Don’t skip the initial rinse. If you do you’ll likely end up scratching the finish on your frame. Getting the gritty debris off first is important. Use the “light-shower” setting on your garden hose. Spray off the entire bike, top to bottom. Then go at it with a soapy sponge. Go full throttle with the hose and you could force water (and soap) into bearing areas, degrading the grease.
After a thorough session with soap and water with the sponge, attacking all the little crevices, you’ll be ready for the last step. The last step in any bike wash is to relube the chain. Stop short of this step and your unprotected chain will quickly rust. But resist the urge to go too heavy with the lube or the chain will attract grime like a magnet. Give the chain a just-right light coating, then wipe off the excess with a clean rag.
Keep it simple. Using products like Armor-All on your bike is wrong. Shine up your saddle with this and you will have a hard time staying seated. Using it on your tires risks getting residue on your rims, and reducing your braking power.
Always be sure to clean the drive train. If you use degreaser, remove the rear wheel and angle it cassette side down so that the degreaser runs off. Use a Chain Scrubber tool or special cleaving brush or tool available at bike stores. Or you could use an old toothbrush.
Remember that after you have finished, you should have re-lubed the appropriate parts, as any of your moving parts left wet and without lube is just an invitation for rust.
[Work On Butterfield Rd. Closes Trail. As the state works to widen Butterfield Rd. from Naperville Rd. to Route 59, the Butterfield Rd. entrances to Herrick Lake Forest Preserve in Wheaton and Blackwell Forest Preserve in Warrenville will remain open, but the 0.7 mile segment of the Regional Trail on the south side of Butterfield that connects Herrick Lake with the Illinois Prairie Path Aurora Spur is closed. To bypass the closed trail, pedestrians and bicyclists should follow
