How to keep your mountain bike clean
Mountain biking can be a muddy business. With each ride, your bike is exposed to dust, dirt and other debris – but how do we keep on top of cleaning our likes? Cleaning is an essential maintenance requirement for any mountain bike owner.
Without frequent and effective cleaning, mountain bikes not only become unkept to the eye, they can also see changes in performance. With this in mind, it is important to establish a cleaning routine that fits the needs of your bike and reflects the environments in which it is ridden.
When it comes to bike cleaning, the required methods are not one size fits all. For example, what is required for a mountain bike is different to what is required for a motorbike and vice versa. In this blog from Tru Tension, we provide a useful guide for cleaning your mountain bike. To read our other bike cleaning articles, visit our blog – existing articles include A Guide to Bike Maintenance: Checklist and Tips and Basic Bicycle Maintenance Tips for Beginners.
Why you need to clean your mountain bike
After a high-intensity bike ride, putting off your bike cleaning can be tempting in favour of relaxing inside. However, keeping on top of your mountain bike cleaning not only keeps your bike looking good – but performing well too! Paying due attention to cleaning your mountain bike can make all the difference in extending its life span and keeping you on the move for longer.
When mud and grit get into your mountain bike’s moving parts, build-up can lead to deterioration of its components. For example, build-up around pedals can create increased friction when pedalling, leading to greater wear with each ride. In addition, the drivetrain is particularly at risk of deterioration due to its frequent exposure to dirt and grime.
Without appropriate care, this element too can wear out quickly. Maintaining a regular cleaning schedule also limits the overall development of sounds and snags associated with build-up. Further improving the quality of your ride.
A simple mountain bike clean can be completed in only 15 minutes and should be carried out after every other ride. Depending on the terrain covered during your ride, there may be circumstances whereby a deep clean is required to optimise your bike’s next performance. In this sense, owners are advised to review the needs of their mountain bike after each outing.
Special mention can be made to electric mountain bikes whereby it is recommended that bikes are cleaned weekly if driven through sand, snow or mud. This maintenance is understood to limit damage to the E-MTB battery caused by dust and grime.
Which parts of your mountain bike should you clean
Mountain bikes are complex structures – so, it’s important to pay due attention to all its parts, big and small. When cleaning your mountain bike, parts to focus on include:
Drivetrain – The drivetrain plays an essential role in keeping your mountain bike moving – so it’s best to keep it in good shape. Small, abrasive brushes can be used to get into small hard to reach places such as those near the pulley, teeth and rings. Doing so helps remove any dirt that could be missed by a more general clean. It is also important to dedicate cleaning time to the cassette and ensure that your bike is rinsed thoroughly after scrubbing.
The Chain – The chain on a mountain bike can be a real magnet for dust and dirt – leading to troublesome built-up grime. To combat this, use a degreaser and rag to remove any grime or apply soap to your chain and rotate it before rinsing with cold water.
Bike Frame – The bike frame is easily one of the most noticeable parts of any mountain bike. When starting to clean your mountain bike frame, it is wise to soak the frame in water to remove any large pieces of dirt. A gentle brush can then be used to scrub key areas such as the headset, handlebars, seat stays, seat posts and the brakes. When cleaning disk brakes, be mindful of inspecting for wear.
If they are worn down to the recommended minimum thickness or appear to be showing signs of damage – they are likely due for a replacement. Should your brake pads look okay, apply isopropyl alcohol or designated bake cleaner with a paper towel to remove build-up and ensure efficient operation.
Wheels – The wheels are another key part of a mountain bike’s structure – so, it’s important to clean them thoroughly and often. In most cases, larger scrubbing brushes allow for an easy tyre clean. Apply soap to your cleaning brush before brushing each of your wheel’s parts. Don’t forget to flip the tyres and clean both sides for a thorough clean.
Which Products are Useful for Cleaning a Mountain Bike?
Just like cleaning a car, using the right products can make all the difference when cleaning and maintaining your mountain bike. Useful products to have include:
- Clean cloths – Cloths assist in cleaning and drying your mountain bike’s parts – they can also be used to apply grease or oil.
- Brushes – Having a collection of brushes in different sizes and degrees of firmness will allow a mountain bike owner to get a thorough clean of their bike – with smaller brushes allowing for deeper cleans of more detailed spaces.
- Water and Hosepipe – having access to water and a hosepipe is essential for cleaning a mountain bike. However, it should be noted that high-pressure hoses can cause damage to bikes when used carelessly. So, its useful to have a bucket of water on hand in addition to your hose.
- Soap and Degreaser – Some bike owners choose to use diluted soap to clean their bike frames and basic degreasers are available for bike chains.
For those looking to go the extra mile, specialist mountain bike cleaning products are available. Here at Tru-Tension, our range of cleaning products caters to all areas of bike cleaning. For general cleaning of your mountain bike, our Monkey Juice instantly lifts and removes stubborn dirt and grime generated from riding. For built on dirt and grime, our Grime Guard offers dual action protecting your disk brakes and wheel rims while cleaning and lubricating your drive train.
In addition to these products, our collection of great value bundles such as our Bike Revive Bundle and Bicycle Protect, Clean and Polish Bundle offer great value access to superior mountain bike cleaning. Our bike revive bundle includes Cycle Snow Foam, Cycle Maintenance Spray, Brake Cleaner, Drivetrain Cleaner, a Muck Monkey Chain Brush and an all Weather Chain Lube.
Our Protect, Clean and Polish Bundle features a Bicycle Brush Set, Grime Guard, All Weather Lubricant, Monkey Juice Gel Bike Cleaner, Cycle Drivetrain Cleaner
and Silicone Spritz. In addition to our range of cleaning products, our range of cleaning tools such as our premium bicycle brush cleaning kit helps you get the most out of your mountain bike cleaning.
Get Started with Tru-Tension
Here at Tru-Tension, we are experts in bikes – including road bikes, mountain bikes and motorcycles. Whether you’re looking to fix a problem or maintain and optimise your bike’s performance, our range of products are available to help you get the best out of your bike. To speak to one of our expert team – fill out our contact form.