Tips Archive:

Hot Tip of the Month- January 2004: "Importance of bike detailing"
Out of all the things that should be done on a regular basis to your bikes, detailing is right there at the top of the list. Because of sweat and humidity, our bikes get raining on with body fluids multiple times each day. Take a brand new bike, put it in the cycling room and within a few months, it could look like it been in use for over a year. Facilities often times believe their bikes are like self cleaning ovens. Nothing could be further from the truth. Even a self cleaning oven needs to be cleaned regularly. The most effective way to keep your bikes looking good is to detail at least one time per week. Someone should be assigned to spend several hours each week doing comprehensive detailing, top to bottom wipedowns, and it’s also important to occasionally turn your bikes upside down and detail them from the bottom end of the bike. The bottom of the bike is the final spot the fluids go to that are emitted from your riders. When you see a puddle of sweat under a bike, it has usually traveled the entire length of the bike before it drips onto the floor. I have clubs that wipe their bikes down regularly (once to twice per week) and after three or four years of heavy use their bikes look almost new. On the other side of the coin, I have clients with bikes that are less than 6 months old and the bikes look like they should be replaced. The best polish to use, one that can be sprayed on and wiped off is made by Nautilus/Schwinn; it’s simply called Equipment Polish. Cost is about 6-7 dollars a can. Pedro’s also makes a great product for cleaning your bikes and equipment and theirs is called Bike Lust, 7-8 dollars per bottle. I always hear clubs whining about the poor quality of paint and that their bikes are all rusty, and the bottom line is that the effort YOU put forth to take care of your bikes will reflect the condition and appearance the bike AND your clubs image! Happy New Year!