so, after cycling in the rain this week the bike is dirty... Have been wiping down with a microfibre and was going to go over the frame in warm soapy water at the weekend
any do‘s or don’t’ s I should be aware of?
also is there any maintenance I should consider? Or things that should be checked periodically? (other than tyres, breaks, chain wear)
If you clean the chain and gear set, remember to lubricate it again before putting it away. (I got distracted once and put it away wet and it was very rusty within just a day)
I now tend to use WD40 to clean it as it doesn't fully degrease it, then I use chain wax spray to fully cover it after.
I only use wax on a spotlessly clean chain on my race bike. I use Muc-Off dry or wet lube on the others, depending on the conditions. Either way, they all get spotless cleaned and re-lubed every 100 - 150 miles. Doing this ensures at least 4000 miles out of each chain. Bear in mind these are leg powered road bikes. I believe that e-bike chains wear at a much faster rate. And if the chain gets too worn, it'll wear the cassette teeth.
Look on YouTube for info on cleaning your bike, remember that paint finish can be damaged by abrasive cleaning.
I generally use Muc Off cleaners on my bikes
For lube I have been using Progold Prolink Extreme for years. In use it is kind of halfway between a dry and wet lube, so doesn't get too much dirt stuck to it. Drylube is great and I use it on my road bike, but I find for MTB's that it washes off too quickly riding in wet conditions.
I agree that eMTB's will definitely wear their chain much quicker than an ordinary bike because of the extra power. Its worth getting a cheap chain checker and replacing the chain at 0.75% stretch or it will screw up the cassette as well and that is much more expensive to replace. I would expect 2-3 chains per cassette
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