Washing a bike… how difficult can it be? I deliver a lot of bike maintenance training sessions and this is a question that I’m asked all the time. Like every subject I teach during these training sessions, bike washing, just like gear adjustments for example, is just a process; follow the process, step by step, and don’t over complicate it.

I’m very different to a few people I know, as I really do like a clean bike. I also see so many bikes, as part of my job of bike repairs and servicing, that look like they’ve not seen soapy water for a good while. And that really is all you need, soapy water, and less than 30 minutes of your time! So here is my technique, or ‘process’. No hard scrubbing, no hose pipes or pressure washers, no expensive well known bike related cleaning products… just water, basic degreaser and soap.

My Bike

I bought this bike in April ’25, and I’m loving it! Everything about it. The frame, the integrated bars and stem, the wheels and tyres, the Shimano 105 Di2, the lights, radar and camera technology… everything. I’ve ridden it just under 1000 miles through the last 2.5 months, and it’s been ridden most days from very early morning to evening, and yes, it has been ridden through the rain and on wet dirty dusty roads and cycle paths. And it’s not just rain and wet roads that create your dirty bike, it’s insects, water bottle leaks, oil from the drive train and off the roads, mixed with some grit and dirt.

My bike now needs a wash!

Step 1 – Water

If you’re just about to plug in the pressure washer… don’t!

That’s too much water pressure. Even a hose pipe connected to your tap can generate too much pressure. Water pressure and bearings don’t mix. Water pressure can ‘inject’ water into your bike’s bearings, past the bearing seals, but with no where to go, and no way to escape, the trapped water starts it’s corrosive process of destroying your bearing.

My top tip, and a relatively inexpensive one too, are these spray bottles. I bought these from a DIY chain’s Garden Centre section.

A few pumps up and down and you have a steady spray, crucially with no real pressure behind the spray. I use the large green for water, the large red for degreaser and the smaller red container for soap.

I don’t use any kind of cloth, sponge or wipe at this stage; this is just using a gentle spray of water to dislodge any loose dirt and grit.

Every area gets sprayed including discs, calipers and Di2

Step 2 – Degrease

Now for the large red spray bottle.

Once again, just like the water in step 1, everything on the bike is coated with degreaser, with no cloth, wipe or sponge used at this stage either. The spray of fluid is all that’s needed.

A common mistake made with degreaser, is starting to work with it straight away. It needs time to do it’s thing and get into the dirt, to start releasing it. So give it 15 minutes to soak. With this being a very nice, sunny and warm summer evening, I put my feet up with a cold pint.

There are loads of bike cleaning brushes available, which are great for cleaning cassettes and parts such as derailleurs. I use a short stiff bristle type brush to agitate the degreaser and clean the front and rear derailleur.

Once again, even at this point, I’ve not used either a cloth, wipe or sponge.

Step 3 – Soap, Wipe, Drip Dry

The smaller red spray bottle contains a dilute soap solution, and again, no part of the bike is spared. Always remember to do the hidden areas under the saddle, underside of the down tube and under the bottom bracket. Behind the fork crown/bottom of head tube is also a part of a bike that gets missed.

This is when I use a cloth. It’s actually a nice fluffy cleaning mitt.

Once the soap has been applied, gently wipe the cloth over the frame tubes, bars and stem and saddle. The mitt is also great to wipe around tyres and rims.

I finish the ‘soap’ step with a final spray of water and then let the bike drip dry…

Step 4 – Wipe With a Clean Cloth

Once the bike has drip dried, all it will need is a wipe over with a clean cloth. The cloth picks up any remaining water.

Bits and pieces used so far have been a work stand, spray bottles for water, degreaser and soap, a cleaning brush, cleaning mitt and clean cloth. It has taken less than 30 minutes, and I’ve even enjoyed a can of beer!

It almost looks like it did when it was brand new!

Ready to Ride

The bike wash was on a Friday evening, and I was planning a group ride with the Tyneside Vagabonds on the Saturday morning, so all my tech kit was charged and reattached – I’m planning a separate post covering the lights, radar and cameras, helmet, GPS and tool kits!

I also added some chain lube!

The chip butty and coffee at the cafe was very nice!