Look at it
Look at the chain, the chainrings on the front and sprockets on the rear. Together, this is your drivetrain. The drivetrain functions best when it is clean and oiled. The more gunk it accumulates, the more issues you will notice. And who wants a bike with issues? Bike issues include shifting poorly, shifting on it’s own or grinding. If the chain is oily but not gunky and there are no issues, leave it alone and go for a ride. If it’s getting gunky, you need to address it. If the rest of your bike is dirty, go for it. It wont affect it’s performance, but it might make you smile.
Clean it
Chain cleaners rock. They are little plastic gadgets full of brushes and pointy bits that whirl around and clean the gunk out of the chain. They snap together around the chain, you put in a little cleaning liquid and pedal the bike backwards. As you pedal, the chain passes through the machine and after a few passes, it’s clean. Great stuff. If you want to use a toothbrush instead, go for it. But it takes longer and makes a mess. For the chainrings and sprockets, bike shops sell a long stiff brush that will get in and do a great job in there. As for cleaning the rest of your bike, a soapy sponge with dish soap and a garden hose works great. Just spray your bike from the top down, like rain. If you blast water at it sideways, you might get it into the bearings, which is a bad thing.
Lube it
Once your bike is clean, you have to lube the drivetrain. There are two ideas for that. One is good old oil. Bike oil is essentially thin motor oil. Tried and true. And as you might expect, it gets your chain oily. But keep in mind, your drivetrain was designed to work with oil on it. The other method is a “Dry Lube.” I don’t like this stuff but lots of folks do. The benefit is it doesn’t attract gunk like oil. The drawback is it is more likely to give your bike issues and it doesn’t last that long, so you have to keep reapplying it. If you use it, read the bottle first. It usually tells you to wait a few hours before you ride.
You are done!
It’s that simple. The best time to do it is after your ride, so it goes away clean and ready for next ride. Enjoy.
Erik West is a certified bicycle riding instructor and mechanic, who teaches alternative transportation for the Greater Portland Council of Governments, the Bicycle Coalition of Maine and The Bicycle Workshop. He generally has his nose in most things related to promoting pollution-free transportation in Maine. To learn more or make yourself heard, check out www.thebicycleworkshop.com or email him at erik@thebicycleworkshop.com.