Wash Your Mountain Bike! How To Wash Your Bike and What Products to Use

[@TheLoamWolf]

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[@BryantKHill]

Tried using the code and chose the Muc Off products and they didn’t accept the code.

[@TheLoamWolf]

Sorry to hear that Bryant. Some brand products are excluded from the discount. Or if you’ve shopped with them before you may need to use a different email / account as it’s for first time use on many products too. Thanks and good luck.

[@TheRadar2819]

Thanks Drew for the how to. I just bought my first full suspension last June, although its not muddy it is very dusty. I have been nervous to wash it cause I didn't want to mess anything up. Now after watching this I feel a little more at ease.

[@TheLoamWolf]

Appreciate you watching Anthony, There are folks spreading fear about washing your bike, but we've talked with lots of professional, race mechanics, shop mechanics and engineers from bike brands and more. If you don't TRY to saturate bearings, pivots or sensitive areas, you are fine as long as you do proper drying, and post wash lubrication. Enjoy your new bike, and keeping it clean!! A product like SC1 will help give it a sheen and helps with dust, makes it super easy to just wipe the frame off rather than sticking.

[@KingerUTube]

For pedalling e-bikes backward for cleaning, put an Allen wrench in a chainring bolt. You will be able to backpedal when the crank arm rests against the Allen wrench. 🍻

[@TheLoamWolf]

Daaaaang! check out that expert tip.

[@pittsburghandy]

Why can’t they be backpedaled?

[@croomrider9785]

Have always used bio wash for my dirt bike, so I’ll be using it for my new full suspension mtb!

[@TheLoamWolf]

Nice

[@mishras1595]

Thanks for this very needed at this moment

[@sandykavor8434]

I've tried so many cleaning products for bike, but the best one is dawn dish soap diluted with water in a spray bottle. For drivetrain any degreaser works well.

[@topspot4834]

Yup. That's literally all that's needed. I hand wash with a spray bottle, warm water and a little dawn dish soap (the non antibacterial kind you get at Home Depot or Lowes). Scrub brush and degreaser for the drivetrain, and everything is hand washed. Only thing I'll use a hose is when there's a lotta mud or I'm doing the tires, and even then I keep it to minimum.

[@sandykavor8434]

@@topspot4834 Very cost effective too. Seems like the dedicated cleaning spray bottles barely lasted me for 3 bike washes.

[@topspot4834]

@@sandykavor8434 yeah I'm like you, tried all the different stuff. I own a pressure washing company so we're always looking for better and easier ways to clean. Nothing compares to warm water and soap.

[@sandykavor8434]

@@topspot4834 Cool. Yeah warm water for sure. I do pressure wash the bike, just being careful around sensitive areas.

[@rodrigopages1054]

Best advice is to clean your bike as son as you can after every ride or 2 specially if it’s this muddy ! You can bring a 5 gallon jug of water with you in the car and just literally rinse the bike ASAP before getting home if possible and then do a good wash! If you have a pressure washer you can probably tune it to have lesss pressure or just spray further away from the bike

[@TheLoamWolf]

Yes, cleaning the bike before the mud dries is WAY easier and better. But, then we wouldn't get to see how well this stuff works in a worst case scenario.

[@cwgaines]

Do you do the videos for upgrades on Rykers?

[@rmoore4yris]

1. Spray with⚡️pressure washer 2. Dawn in foam cannon 3. Brush the entire bicycle 4. Rinse off the entire bike 5. Leaf blower dry 6. Grease/ lube 7. Ride & repeat

[@julioorozco801]

Hi Drew, I’m a new rider and I just bought a Specialized Enduro. Is any Muc-off cleanser safe on Ride Wraps. I’m looking at competitive cyclist - Ultimate Bicycle Cleaning kit. I appreciate your input and suggestions. Great video.

[@TheLoamWolf]

If they’re carbon safe, which most all are, they should be safe for your wrap. It could be worth asking Ride Wraps as well since they’ve likely tested several to ensure they hold. We personally have been loving @gtechniq Bike Wash and ceramic coating!

[@julioorozco801]

@@TheLoamWolf Ride Wrap confirmed that it’s safe. They have certainly done the testing - so it is safe to say Muc-Off will be safe to use! They also mentioned with RideWrap- water usually will just clean it off. Check out their website article for a little info on the hydrophobic properties of RideWrap.

[@bil-mil]

Hey, I saw you guys made a review type thing of Bogus Basin in Boise, Idaho, and you guys thought it was kind of "meh," and rightfully so. Well now they have a ton of new trails, like huge jump trails too.

[@TheLoamWolf]

Well I guess we need to get back there!

[@N8MRN]

Did the bike come with the Specialized Butcher rubber, or do you prefer those? I am looking at get those or Michelin AM in 27.5 x 2.8. I have Specialized Purgatory Grid 3.0 as stock rubber.

[@TheLoamWolf]

We put them on because we like this bike and are using it as a test mule for new tires and some other products. They’re good so far.

[@magruderable]

Step one rinse bike off with water. Then go over with cleaner to finish.

[@TheLoamWolf]

Yes

[@BailsofGlass]

What would people recommend for someone who lives in the southwest who rarely encounters mud or rain and the bike really just gets "dusty" when riding it.

[@jeffjacksonmtb]

1. Rinse with a hose 2. Spray with car wash soap (I use Chemical Guys) 3. Scrub everything but tires and drivetrain with soft nylon brush 4. Scrub drivetrain with stiffer nylon brush (toothbrush for tight areas) 5. Scrub tires with a different stiff nylon brush to avoid cross contamination 6. Rinse 7. Blow dry with air compressor 8. Lube stanchions, shock shaft, and dropper shaft with WPL 9. Lube chain with scctech drivetrain treatment 10. Wipe rotors with alcohol

[@rodrigopages1054]

Exactly what @@jeffjacksonmtb said! And if you do it regularly let’s say every 2-3 rides for the whole bike and just good chain/drivetrain wash every ride if you can as well as your suspension dust wipers your bike will last you MUCH better and longer

[@googlepixel9pro]

Might sound like a daft question but what happens to water and grime that gets into the frame via the internal cables openings?

[@willj8446]

drips out the bottom

[@livefreeandshred9818]

OH MY GOD A PRESSURE WASHER!!!!!!?????? just kidding I do it every time I ride because the hose sucks ass and pressure washer actually gets the tires clean too 👌🏻

[@mydearriley]

With the "caked on" mud - can't you simply brush most of it off?

[@willj8446]

depends how old and thick it is

[@ShepherdsChapelonYT]

Let's turn to God let's repent and ask for forgiveness,let's study God's word. Theseasonorg explains the whole bible God bless.

[@michaelkroleski]

Too bad you guys didn't have 4-5 dirty bikes and used one brand per bike. One thing you guys didn't do that I recommend... Use fork boost on the fork and dropper seals. Cleans the seals and helps keep them lubricated.

[@TheLoamWolf]

Thanks Mike, we wished we had more dirty bikes, but sadly the other 2 are currently under embargo and we can't share them for a few more weeks! But stay tuned for another wash video where we use the Muc-Off NanoTech foam gun!

[@johndunbar2169]

I cannot wait for everyone to say “why is my BB making sounds”. Don’t use a pressure washer ever, hand clean everything!!!

[@topspot4834]

Yup. I typically just a spray bottle and microfiber towels. Drivetrain a degreaser and brush, and hand dry everything. Only when there's a lot of mud or on the tires do I use a hose.

[@MrSupermugen]

Just so you know, the dirt itself while riding will do more damage than a pressure washer could ever cause - it's also not the BB that makes noise, its the Crankset.

[@darwinlopez7883]

what bike stand is that ?

[@tonynguyen6884]

Feedback Sports Pro Elite it seem like.

[@TheLoamWolf]

Feedback Sports.

[@Scott-mu4xw]

You wash your bike??😆

[@Hardcaslte]

Now hurry up and wash all that clay off your driveway before it permanently turns orange, lol.

[@TheLoamWolf]

We definitely spent some time doing that!

[@topspot4834]

Little fan feedback: Your channel has really been confusing me lately. All the videos are dope and high quality, but there's no consistency or identify. Like Seth we know we're getting Seth, Matt Jones or Skills with Phil the same. Loam Wolf seems like it's got a rotating cast and I don't even know anyone's name. The thumbnails, times, content and upload schedule are all inconsistent and there doesn't seem to be any theme or direction. Lotta content out there, but people come back cause they feel like they're with a friend or are part of a community on the top channels. Like Seth, we know where he's from, where he's moved, his pets, he's got projects he's working on and I tune in cause I generally know what to expect and I personally like Seth. That's pretty much across the board for all my favorite KZbinrs. If I'm you guys, I'd worry less about cool decals and production quality, and insert a bit more character into the videos. Who are you, what's your goal and what can we expect? Don't need to reinvent the wheel, but there's gotta be some kinda theme. Good luck!

[@TheLoamWolf]

Hey Topspot, We always encourage and enjoy (well sometimes it's not enjoyable to hear where we're lacking!) but it's a huge part of our quest to better the content, our website and KZbin channel as we're now working to grow this side of our outlet. Unlike those channels you listed above, we are not just a single individual, we are a media outlet and our primary goal coming into this from a print/magazine background was to continue testing and reviewing products in an unbiased, relatable and fun way. As things have evolved and we're not creating more KZbin specific content, we are working to improve the channel. Thumbnails, intro art and other cohesive bits are actually wrapped and you'll be seeing some improvements as you suggested coming this month and moving forward. Thanks for sharing the input, and as guys who spent so much time writing reviews and being semi-anonymous in print format or in written reviews, we're not the most eager to jump in front of a camera and tell everyone about ourselves...Yet here we are so I guess we just gotta embrace it! Look forward to your next comment and feedback in the future, Drew

[@topspot4834]

@@TheLoamWolf good response Drew and glad you didn't take offense to my comment. I'm a business owner and never like hearing unflattering stuff, especially when you can't fire back, so I come from a place of respect and understanding. That's also why I figured I'd cut to the chase and wouldn't sugarcoat it. That's interesting though about the setup, I figured it must be something like that. And I hear what you mean about not being too enthusiastic sharing your personal life, but I think what I meant and probably didn't articulate too well was when I said personality and gave examples, it wasn't just limited to that. Personality and character can come from exactly what you told me. That's interesting. I'd like to know the dynamic and what you're working towards. What's the goal and what are your hurdles? It's hard to script I guess and tough to pinpoint, it's just sometimes I see channels trying to cast too wide of a net and it's tough to find your niche that way. And I always enjoy your videos. I'm a fan. If I wasn't I wouldn't be wasting time. I see a lot of potential. A ton of potential. It makes sense that the quality and video and all that stuff is top notch if that's your background. Not comfortable on the camera? Show bloopers for 20 seconds at the end of every video.

[@mtbohana]

Never use a pressure washer to clean your bike unless you want to ruin your bike.

[@cptbuiltk7944]

Buy better bikes. My specialized bikes haven't had a problem with pressure washing in decades.

[@mtbohana]

@@cptbuiltk7944 It's not a bike thing. It has to do with basic physics.

[@MrSupermugen]

@@mtbohana but its not, a quality bike with proper bearings, especially ones in like a rocky mountain(they have external shields that protector the bearings) is fine. Theres a Vid on YT of how much pressure you actually need to push the seals in to let stuff inside the bearing. one: you need a power wand and second, more psi than this makes. real physic's facts is obviously over your head.

[@mtbohana]

​@@MrSupermugen I've worked as a bike mechanic and have talked to the bearing manufacturers when they came into the shop I worked at. They have all said (it's even on their websites) that using a high pressure washer is not recommended due to water getting inside the bearings. The shop I worked at even did a test using a high pressure washer on 3 different bikes to see if water got in the bearings. Guess what, they all had water in them. It's been common knowledge for many years that using a high pressure washer on your bike is not recommended. When Fox and Rockshock reps came in I asked about pressure washers on forks and shocks. They said not to use them because water can get past the dust seals on the fork and shock. Talked to Specialized reps and he said bearings aren’t the only issue, you can get water inside of the frame. Now, will this happen the first time using a pressure washer? Well the bearing rep said not necessarily. He said it may or may not, but he did mention that as you ride your bike the seals will start to wear down and this is where he said water will get in the bearings during pressure washing. When I worked in bike shops I've had to do full bearing replacements on frames because of pressure washer use. I’ve talked to bearing, bike, fork and shock reps and they’ve all recommended not using them. Your issue is you just watched a video and said, “hey, I’m an expert” and is highly evident that you're not. I think I will stick with the knowledge I’ve gained from personal experience and the bike, bearing, shock and fork reps I've talked to and will pass on the “hey, I watched a video” guy on the internet who thinks he knows more than the people who actually work in the industry, the people making the parts and building the bikes. Though I'm sure you will make yourself look like a fool again by opening your mouth.