With the right clothing, riding in the rain can be more fun than you might call back. The headaches frequently come up once you've stopped riding and have a look at what the muck on the road has done to your cycle.

While fenders tin can help to continue you lot and your bike from becoming a complete disaster, yous'll more than likely withal need to wash your bike earlier y'all caput inside for a loving cup of hot chocolate.

Follow this quick and painless routine for cleaning your bike subsequently a wet ride to continue it looking and working like new:

one. Go the gunk off.

The water, oil and other foreign substances on the road tin leave some pretty gross residue on your cycle frame and components. And if it's left this way, information technology can affect the fashion your bike performs.

To become most of the grime off, fill a bucket with h2o and dish soap. With a car sponge, scrub from your handlebars dorsum toward the rear wheel. Be generous with the soap and water, and pay particular attending to the underside of your saddle, the within of your front end fork and the rear triangle where muck usually collects. To go far easier to get between the tight spaces, remove both wheels.

Tip: When you lot use a hose, endeavour to avert spraying h2o straight at the bottom bracket, headset and bicycle hubs—especially if information technology's a force per unit area washer. It can ruin the bearings, and the cost to replace them can be quite pricey.

2. Clean the wheels and brakes.

With the wheels removed, use the aforementioned sponge to clean the wheels and brakes. Make sure to get the inside of the brake calipers and brake pads. If your brakes are superfilthy, try a restriction cleaner, which can aid remove oil, grit and grease, and rehydrate your pads.

For the wheels, make sure to make clean the spokes, hubs and tires. Pay shut attention to the brake surface, where remainder from the brake pads collect. If soap doesn't take it off, a niggling rubbing booze will do the trick. Afterward a light rinse to remove the soap from the wheels, frame and components, you tin can put the wheels back on the bike.

Tip: If your frame has drainage holes on the bottom near the dropouts, lift the front end to drain any excess water in the frame. Since the bottom bracket is the low point, water tin sometimes collect at that place. This will help to remove information technology.

iii. Dry the bike.

If you have a leaf blower, this volition go the task washed quickly. If not, towel dry the wheel equally best you tin can. While carbon won't rust, whatsoever parts made of steel should be dried thoroughly.

iv. Clean and lube the drivetrain.

The most important step is to stop cleaning the drivetrain and apply a lubricant. This will keep your bike performance properly and your expensive parts from rusting.

Start past using a degreaser to get any backlog crud that wasn't taken off past the soapy sponge. Y'all'll need to pay attending to the front end and rear derailleurs, the chain, cassette and crank. Dip an old rag or a toothbrush into a carve up container with a pocket-sized amount of degreaser. You shouldn't need much. After everything is clean, apply a lubricant to the chain and a few drops to any other points where the cables enter or exit the frame.

v. Smooth the frame (for extra credit).

Though this step isn't absolutely necessary and will take additional time, applying a frame polish tin make things much easier for you the next time around. A protective polish that contains a wet dispersant and a PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) volition expel h2o from the bike, prevent corrosion and keep the paint actually shiny. Information technology'll too make your wheel easier to make clean the next time you ride in the pelting, because dirt won't stick as hands.

Tip: If you practice decide on a spray shine, remove the wheels. If polish gets on the braking surface, it'll reduce friction—a potentially dangerous situation.