What You Need
The Rules That Matter Most
- Never use a pressure washer. Jet washers force water past bearing seals — headset, bottom bracket, wheel hubs, and suspension pivots. These bearings are expensive to replace and suffer immediate corrosion. A standard garden hose nozzle is the maximum water pressure you should ever use on a bike.
- Never spray disc brake rotors or pads with cleaning products. Virtually all bike wash products, degreasers, and even some mist from chain lube will contaminate disc brake pads. Contaminated pads squeal, judder, and lose braking power — the only fix is new pads. When cleaning near brakes, work carefully and wipe rather than spray.
- Always re-lube the chain after washing. Water and cleaning products strip lubrication. A clean, dry chain with no lube is worse than a dirty chain. Every wash must end with fresh chain lube.
- Don't wash hot. If you've just finished a hard ride, let the disc brake rotors and drivetrain cool before washing. Sudden temperature changes can warp rotors.
Wash Sequence — Top to Bottom, Drivetrain Last
Always wash in this order. Dirty water runs downward; if you clean the drivetrain first and then wash the frame, frame dirty water runs back into the drivetrain you just cleaned.
Start with a gentle spray from the hose, top to bottom. The goal is to remove loose mud so your brushes aren't grinding grit into the frame finish. Keep the spray away from the headset, bottom bracket area, and wheel hubs. Pay attention to the underside of the down tube, fork crown, and chainstays — these collect road debris and are often missed.
Apply diluted bike wash with a sponge or soft brush to the frame, working from top to bottom. The fork, bars, stem, and seatpost can be scrubbed freely. For the wheels, use a brush on the tyre tread, sidewalls, and rims (avoid the disc brake rotor area). Scrub the spokes individually if heavily dirty — spoke corrosion starts under grime. Pay special attention to the underside of the chainstays and bottom bracket shell where mud packs in.
Rinse the frame, bars, and wheels with the hose while the drivetrain is still dirty. This prevents clean water running through a dirty drivetrain and re-contaminating the frame. Don't blast water at the headset, hub flanges, or disc rotors.
Clean the Drivetrain
Apply chain degreaser directly to the chain while back-pedalling. Use a stiff brush to scrub between the cassette cogs — a folded rag pulled through each gap works well. Scrub the chainring teeth and the jockey wheels on the rear derailleur. Let the degreaser sit for 60 seconds, then rinse with the hose. The rinse water will run black — that's expected. For heavily contaminated drivetrains, a chain cleaning tool (a plastic box filled with degreaser that clips onto the chain) does a thorough job in 30 back-pedal revolutions.
Final gentle rinse from top to bottom. As you rinse, look for anything that the wash revealed: chips in the paint (touch up to prevent rust on steel frames), cracked housing, fraying cables, tyre cuts, or loose bolts. A wash is the best time to inspect — the bike is clean and you're already paying close attention to every surface.
Dry the Bike and Protect
Wipe the frame down with a clean microfibre cloth. Bounce the bike gently a few times to dislodge water from tubes and crevices. Lean it so water drains from the seatpost hole and head tube area. Spin the wheels while holding a cloth against the rim to wick water off the braking surface. Give it 5–10 minutes in a warm area or in sunlight before applying lube — lubricating a wet chain traps water inside the links and accelerates rust from the inside out.
Once dry, apply your chosen chain lube (see the Chain Cleaning & Lubrication guide for lube selection). A light spray of silicone polish or frame protectant on the painted surfaces adds water repellency and makes the next wash easier. Avoid silicone on braking surfaces, grips, and saddle.
How Often Should You Wash?
- Road / dry conditions: Full wash every 2–4 weeks or after 300–500km. Quick drivetrain wipe and re-lube every 150–200km.
- Gravel / mixed conditions: Full wash after any particularly muddy or wet ride. Light wipe-down after every ride.
- MTB / wet trails: Full wash after every muddy ride. Mud that dries on the bike packs into joints and accelerates wear dramatically. A quick hose-down is better than nothing if time is short.
- Commuting / all-weather: Full wash weekly if riding in rain and road grime. Road salt (in winter) is highly corrosive — rinse off any day you've ridden through salted roads, even if just a quick hose-down.