How To Clean Your Bike In 5 Minutes!

[@gcntech]

How dirty is your bike at the moment? 👀

[@FelisSilvestrisBE]

Very, I can't get out of my street w/o it being dirty. It doesn't have to rain for that, wet roads and sand is enough. I use many paths not accessible for cars like trough woods and parks or a 'trekweg' next to a river.

[@mrmarto78]

My bike looks like i"m coming back from Strade Bianche .

[@johnstrac]

Even my wife was disgusted as to the state of my bike after this weekend, woke to find a note telling me to clean it !

[@Frank-Leu]

My E-bike is not very dirty. I don't go racing ith the bike and I use is mostly when it's sunny. I don't ride long distanes and when I do? It's sunny and are the road mostly dry

[@Erd_Geschoss]

Yes.

[@rundown132]

How many bike cleaning videos can GCN make challenge

[@gcntech]

Each one better than the last... how do we do it 😉

[@jhoff80]

Has to be updated for newer sponsors 😂

[@manuelelzer2310]

@@gcntechthis time you cleaned your wheels before some parts of the frame. I would never do this to my car and bikes... Well they can be more expensive than cars!

[@rundown132]

@@gcntechwhatever supports giving us all this good cycling content :)

[@HeibesHealth]

I keep looking for the video to show me how to clean my bike while I’m in a headstand. I feel unseen.

[@Llanchlo]

But it's not the cleaning that takes time. 1. Extracting the bucket from behind the waste pipes under the sink. 2. Finding all the chems. 3. Finding the hose - under all that mess in the shed you meant to clean out at the end of summer. 4. Finding the hose nozzle - in the kids' room pretending to be a space rocket. 5. Going to the bike shop for new brushes 'cause the missus threw the old ones away to make a point after you cleaned them in the bathroom sink ...

[@andrewmcalister3462]

#real-life 😂

[@ChadFarhan]

Just common universal problems lol

[@tomwagemans1872]

If you take the time to prewash to not scratch your bike. Don't just put your wash mit on the ground😅. Little tip I learned from detailing my car: use a bucket with clean water to rinse your wash mit before you put it in the bucket with soap. You will be surprised how much dirt comes off the mit and how clean the soap bucket stays.

[@markstone722]

Also helps with timing if your bike isn't very dirty to start with.

[@gcntech]

Ollie doesn't let his bike get too dirty 😉

[@mericanignoranc3551]

Cpt. Obvious comes out to point out the obvious ...ty

[@richardlevasseur6771]

I would like to perform a daily spritz post ride. My problems are sand, salt and dust. I do perform a detailed cleaning with my car at least once per week. But I feel that if I keep up with it daily, it would make the weekly detail less work. Any thoughts, please?

[@labpartnerlp]

​​@@richardlevasseur6771so long as you don't let water sit and rust? Wet salt is the worst salt.

[@socopower]

Quick easy improvement: hose in shower mode not jet mode, so water spreads more easily ;) faster job

[@mecharoo]

Probably the back office hose he’s not used before

[@gcntech]

Great hack 🙌

[@ldimitrov]

I like how you're have it in on people for resting their bikes on some walls for a quick picture for the GCN Tech Show's bike vault, but here you've probably done more damage than all of the people combined who sent pictures for the show

[@labpartnerlp]

Well ones for a bike vault. The other is for people that don't have a stand.

[@ldimitrov]

Does that mean i have to carry a stand with me whenever i go on a ride with a nice view?

[@gcntech]

He can talk the talk ... but 😉

[@brucearmenante7945]

Thanks for the washing tips. I do a light drop of the bike to shake excess water off before microfibering. Speeds up the drying.

[@The_One-Eyed_Undertaker]

Oh yeah! And remember: Dishwashing soap is the Devil, Hitler and Stalin mixed all together in liquid form. You need to use Josh Silca's washing soap made from a mixture of Eddy Merckx's sweat and rookie Italian domestique's tears. It's only $49.99! 😂

[@DH-.]

Wd-40 water displacement experiment number 40 created for maintenance of i.c.b.m missles... It helps dry the nooks and crannies water may seep into. and you can control over-spray with a straw attachment that it comes with.

[@Glopieo]

No hose, no stand, live in a flat and recently found a massive watering can really helps! One big can allows for a pre-rinse and rinse of “shampoo”, as well as saving me multiple trips up and down to the kitchen with my washing up bowl. Of course you don’t have the power of a hose, power washer or even a manual pressure (don’t bother with the Amazon own one, it’s trash!) but it can’t do everything 😂

[@sarahwilhelms2015]

You can also use a garden sprayer. It doesn’t have a lot of pressure, but you can fill up the several gallon container in the tub, and it will wash a whole bike.

[@luperamos7307]

How do you properly get the degreaser off the cassette though? I wouldn't want water and degreaser to end up in the bearings

[@markstone722]

Oli sounds more out of breathe than when doing a Zwift race 🏁

[@gcntech]

On the bike he's a machine... off the bike 🤷

[@patricklaenen3468]

Off the bike he is worthless, what a stupid/wrong video this is

[@davidhenner9367]

PRO tip: If you have a leaf blower you can get all the water off the gears/chains. Water is bad for chains so the leaf blower is awesome for your chain. No cloth will dry your chain/gears as well as a leaf blower.

[@kippen64]

I think that I'll relax and take ten minutes to do this wash.

[@philchevrier]

agreed. Cleaning my bike is actually a little ritual that's become very relaxing over time.

[@gcntech]

Nothing wrong with that! Enjoy the process 👌

[@overcookit1433]

I always clean the bike with a hand pressure sprayer (filled with soap water), and leave the with Squirt low temp wax waxed chain as it is (as it does not wash out that easily), until the chain does not feel "waxy", then I put some wax on again. The carbon front wheels of my summer bike I would never ever clean with a garden-hose pistol, as unnecessary humidity might lead to corrosion of the commonly used alloy nipples. On my DT Swiss ARC Dicut wheels (62 and 80) I put some Pattex Power repair where the spokes go into the rim to prevent water getting in there, and the valves are hidden in the rim, so I can "seal" the valve hole with a thin piece of tape and gain some better aerodynamics, it is a win-win. In this video, I would put some soap water on the frame instead of degreaser on the chain. In case the road is wet anyway but no rain is to be expected, I prefer riding without mudguards as they slow me down, and leave the bike dirty.

[@jrmhng]

I'm sure I've see this video before. But this time, muc off is gone and you have elite wheels on 😂

[@FelisSilvestrisBE]

Ollie, you have a garden-hose 'pistol' that has a 'shower' setting. Use it quickly and gently rinse of the soap. It also decreases the pressure so should be safe to use as a pre-wash without hurting the bearings. In wintertime I find using those handheld little chain washing machines very handy, btw. Will set you back 25-30 euro but I feel it does a good enough job and pretty fast as well. Winter means using fenders/mudguards right? Don't forget to clean them out with the harder single waterbeam and give all the lights and reflectors you might have a good clean as well. You want to be visible in the darker months. Question though: I take you're re-using those microfiber rags? Can you actually clean those well, with all the dirty grease? What washing settings are you using for those?

[@andy_liga]

I've tried weird things, but the only thing that I found that strips completely the grease off NYLON MICROFIBER cloths is concentrate oven cleaner and hot water, then just swirl it around for a bit and rinse them in hot water. Do it at your own risk, cause oven cleaner contains nasty chemicals (I get it for free from work and I'm rather comfortable using it since I use it daily at work), but I promise you that your microfiber cloths will look absolutely brand new. Also make sure you rinse them thoroughly, cause oven cleaner has the tendency to absolutely chemically obliterate aluminium.

[@reinholdachleitner2069]

Awesome video,I find using an old old toothbrush for cleaning ones brake calipers work really well,wet or dry.Safe riding.💯👌🏻🚴‍♀️✌🏻

[@davidfindlay8158]

4:27 - As well as showing us how to wash a bike, Ollie also shows us a place to park a bike 😮

[@ChristianAakjærOlesen]

😂

[@pedrocorreia9256]

you've killed those levers

[@reinholdachleitner2069]

How so?

[@Mockenrue]

Letting them brush against the wall.

[@Mockenrue]

@@adellapigna7189 Yes, a bike with shifters which retail for £400 each.

[@martindirkzimmer]

Not sure I quite got it. Could you demonstrate again - on my bike?

[@gcntech]

Why not follow along at home? 🧽

[@JeromeArfouche]

I do have a question about on-bike electronics, such as crank/pedal based powermetres and electronic shifting comp or batteries. How careful do I need to be around them with products and rinsing or are they more sturdy than I think ?

[@shreyasc331]

Not sure about power meters as I don't have them, but electronic shifting, no special care needed at all

[@patricklaenen3468]

Dude! You’re starting to wash a clean bike!!! 😂😂😂

[@coldforgedcowboy]

That is dirty for Oli....

[@gcntech]

what they said ☝

[@soldierRN71]

Can you post the products that you used in this video?

[@melibaut]

I needed this video. Now I just need to buy the products! Thanks for posting 🙌🏻

[@gcntech]

No worries 🙌 Glad we can help!

[@alecsadewhite6994]

In my old age, I've become wary of degreaser getting into the freewheel and destroying the bearings. Take off the wheel and clean the cassette dry with a rag (slotted between cogs.) If that's not sufficient, take it off the freewheel and clean cogs individually. If you have a compressor, maybe you can get away with the wet approach, but most people don't.

[@luperamos7307]

I'm way too stupid to get back wheel off. But I never clean the cassette bc I don't want degreaser and water to end up in the bearings. So I always wondered how I can get the degreaser off properly if I'm reluctant to spray the bike with a hose. Would a sponge with water be enough to get it off?

[@LastLamplighter]

Can we get a top 10 GCN bike wash videos rundown please. This is #7 charitably 😂

[@a1white]

Si’s WD40 wonder has to be no.1 just for comedy value 😅

[@gcntech]

Did someone say bike washing mega mix?

[@philadams9254]

Don't put degreaser on your waxed chain - it means your next addition of wax won't stick

[@davidbraddon-mitchell3152]

Except his “degreaser” isn’t degreaser…it’s that SILCA drivetrain cleaner which is actually what the car industry call “fallout remover”. It doesn’t affect wax!

[@philadams9254]

@@davidbraddon-mitchell3152"I'm just gonna put some *degreaser* on the cassette and chain" - 1:58

[@davidbraddon-mitchell3152]

I know he *said* that but it’s not what he actually put on! It was fallout remover (aka SILCA drivetrain cleaner)@@philadams9254

[@volkersehne3766]

Seems that you applied a specific drivetrain cleaner after the degreaser. Doesn‘t applying a cleaner to the entire bike and degreaser to the drivetrain then suffice in your oppinion?

[@hungrr08]

Can anyone recommend a good chain lube please. Just bought my first expensive bike and want to take care of this over the years to come. 👍🏼

[@leitmotiph]

We need a GCN presenter fastest bike clean challenge!

[@gcntech]

Hahahah yes! That's a great idea 🙌 We'll need an independent judge too 👀

[@kennethward9530]

WD-40 has 2 uses that are proper: 1) Drying points in distributor or magneto so your car or tractor will start on a rainy day 2) Polishing the skin of your 1st or 2nd generation Atlas booster

[@steras94]

Do you use degreaser on your waxed chain, or does that require a different method?

[@chris1275cc]

No. If you are waxing mostly to extend the life of components, and not having the inconvenience of to deal with the "black gunge" just back pedal the chain through a clean rag dampened with IPA or meths until it looks mostly clean, (you can skip this altogether if you want, but it will shorten the life of the wax) then either dump it back in the wax for 20 mins swishing occasionally, or apply a drip wax. After a while the wax wont work quite as well (especially if you use a drip between applications) you will notice it does not last as long and things will start to look dirty again, but this method is the least hassle. If you are willing to take it a bit further you can pour boiling water over the chain in a sieve to melt and flush out the old wax or you can even boil it in an old pot (the old wax will float to the top and you can pour it off), then dry the chain with a hair dryer and re-wax it, you will get more life out of the wax doing this but it's obviously more time consuming. If you are really chasing those Watts you can go crazy with multiple rinses and wax pots to pull out as much contamination as possible before it goes in the final "pristine wax" pot, but personally I have a this thing called a life so....yeah. 😐

[@kaler329]

Can you use treadmill belt lubricant on the chain ?

[@Emtbtoday]

Do the wheels last so not getting grit n stuff in the wash mit or on sponge then going washing your frame

[@rogerafurness]

I noticed that you didn't use washing up liquid like the pro mechanics

[@gcntech]

*Ollie screams in tech

[@mecharoo]

Also conveniently blocks out the brand name of the dishwashing liquid hehe

[@SWGINSPECTOR]

Is there any reason not to use car cleaning products on the bike as well? Not all parts have perfect equivalents (lubrication is of course one place where there's a big difference between a bike and a car), but in many cases it seems to be basically the same stuff.

[@TacticalArnis]

Simple Green ok as a degreaser?

[@flflam]

Applying chain lube before the chain is fully dry traps moisture in and accelerates rusting.

[@treyquattro]

I'm looking forward to the Hank bike cleaning video, where he gets in a rain barrel with his bike...

[@SteveLyons-f7y]

What do you do if you have a waxed chain? Just remove it first?

[@gcntech]

If you need some tips on maintaining your waxed chain we've got you covered 👉 kzbin.info/www/bejne/aofShX-Fi9xlesk

[@lukeblankenship8424]

When I was 16, I got my first road bike from a friend at work. I used WD40 on my chain and then over spray got on my rim. I hit a corner after going for a ride and had absolutely NO brakes and just plowed into a chain link fence🤣 thank God that’s all I got myself into.

[@AussieInJapan]

Best 5min bike wash video still Simon Richardson. He wasn’t afraid to get his shoes wet. White shoes while bike cleaning Ollie?

[@KaiaKaru]

Hello, this video is really gonna help me out. But, all I really have is detergent and water, a tooth brush and a few spare shirts or towels I can use to dry the bike- I'm fourteen and I only really use my mountain bike to go to school. Is it really important to use a degreaser? I do need to get lube soon since my chain is starting to rust a bit as well.

[@davidparker8475]

So here's a question. If the chain has been cleaned of all oil residue and then waxed, should the degreaser step be skipped?

[@MdBoj-n2v]

What are the types of 700 tires...

[@rivnuts7398]

Is the degreaser on the chainring and cassette that useful with a waxed chain? Wouldn’t a stripper be better?

[@andrewmcalister3462]

Once you've removed the factory grease, you shouldn't need chain stripper again. Simple boiling water will remove old wax.

[@callumthorsen5474]

What does Washing up liquid do to your bearings that degreaser dosent 🤔

[@Mockenrue]

It typically contains salt.

[@luperamos7307]

I always wonder how you get the degreaser off without having getting it all into your bearings

[@aAnd67]

Ooh! A " how to clean your bike" video. That's new!!!😂😂😂😂

[@sebasforest963]

I see you've put the chain on the big ring and thus saved yourself some bloody knukles, well done !

[@mahendradoshi6709]

Do you need to safe guard the brake rotors from water ?

[@gcntech]

hi, no, don't worry about that! 👍

[@PerseusMcZeus]

How many times have u rewatched that video ? Me : YES !

[@bertrammischke9334]

what products are you using?

[@johnstrac]

Loving your work as always Ollie but shocked to see you lean the bike straight against a wall ! When I clean without using my stand I use pipe lagging and slide it over the handlebars at the drops and tops, this keeps the bars off the wall.

[@patricklaenen3468]

LOL

[@stevec6232]

Super nice bike!

[@david-imboden]

Nice new topic ;-)

[@EduardoSalas]

🤣🤣🤣

[@drakezen]

wd-40 has a special bike degreaser rather than a regular degreaser. Would that be better?

[@vevasam]

How do you wash your bike if you are in Germany?

[@BufordDuckworth]

WD40 Bike Degreaser is what I swear by. It foams up real nice, and really breaks up the grime. It's also not very expensive.

[@NaNyamka1]

Please can someone tell me if I can use Oven Degreaser on the bike chain!??

[@stevecaldwell8284]

4:30 and we get a glimpse of part of Oli that can't be unseen.

[@TheAvgWoman]

Thank you!

[@edbobo9904]

Thank you for the common sense check. I'm more confident cleaning my bike quickly

[@jacobhall937]

What kind of products would you recommend to get things like tar off your bike?

[@gcntech]

We use Silca here and love it 🙌

[@f1acha]

That's because you don't have to buy it ! Way overpriced for what it is.@@gcntech

[@chris1275cc]

Tar and bug remover, CarPlan is about the cheapest and designed to not bother paintwork but probably best to test it somewhere inconspicuous first using a rag of contrasting colour, and have some water ready to wash off any access.

[@devzero.create]

How would this be different for a waxed chain? I'm surprised Dr. Bridgewood has anything else on his bike's chains.

[@ltsw06]

GCN Tech, do you use degreaser on your chain and cassette even if you use wax (drip on/hot melt)?

[@Dermiezz]

I was confused by this too - I thought with a waxed chain you just rubbed it dry with a microfibre cloth?

[@ashimajo7411]

What are those products u used to wash can you reply me

[@RenAigu]

And on waxed chains? I assume you just skip the chain, chainset and cassette degreaser part, just wipe with a microfibre cloth and reapply some emulsified wax or dip it in the hot wax. If your chain is not at the km mark for reapplication yet, just skip the whole wash, I'd say.

[@chris1275cc]

You pretty much just explained why I will never use a wet lube* again. *On my bike, using a dry lube for "other" fun activates might lead to relationship issues or a an embarrassing trip to A&E.😉

[@luperamos7307]

Wouldn't water and degreaser end up in the bearings if you wash it off like that?

[@norman123]

Can you make a video about how to stop disc brakes squeeking

[@SrFederico]

Why use degreaser on the chain, sprockets and chainset when you are waxing your chain?

[@rjward51]

Surely you wouldn’t use degreaser if your chain is waxed?

[@scottydonald]

How does the 5 minute clean work with a waxed chain?

[@chris1275cc]

It takes about 4 mins off the time.

[@bewster7]

Haven't had a bike cleaning video for about a month.

[@adam-qu6dh]

Can we have Matt back for one last "how to clip in/out" video?

[@eddeking123]

Are Ollie running 11 speed chainrings on that quarq?

[@Allmec]

No that didn’t work for me, so if you could pop round to show me that would be appreciated, I got all the stuff ready for you. Several bikes to go through so I should have the skills by the time you have finished. Was it one sugar or two in your cuppa ?

[@gcntech]

Hahahah no tea for Ollie - no distractions when cleaning 🧘

[@SlickCycler]

I thought you always have a waxed chain? Do you, and you are putting lube on the chain too?

[@patrykdziopa8812]

not removing break pads?

[@rowanberry26]

Is it bad to degrease my chain and cassette etc every time I clean it?

[@gcntech]

hi, nope! That sounds like something Ollie would certainly do too! A clean chain is a happy chain! 👍

[@clacclackerson3678]

I've never washed a bike apart from cleaning the chain.

[@DeeKayDoubleUSee]

Ollie’s talking with a speed of a bullet train 😂 loveyoubye

[@georgeshaw6207]

Superb video !

[@SusanPorterT2]

Sorry guys due to budget cuts all bike wash videos are limited to 5 minutes. Oh, Make sure you get a crack shot, we’re trying to appeal to plumbers.

[@AjoodahMadhav]

I have a serious question that i need to know, imagine i need to wash my bike at night,can i just wash it with water then leave it?

[@retrogamereaper]

What if you don't have a hose?

[@mjokffsgfjs]

Si's one better, with WD-40.

[@gcntech]

He will never live that down 🤣

[@guineapig13]

Frame before the wheels and drivetrain!

[@Sutlore007]

My wash would not be this quick. Washing only the frame would be 5 mins but not includes chain, drivetrain and wheels. I had an stretched my old Dura-Ace chain in just only 3500km by not cleaning it often. So, I would be happy to clean things up every 4-5 rides

[@VAULT-TEC_INC.]

4:28 Bucket Cam? More like the Arse Crack Cam, amirite? 😂

[@chinabicycle]

water and a rag

[@srncsvk]

What if you don’t have garden hose and live in a flat?

[@cruachan1191]

Can't super-nice that bike, it's propped against a wall. 🤣 Joking aside, I save my old dish towels as garage rags, ideal for drying the bike and the chain before reapplying lube.

[@bikeman123]

Bucket of plain water and a sponge works for me. Dont need detergent and degreaser, water works fine.

[@cuebj]

Surely you never use a pressure washer. Ordinary hose on a quite gentle setting is more than enough and avoids forcing water into places you don't want it to get in

[@chris1275cc]

Pressure washers are fine as long as you remember you are cleaning a bike not stripping moss off a patio.

[@Thieb25]

I thought it was better to apply lube just before going out for a ride, and would always leave my clean chain dry for a couple days. Thanks for the advice I will now do this straight after the cleaning.

[@phorest]

It's definitely best to lube the chain *at least* 15 minutes before, or the night before a ride. That lets the lube work its way deep into the chain and the liquid carrier to evaporate.

[@davidbraddon-mitchell3152]

And if your lube is drip wax it needs at least 12 hrs or more if it’s humid or wt.. @@phorest

[@markbaker5345]

That timer was as intense as The Crystal Maze.

[@edwardjednacz1641]

Why the rush? Add five minutes take your time and inspect your pride and joy as you wash and dry it.

[@gcntech]

Some people don't have the time - Ollie had a very important meeting to get to 👀

[@rompompomkladivo6623]

That was a funny video 😊

[@darrinpenney825]

Hoses don't work so well when its -10°C ... yep Canada. (Not much does) And the tires, wheels are second last to clean before the drive train.... not before any part of the frame. That whole thing hurt to watch. Sigh.