A clean bike is a fast bike!

When was the last time you gave your bike a good cleaning? 

Never?! ... We can't say too much. It was years into our triathlon racing before we started regularly cleaning our bikes. 

That changes this weekend! In order for your bike to work at it's best it needs to be clean. A clean bike is a fast bike!

But bike cleaning can be really intimidating. You hear stories about how water can ruin bearings and what not, and that's true. But you also need to remember your bike will survive riding in the rain!

And what is a good bike cleaning more than a rain shower with soap? 

So how do we clean our bikes? Grab the ol' dumb trainer in your garage! A trainer makes a great stand for the bike so you can spin the wheels freely and the bike not lean against something. 

Many people like to use Simple Green on their bikes, but our go-to is the Dawn dish soap under the sink. If it's good enough to clean oil off a duckling, it'll clean your bike up perfectly. We'll also use Mean Green on the really tough areas, then re-wash with soap and water to ensure all the degreaser is cleaned off. 

Before you start go to the Walmart car wash section and grab the following: The oversized sponge, a double loop wheel brush, and a bucket if you don't have one. Over in health care: The 6-pack of toothbrushes for $1.

The sponges are great for anything and everything. Clean every part of the bike from front to back, top to bottom. Handlebars, saddle, pedals, everything! Make sure you use a different sponge for the really greasy areas. 

The wheel brush is great for brakes and wheel wells. Go to town on your chain ring, cassette, and chain with the toothbrush. We use a separate sponge for the wheelset as well.

All the while, just use that "shower" setting on your hose! It's no different from a rain shower.

And voila! Your bike is now free of all that sweat and road muck, just re-lube the chain and you are ready to rock!

Still concerned about spraying water on your bike? Watch this professional mechanic for Team Sky use a power washer on their bikes! Seeing this is what gave me the confidence to use a standard hose on our bikes.