CROSS BIKE CARE
Cycling Weekly’s mechanic, Kaye Patton, has cleaned up more than her fair share of muddy bikes. This is her cyclo-cross bike care regimen.
“Cleaning the bike straight away rather than leaving the mud to dry and cake on makes your life easier in the long run,” says Patton.
“Let’s start with the thing I always forget: wash the mud from under the saddle first. If you’ve done the frame and you’ve forgotten the saddle it’s going to make the frame dirty all over again.
“I use a bucket and a sponge. A pressure hose should only be used on the lowest setting and only on the frame tubes and wheels or you’ll drive all the grease out of the bearings. “I use soapy water or Muc-off, something like that, just to get the mud off. Start from the top and work your way down. Back to front, one side and then the other side.
“The chain you have to keep on top of. That would go rusty very quickly. I use Finish Line Speed Degreaser on the chain – it’s just brilliant and you don’t even have to take it off. You just use a cloth, run it round and then put fresh lube on.
“One thing you have to do with a cyclo-cross bike that you don’t always do with a road bike is to keep an eye on the jockey wheels. When you’ve been hacking round a field, blades of grass get wrapped around everything. If you leave that, it causes chain suck and you’ll rip your mech off. A stiff brush is good, or poke stubborn bits through with the end of a screwdriver.”
Patton recommends a regular brake pad check, especially with disc brakes, by making sure the levers aren’t pulling back too far. “It’s a good idea to take pads out and check them but I wouldn’t do that after every ride – only if it was a particularly muddy, long one and you’ve been on the brakes a lot.
“I’d always spin the wheels, especially with discs, to make sure there’s no rubbing, and obviously check the tyres.”
Finally, Patton recommends literally showing your rivals a clean pair of heels:
“Make sure you unclog your pedals and check your cleats – and always have clean shoes.”