Am I the Only One This Obsessive???

Madness

New Member
I have been called a freak by my friends cause I wash my bike after just about every ride. I never let more then two rides go by without doing a complete cleaning. I am completely anal about having a super clean drivetrain and gunk free chain, so even if I don't completely clean my rig I at least spend 10 mins running my chain through the chain cleaner and cleaning my cassette. It seems like people are always asking me if the bike has ever seen dirt yet. Beleave me it has seen plenty since I built it.

I just wanted to know if I am the only one with clean bike OCD.....:hmmm:
 

NJ-XC-Justin

KY-DH-Freddy
you sounds pretty obsessive. but i wish i was moreseo. my ride gets filthy and gunked up and i wish i cleaned it more than i do.
 

bikeboy566

Shop: Bike N Gear
Shop Keep
Dude im so obsessed i clean bikes that are'nt mine.I find that a bike that is cleaned will ride better, a gunked up drivetrain can wear faster also guys pay alot of coin for there bikes why not take some pride in cleaning them instead of just leaving them full of mud and wet so they get rusty and filthy.
 

sixseven

New Member
Cleaning the bike is as rewarding as a good ride. My little OCD thing involves the chain:
I remove my chain and put it in a mason jar with some solvent in it and shake it vigorously around to flush out all the dirt and remove the old lube.
I dry off the solvent with a rag and wash the chain in soapy water, using a different jar and the shake vigorously method.
Then rinse in hot hot water, dry it with a towel and put it in the sun or on a radiator for a while to dry. I clean the rest of the drivetrain at that point.
re assemble and apply White Lightning liberally.

This whole activity is so satisfying...like a good ear cleaning with a Q-tip.

I run the solvent thru a coffee filter to clean it and get several uses out of it.

Clean bike, clean mind.
 

LandCruiser

Active Member
Cleaning the bike is as rewarding as a good ride. My little OCD thing involves the chain:
I remove my chain and put it in a mason jar with some solvent in it and shake it vigorously around to flush out all the dirt and remove the old lube.
I dry off the solvent with a rag and wash the chain in soapy water, using a different jar and the shake vigorously method.
Then rinse in hot hot water, dry it with a towel and put it in the sun or on a radiator for a while to dry. I clean the rest of the drivetrain at that point.
re assemble and apply White Lightning liberally.

This whole activity is so satisfying...like a good ear cleaning with a Q-tip.

I run the solvent thru a coffee filter to clean it and get several uses out of it.

Clean bike, clean mind.

Just by a new Chain ;)
 

Stocky

Member
Cleaning the bike is as rewarding as a good ride. My little OCD thing involves the chain:
I remove my chain and put it in a mason jar with some solvent in it and shake it vigorously around to flush out all the dirt and remove the old lube.
I dry off the solvent with a rag and wash the chain in soapy water, using a different jar and the shake vigorously method.
Then rinse in hot hot water, dry it with a towel and put it in the sun or on a radiator for a while to dry. I clean the rest of the drivetrain at that point.
re assemble and apply White Lightning liberally.

This whole activity is so satisfying...like a good ear cleaning with a Q-tip.

I run the solvent thru a coffee filter to clean it and get several uses out of it.

Clean bike, clean mind.

My wife has some slots open for a therapy session if ya just need someone to talk to. :) She could prescribe some meds if necessary. :D
 

elzoller

El Guac-Oh
Yes! :D

I do a terrible job maintaining my bikes :eek: I hardly clean them.
I try to take the mud off and clean the chain when it gets too muddy, but sometimes I just hang it back in the garage after a ride.
That's why I am loving the ROAD bike so much, it is always CLEAN!! :cool:
 

pinkshirtphotos

Active Member
i clean my road bike obsesivly, but its a vintage steel frame with its original build.... when i rode my dh bike i never maintained it, just ride fast enough that the sounds are left in the dust trails behind you. with my xc bike i cant ride that fast so there is always a clean drivetrain. the frame can be dirty, but the gears are always clean. I also have this nasty habbit of losing chains or snapping them so I have yet to bring my latest chains to the point i need to take them off and clean them.
 

mike_243

JORBA Board Member/Chapter Leader
JORBA.ORG
after every ride I clean my drive chain and moving parts I also brush off the frame and such.
my road bike get washed and waxed all the time I think if you wax it will make you go faster....:)
 

Steve Vai

Endurance Guy: Tolerates most of us.
my road bike get washed and waxed all the time I think if you wax it will make you go faster....:)

Is that the secret!? I clean/overhaul/rebuild whatever broke on my mountain bike at least once a week. The road bike gets little love, I just fix it when it needs something and wipe down the frame from time-to-time.

-Jim.
 

MTB Aussie

Member
Cleaning the bike is as rewarding as a good ride. My little OCD thing involves the chain:
I remove my chain and put it in a mason jar with some solvent in it and shake it vigorously around to flush out all the dirt and remove the old lube.
I dry off the solvent with a rag and wash the chain in soapy water, using a different jar and the shake vigorously method.
Then rinse in hot hot water, dry it with a towel and put it in the sun or on a radiator for a while to dry. I clean the rest of the drivetrain at that point.
re assemble and apply White Lightning liberally.

This whole activity is so satisfying...like a good ear cleaning with a Q-tip.

I run the solvent thru a coffee filter to clean it and get several uses out of it.

Clean bike, clean mind.
I wish I had that much time on my hands. ;)

Happy 4th to y'all.
 

lou_b_83

New Member
I clean mine after every ride to. I spend alot of time doing it to. I seem to have alot less brake downs then the guys I ride with..:D
 

RNG1

Well-Known Member
I used to be more laid back about maintaining my mountaiin bike but this year I have noticed that cleaning it up and not just knocking off the dirt after a messy ride really makes it work better. I do far less on my road bike.
 

ArmyOfNone

Well-Known Member
Im try to keep the road bike clean. The mtb not so much. But i think that has to do with only having one gear. Not so much to worry about there. Ill wipe it down if i get around to it.
 

Molasses

Active Member
My OCD "popped" when I rode a dually...

I used to check the air pressure in my rear shock CONSTANTLY... Got so bad I went back to a hardtail and swapped my Talas for a Vanilla... :D

Comprehensive drivetrain maintenance when I have a messy ride- I thought overcleaning a chain wasn't good for it- at least that's the story I am sticking with...
 

bonefishjake

Strong like bull, smart like tractor
Team MTBNJ Halter's
i ride a single speed. i knock the mud off now and then, check the BB and lube the chain. is there any other parts on a bike? :D

the road bike, however, is spotless.
 

TommyCrash

Member
I finally (about a month ago) broke down (no pun intended) and bought a chain cleaner machine thingy. Two days ago I tried the machine. I love the machine. I'm obesssed with it. After I run the chain through the machine, need to take the chain in my thumb and pionter finger and twist it. If I don't hear or feel any grits, I'll move onto cleaning the rest of the bike. The first time I used the cleaning machine and saw all the metal bits on the magnet I couldn't believe what I saw, felt and left on there every time I rode.
On a side note: can I use brake cleaner or carburator cleaner (that cleans and dries without residue) on my bike on the parts that are hard to get oiled grime off of. Like the cassette and chainrings. Just wondering because I use it when I'm cleaning auto parts that have metal, rubber, painted surfaces and plastic without any harmful affects. Thanks in advance.
 
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