Road Fixie

I’m seeing alot of hits about how to clean a fixie. That’s cool – cause if you keep your ride clean it will last alot longer with less expense into replacing abrasion and corrosion worn parts.

So – what I do (and been doing for along time) is very simple post-ride ritual.

1) I use a garden hose and spray off all the road grit. If its been a muddy ride or especially nasty, I’ll use a light soapy mix (just dishwashing soap) to cut the crud.

2) Rinse again and wipe down with a chamois or baby diaper. Don’t wanna scratch the paint.

3) Take some CRC 656 or WD40 and spray inside the BB holder or other ‘vent holes’ if you’re riding a steelie.Don’t spray this stuff directly on your hubs, headset or BB bearing sides. It penetrates and dissolves lube. Just use it to displace moisture and protect the raw steel. PLus clean the gunk off the cog and crank gear.

4) Do the same on your chain. These products will dissolve your lube – so after you spray and spin. Wipe the chain down and then reapply your chain lube.

5) Bounce the bike a bit to shake off any water drops  and once over with the rag. Spin out the crank a bit to distribute the chain lube.

6) Do a quick post-ride check of your wheels, tires and bearings. This will help you spot any punks and if you need to do any bearing tweaks.

That’s it! I’m off to ride.

I’m usually really slack about keeping my muletto prissy clean. A dirty bike is a ridden bike, and it seems these winter mulettos thrive on the grime. Plus its ‘proof’ that I’m actually using it instead of staring at it. So – anyway – here’s the way I’ve been doing this for like 25yrs. Here’s the grungy chain pic.

First get some cleaning stuff. I got this at the local 100 yen store with the exception of the lacquer thinner which I had to get at Don Quioxte.

Next take off the chain and use the thinner to clean it off.

Then I wash it in soapy dish water. Cause we are going to wax this we want as much of the grease and oils out of the chain as possible.

Then let the chain dry off while you hit the other parts of the bike. Since you now have some left over thinner and soapy water, its a great time to cleanup the cogs, chainrings and frame.

OK – then we go on to Part 2.