One of the most important items of maintenance involves taking good care of your bike after riding it by cleaning off any mud, dirt, or debris accumulated during your ride. Sometimes if you are riding in clean and dry conditions the bike can be cleaned easily. More often, however, the bike will require a more time consuming and tedious cleaning. This is especially true if you have ridden in muddy or wet conditions, through water, in the rain, or in wet creek beds or bog areas. The Wrecking Crew believes it is most important to clean your bike directly after a ride before it is put away. Some preliminary cleaning can be done before loading up your bike in your vehicle. This may be necessary if your bike is very muddy. Use any available water source (stream, creek, water fountain, river, etc.) and try to rinse off as much mud as possible. Be careful to not to use water from an environmentally sensitive area and let it runoff back into the stream. The lubricants on your chain can be damaging to the stream ecology. Use a water bottle filled with water to spray down any difficult areas such as the brake pads, freewheel, underside, etc. . . Use a stick to remove chunks of mud and wipe off any hard to reach areas. If you have a towel you can dry your bike. Don’t get too extensive as you will clean the bike when you return back to your camp or home after you unload it from the car.When you get back from riding is the time to take action!! Although you may be fatigued from your ride (we hope it was a good one!) it is important to clean your bike ASAP so it does not remain dirty and wet. If it doesn’t get cleaned now it will only be more difficult later and lead to other problems! If your bike is not wet, muddy, or very dirty, a good technique involves just wiping it down with a dry towel. Sometimes we use Armor All which is an automotive interior dash cleaner and protector! Spray a little on a dry towel and wipe down the frame, rims, crank arms, handlebars, fork tubes. While you do this you will also be inspecting your bike and noticing any problem areas (loose cables or bolts, debris in freewheel, dirt on derailleurs, etc.) You can then clean and lube your chain. Never leave a chain wet as it will promote rust and lead to chain failure in the future. Other maintenance steps can be done after your bike has been cleaned.
If your bike was muddy or wet and requires a more extensive cleaning, here is how to do it. First, you need to use a hose and a bucket with a sponge or cloth and some soap. You can use dishwashing soap or soap you would use to clean your car or vehicle. Hose down your bike completely while holding it upright with one hand. You can roll it to clean the wheels or lay it down and let the hose spray spin the wheels to rinse them off. It is also helpful to use a scotch pad to clean dirt and grease off of the rims to allow for good braking. The treads will probably be the worst area for mud. Avoid alot of high pressure spray in the area of the crank bearings or wheel hub bearings if possible. Direct the hose spray into the front and rear brake shoes, the chainrings and freewheel (rear gear cluster), and other areas as needed. Turn the bike upside down and rest it on the seat and handlebars to hose down the underside. Then use your soapy water and clean the underneath. Next, upright the bike or lay it on it’s side and soap down the rest of the bike. Rinse off with the hose and then towel dry everything.
It is important to now clean the chain and lube it. Also, it is a good idea to remove any sticks, leaves, or other debris from the inside of the rear gear cluster (the freewheel) with a thin, long tool such as a screwdriver, tableknife, or tool which is designed to get between the gears and take out debris. It is also a good idea to use a regular screwdriver or cloth to clean off the pulleys on the rear derailleur. These are the two “gears” which the chain rides over and are usually are quite dirty. You should clean the inside and outside surface while moving the chain through the pulleys. Almost always there is a build up of dirt, grease, etc. which should be removed. You will feel good to know that you are putting your bike away CLEAN and now you can RELAX and enjoy your post ride festivities!
From: Webmountainbike.com