Welcome to Bicycle Cleaning 101. The following steps are what I consider my “weekly” and “monthly” bike clean-up. Of course, how often you clean your bike will depend upon how much mileage you put on your bicyle. The weekly clean-up represents perhaps 150 + miles of cycling per week. If you are not covering that much mileage in a week, than you can perform this maintenance once per month. Before I go on, let me say, you do not need to purchase a bike stand. A bike stand will make things easier, and I do suggest you consider the purchase if you plan on sticking with this sport or at the very least, you continue cycling. Some folks will use their stationary trainer when performing cleaning or maintenance on their bikes.

  ** Steps 7 and 8 are part of my “monthly” tune-up. I recommend this as a once a month performance once a month, especially in the summer months.

  IMPORTANT NOTE: I also suggest you put on some old clothes and even some protective eyewhere. When using the toothbrush to scrub various parts, there will be some spray back of the degreaser so protect your eyes.

Steps:

1. Typical Areas for Cleaning
2. Supplies Needed
3. Cleaning the Chain
4. Cleaning the Wheels and Rear Cassette/Freewheel
5. Rear and Front Derailleur
6. Brake Calipers and Pads
7. Cleaning the Crank System
8. Cleaning Exposed Cables
9. Cleaning the Seat Post
10. Cleaning the Handlebar Stem and Headset
11. The Final Clean-up