Karate Monkey
Well-Known Member
The only people with clean wheels all around are the ones who have a paid mechanic on staff (ie, pro level), or spend waaaaaay too much time cleaning up. My wheels get cleaned off maybe every couple of months (probably 3-4?). I mean actually cleaned, by the way. If they're filthy, they just get a wipe down with a soapy brush. Cleaning for showroom level is a different beast...and I really only do it for rim brake bikes, anyway.
Actually clean (takes roughly 5-10 minutes per wheel):
-Cassette off, cleaned separately. Rotors off (centerlock really saves time here...).
-Bucket of soapy water, brush, brush, brush. Don't douse the bearings.
-Dry rag, wipe everything down, starting at the hub, then the spokes, then the rim/tire. Use gun swabs/q-tips/pipe cleaners to clean the first spoke cross/tops of the hub flanges
-Anything that survives deserves to be there (only kind of kidding...). dried sealant snot can be cleaned off the outside with acetone. Wet a rag, run it around the rim, let it flash off, then follow back up with a wetted rag.
Quick clean (few minutes):
-Leave the cassette/rotors on.
-Spray with soapy water (I use the ZEP sprayers you can get in hardware stores--1-2 TBSP soap, fill with water).
-Wipe down anything you can get to with just the rag, which is quite a bit, if you don't have sausage fingers.
-F*** the tire.
Avoid the bearings...I know several people who have cleaned their bearings into destruction (after dousing the bike with water, and not drying/greasing the bearings, ever).
