Cleaning my bike on tour

[Dingdong]

If going in winter or very bad weather expected I'll normally take half of one of these:

[Cugel]

I rather like arriving back home with a grubby bike, clean ones look as if they haven't been anywhere, or done anything. I recall a couple of occasions I cleaned the bike, but I'm not sure why, just a whim I think.

Who's lookin' and judgin' your ride via the bicycle's muck-spread, eh? I would cock such observers a snoot, as you know all about the ride so what does their opinion matter? They probably go about in cars!

Cugel, good at snoot-cockin'.

[ANTONISH]

I usually take some Dry Lube on tour - actually cleaning the bike is left until I return home.
Some cyclists can be very particular about their choice of lube - I was helping on LEL once (at Kirton)- we had four choices of lube between us - cyclists were coming back from Edinburgh - after 1000 miles of riding and some very wet weather they came in with all vestiges of lube washed out. Some of them were still pondering whether they should use the lube on offer "I only use such and such".

[rareposter]

Some cyclists can be very particular about their choice of lube - I was helping on LEL once (at Kirton)- we had four choices of lube between us - cyclists were coming back from Edinburgh - after 1000 miles of riding and some very wet weather they came in with all vestiges of lube washed out. Some of them were still pondering whether they should use the lube on offer "I only use such and such".

Oh I've had that on ride leading events many times.
"Oh you only have [brand]?!"



Generally the most mine gets is a rub down with a rag once any dirt has dried up at which point it normally just brushes off. Run the chain through the rag, apply lube.

A few times on weekend rides on the gravel bike, I've stopped at a petrol station and jetwashed it at the end of Day 1. I know it's not an ideal situation but it does get the bike clean again with minimal fuss!

[cycle tramp]

If I go on a 2 day bike trip and return with a muddy bike, I feel under an obligation to wash my bike before going on my next 2 day bike trip.

But if I were to go on a 14 day muddy bike trip, I very much doubt I would feel under an obligation to wash my bike 6 times while on tour

Am I being illogical?

No... ages & ages ago when I was young(er) care-free and single I used to tour and even cycle to festivals and a week before the start of the bike trip I used to wash my bike, with a sponge and bucket of hot water....

..not because I wanted a clean bike, but by washing it with a sponge, if gave me a chance to really inspect the bike closely for any potential mechanical issues which might have caused issues on the trip, and washing it the week before would give me the time to put it right.

..once on the trip the bike would be expected to care for itself and I'd only carry oil for the chain... of course full mudguards and a front mudflap kept the worst road muck at bay.

..once home, tge bije would be washed again, unless their was another tour planned in the next three weeks and I'd wait until the week before the next tour...

[bohrsatom]

I find the small plastic bottles you get with supermarket sushi to be the perfect size for storing chain lube when on tour. One bottle is enough to lube an entire chain

[mattheus]

I find the small plastic bottles you get with supermarket sushi to be the perfect size for storing chain lube when on tour. One bottle is enough to lube an entire chain

Never purchased/owned such a thing, but I also hear they are a good fit for (inside) the ends of handlebars!

[hoogerbooger]

+1 for the old pair of undercrackers on a longer tour.

Everything on tour must have at least 2 uses. Hence the pair of emergency/sacrificial undercrackers that can be put to bike cleaning. (Nothing like a good hem to clean between the sprockets !! ) RE the 2 possible uses, I should stress it is important to get the order of use right.

I used to accompany these with WD40 decanted from my 5 litre bottle into a small pump spray swiped from the missus' dressing table......but it's a #ugger at escaping. No good as lube on it's own, but it leaves the chain and sprockets pretty dry which is better than cycling on with a coated in grinding paste. I always take drylube on a tour....as it washes off pretty easy.

I will clean the frame atleast every few days if it's mucky( spray by water bottle and maybe some stolen kitchen towel or the like)......particularly if bike needs to go inside the room overnight.....or on the train/bus...in the past plane.