Recently picked up an Argon 18 Dark Matter – I have never had anything close to as nice of a bike as this!
Ive watched a few youtube videos on how to properly clean a bike. But my question is: how obsessed do I need to be with keeping the bike clean? I have been giving it a bath after every ride but that doesn't seem super sustainable… I want to make the bike last for a lifetime but Im not sure how often I really need to clean it…
Thanks in advance!
by 6WeeWoo6
10 Comments
You don’t need to do that this often.
The most vulnerable thing is the chain. That should be cleaned and lubed pretty often. The frame itself can be absolutely covered in filth or dust, as long a no moving parts are touching where they shouldn’t.
It depends? If you plan on using chain lube, you’ll want to clean that drivetrain more often (every 3-4 moderate rides) to ensure it doesn’t chew itself up.
Waxed drivetrains can really depend on the conditions. If it’s dry you could wipe off the chain and add a little more for 6-700km before needing to rewax and clean it all up again. But one wet ride will likely cause you do to the same thing.
The rest of the bike is personal preference, if I’m cleaning a lubed drivetrain. May as well spray the rest off as well and wipe it down.
I clean and re lube chain and drive train every 3-6 rides. For me that’s like every 2 weeks. Or if it’s really a really muddy or rainy one I’ll clean it after that one ride.
Great looking rig. I love the green/gold and tan sidewalls. Kinda like what I have going on. It’s pretty and clean but the fun is getting dirty and rowdy. Enjoy your new ride.
Man, that’s a great-looking ride!
I clean my bike top to bottom at the beginning and end of each season. In between, I’ll lube the chain depending on how much I ride, and I’ll rinse it off after a particularly dirty or muddy ride. I ride 2-3 times per week (50ish miles total) between April and October, and this works for me.
Bikes are made to be ridden, and riding gets them dirty. It’s part of the bike’s character and story. Unless you just like a clean bike, I wouldn’t obsess over keeping it spotless.
I give mine a quick soapy rub down with muc-off from concentrate once a week, but I ride 5-6 times a week. That’s about every 100-150 miles. I live in AZ though so it’s just dry dust. If it were caked in mud I’d do it more often.
It’s a gravel bike. If it’s too clean it won’t work right.
Also how did you get an argon 718 with DT Swiss DTTS wheels?
AI photo
I give my bike a hit with quick detailer on a rag after every ride.
Takes less than a minute, and keeps it shiny. It also allows me to be aware of the condition. Since implementing this routine I have caught many issues ahead of them potentially getting bad.
I know its AI but the colors are solid and now i got my inspiration for a new project