Hello there, I have a question about the care of bottom bracket. How do you wash it after a muddy ride (or you dont)? The last time I washed it, I did it badly. As a result, I probably washed off too much grease and after some time the bottom bracket was due for replacement.
Yesterday I was on another 100km forest ride, and again got socked by rain. After the ride, I washed the bike, this time without focusing on the bottom bracket area – I can still see bits of dirt there from yesterday (the dirt is pretty much all around the grease from bottom bracket). Should I leave it alone or what to do in this situation?
Thanks
by Mother_Comment_6544
5 Comments
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If it’s all sealed properly you can wash the BB area without stripping out all the grease. Just done use a pressure washer.
If youve been riding in the rain, or the bike gets really muddy/dirty I suggest to Pull off and clean the cranks, then inspect the bb area and wipe it clean from debris and old grease, and if thats all it needs and the bearings are fine and dont need replacing then re apply grease and assemble everything back together to spec.
Rain has a tendency to bring grit to the party, and works it way into every nook and cranny..
The grease is inside the BB. Normal washing shouldn’t affect it at all
if you regularly get dirt packed in there like the picture shows, wash as normal. Then take off the cranks and service the bottom bracket periodically to make sure there is no grit to tear up the seals and bearings. I service my bottom bracket bearings every 6 months. This is a complete bearing removal, cleaning, and repacking with grease and make sure all seals are in good shape. An ultrasonic cleaner comes in handy for this.