A bike must be kept properly lubricated to avoid friction and corrosion, but also kept clean as dirt in oil and grease will quickly wear parts out. If neglected, cables will stop moving smoothly, causing most brake and gear problems, and parts will wear prematurely, such as the chain, which in turn wrecks chain-rings and sprockets, bearings (headset, bottom bracket and hubs) become graunchy, and brake pads and wheel rims will need replacing sooner. The suspension can also become affected, as it becomes contaminated, wearing out bearings, bushings  and corroding internals and affecting performance.

Top tips: A special bike cleaner will help lift oil and muck, while a specialist brush set will get to those hard to reach areas (see left).

Cleaning your bike: Just like doing the washing up, start with the least greasy bits (glasses and mugs become frame, saddle, bars, etc), then move to the dirtier bits (pans become chain).  Use a bike cleaning product such as ‘dirt wash’ or a car shampoo, but avoid washing up liquid (it’s bad for seals). Also avoid using power hoses as these force water in to bearings and pivots, causing them to corrode. With the cleaner, a hose or bucket of water, and a sponge or soft-bristled brush that won’t scratch the bikes finish, clean everything except the chain, gears and disc brakes.

NOTE: Leave cleaning the disc brake rotors to the end (in case you accidentally get grease etc on the discs while cleaning the other parts of the bike) and use a specific disc brake cleaner.

With rim brakes unhook them and carefully clean the wheel rims and pads – this removes grit, which could otherwise wear them down quickly. Remove the cable outers from their frame guides/slots and slide the cable outers back to expose the inner cable – to get the cable slack enough to do this, unhook the brakes at the wheel/brake arm, or with the gears, shift the chain to the biggest cog and largest chainring, then (without pedalling) click both shifters the other way. Now spray the inner cable with a light lube e.g. TF2, wipe with a rag then put everything back in place.

Suspension:

If you have suspension boot covers, lift them to let the water out and get to the stanchions (inner legs). With a clean rag, wipe the stanchions clean and drip a little bit of oil containing teflon on the stanchions and seals, then compress them a few of times, and wipe off any excess oil. Replace the boots (with air holes facing out).

The Chain and rear cogs:

These are the greasy roasting tins in our washing up analogy, and should be cleaned last to avoid smearing dirty chain oil over the rest of the bike.

Rear cogs will get mud, grass, etc stuck down in between them; this can build up and make the gears skip and jump on the rear, so it needs to be cleaned out every so often – the easiest way is with a specially thin brush tool.

A simple way to clean the chain is to pinch the lower length with a rag and spin the cranks backwards, scraping off the dirty oil. Similarly, loosely pinch a rag on the jockey wheel teeth and turn the cranks, to remove any build up of dirt.

Penetrating spray e.g. TF2 will help shift stubborn gunk which is fine when the chain isn’t too dirty, but doesn’t clean inside the rollers.

A more rigorous method is to remove the chain and shake it in a plastic container filled with petrol or diesel, and then allow the chain to drip dry (don’t try to burn the remaining fuel off to save time!). This does a really good job of stripping dirty oil from the chain, but splitting the chain will weaken it (unless you use a special link – see chains for further info) and disposing of the fuel is a pain and must be done responsibly i.e. at the local tip. A chain-cleaning device cleans the chain very effectively without you having to remove the chain – use a biodegradable cleaning product in it first, then water to wash off the fluid.

Once the chain has been cleaned, and dried, use a water displacement spray and wipe down. Next, use an appropriate lubricant – trying to get just one drop of lube on each chain roller.

The links do not need to be covered in oil, so spin the cranks a few times to get the lube moving around, then wipe the excess oil off with a rag.

Think about it! There are less people out on the trails – their loss (bear with me here), no insects to fly into your eyes or mouth, and lots of slippery trails to really hone your skills and fitness levels, while your counterparts are watching crap tv and stuffing their faces – all you need to do is follow the next ten points on winterising your bike, and get some winter clothes (see previous page). Remember that in the winter it gets dark earlier, so unless you are only riding at the weekend you will most probably end up riding in the dark – but this is no bad thing, in fact it is a great thing.

01: Grease the seatpost to avoid it seizing in, or use Carbon paste if you have a carbon seatpost or frame, to stop water getting into the frame. Water may still find its way into the frame, so drain it by removing the seatpost and turning the bike upside down.

02: Cover vulnerable parts like the upper and lower headset, and seat clamp, with neoprene covers or use some old inner tubes (thin road ones usually fit better), but remember to take the covers off after a ride to let it dry underneath.

Top tip: use helicopter tape on the frame, to protect vulnerable parts e.g. headtube, from cable rub.

03: Fit mud guards – Don’t use the skinny metal type, get the big chunky plastic motor-cross style ones. This will save your bike and you from getting filthy (especially that embarrassing brown spray up your backside). We like the combination of a guard on the downtube and ‘Neoguard’ of the forks, but read on for more details.

Downtube mudguard  – the original and still the favourite is the Crud Catcher, the wider one of which, offers more protection. Bolts on if you have the mounts, or with re-useable rubber bands. Lightweight and works well at slow speeds.

Neoguard – A very effective guard that stops mud being thrown forwards, which you would then cycle into – which is more than you might imagine. It is light, doesn’t scratch the frame, is washable and sheds mud when it compresses. Great for high speed, just choose the sizing carefully.

MX style front guard – These require a (correct size) hole in the fork crown and can be a bit fiddly. Effective, but not as effective as a downtube guard and neoguard combined. Check out ‘THE’ designs if you like this style though.

Rear mudguard – Rear guards can waggle around a bit unless you get the bolt on ones, but then they are a hassle to put on and off quickly. If you have rear suspension remember to position it high enough that it doesn’t foul the rear tyre. The Crud or Cycraguard Dirt Dog are a couple of good designs.

TOP TIP: When installing mud guards, add some frame protection i.e. (helicopter or insulation) tape to the frame, to stop scuffing.

04: Loosen your SPD (pedal) springs, as mud can make them become stiffer and jam up. Also try spraying a light lube on your shoe cleats to stop mud from sticking to them so easily. Alternatively use Egg Beater or Time pedals, which don’t tend to clog up.

05: Fit mud tyres – there are two schools of thought on mud tyres; one is to use thin tyres e.g. 1.8” pumped up hard, to cut through the mud and provide good tyre clearance (good for sticky mud). The other is to use a wide tyre, with less air, to ‘float’ over the mud (better for sloppy mud and rocky terrain). Both designs use long pointy, widely spaced knobs, so the mud falls off the tyre easily. You may see racers using slick tyres so the mud has nothing to hold on to, but this is probably not suitable for your needs.

TOP TIP: Slime filled inner tubes are a god send in the winter months, as they help avoid very messy muddy repair jobs out on the cold trails.

06: Handlebar grips can slip around if water gets underneath them, so either glue them down, use zip-ties on the ends, or fit bolt-on grips.

07: Disc brakes are much more efficient than rim brakes in winter weather as their braking surface stays clean. If you can’t fit or afford disc brakes on your bike, run full length outer gear cables or use sealed cables e.g. XTR, Gore-tex, or Avid flak-jackets, which will keep the cables clean and moving smoothly for longer.

08: Plug wheel rim holes. If you use Presta inner tube valves in Schraeder sized wheel rim holes, get some rubber grommets to fill the gap around the valve, to stop water getting into the tyre.

TOP TIP: Lubricate your nipples (on the wheel). Drop a spot of chain lube on the nipple head, as the constant submersion in mud & water can cause them to seize otherwise.

09: Use a heavier (wet weather) chain lube that won’t get washed off as easily as a lighter (dry weather) lube, and may even need to re-lube while out on the ride. We really like Green Oil, which we find works well all year round. Don’t over lubricate the bike though, as this can just attract more dirt and create an abrasive gunk that wears parts even quicker and cause chainsuck.

TOP TIP: If the muddy weather is causing your gears to skip and chain to suck consider running just one chainring or going singlespeed.

10: Fitting a rigid fork will save your suspension fork from the wet, muddy, winter conditions that like to wear out suspension seals and make it less effective.

Most rigid forks are designed to fit bikes with suspension forks, but it’s always best to ask the question, so check the axle-to-crown length, otherwise the bike’s geometry will be affected. There are plenty to choose from (Kona, On-One, Pace, Nuke Proof) and it will save excess wear on your suspension fork.

TOP TIP: Clean and lube the bike properly after a muddy ride. A chain cleaning device is a quick, easy and (relatively) mess free method (see cleaning your bike).