lot of headache down the road. We all know that salt rusts steel and corrodes aluminum on our cars but it will also do it to your bike, and quickly! Cables, chains, bearings and even carbon fiber do not like salt. If you clean your bike immediately after your ride and quickly dry it off it will save you from expensive repairs at the bike shop and also save your frame from damage.
Take a small two quart bucket with warm water and a small amount of automobile car wash soap and swish it around with a soft cleaning brushy to make the water sudsy. DO NOT use kitchen dish soap, it will strip the lubricants and oils from your bike that are their to protect it. Get a small 2 gal pump sprayer from Home Depot and put clean warm water in it maybe a half gallon. Gently brush your bike over with the soapy solution. This is just a quick brushing, not a scrubbing. After you have cleaned it with the soapy water, rinse the bike gently with the pump sprayer. You want to do a light spray just to rinse the soapy water off . Finish it with a quick wipe down of the frame and components with a soft cloth to get any excess water off your bike. If you decide to wait you’re letting the salts to start their work. The greatest destroyers of nice carbon, aluminum and steel bikes is salt corrosion. I have seen $5000 bikes ruined in just a few years. Winter road salt, Tri races held in salt water and you’re own body sweat can really damage your bike. This can easily be prevented with a few minutes of care.
