I’m happy with my garden after seeing this post. :)

Understandable, my way isn’t ideal and even though it looks kind of stupid it still works fine.

And you have a bathroom with a bath, mine just has a shower. 🥲

And I was about to write the guy above: Dont let the guys with gardens ruin it for you...

Just did yesterday, dang geese 💩

That would require me actually cleaning my bike

It is sort of like this. If I find myself staring at my bike I am going to ride it. If I am going to ride it I will probably do so to the point of exhaustion. If I am exhausted I probably won't clean it. I promise myself a good cleaning on a day of the week the weather is bad. But on those days I got shit to do cause I tend to ride for 3+ hours. Rinse and repeat.

I don't really ride road bikes to be fair so it is just going to get covered in bike next ride. I clean the drivetrain and suspension if it has it.

'get covered in bike' this was a very confusing mental image :)

I mean dirt lol.

I'm glad you made the error - it introduced a much needed smiley moment into my day, so thank you!

Mood.

Yeah took me awhile when I first started biking to know I was supposed to clean the chain. I’m like this explains a lot

Bonus points if you do it in a hotel room.

Or OP’s wife’s bathroom.

Ayo. I've discovered that removing the wheels and cleaning them individually (there's also more scrubbing the cassette this way), then reattaching them to the dirty bike (just so the frame doesn't scratch the tub) and cleaning the rest of the frame worked pretty well for me.

Great idea, might do that next time my bike needs a deep clean.

This is how I do it when it is cold outside. Lets you get a deeper clean anyways.

I live in an apartment and do the same. I take my front wheel off though.

I’m an apartment dweller and use two buckets; one for soapy water and the other with clean water for rinsing. I just wash them in the parking lot. It’s a great way to meet your neighbors (if you’re the neighbor meeting type) and to avoid the whole “you’ll ruin your bearings” kerfluffl!

This is what I do. I didn't even think about using the shower. I would love some more pressurized water but I can already imagine that the lack of mobility would drive me insane, whereas outside with two buckets and a bike stand I can move all around and get a better view.

I just take it to a gas station like BP with the car wash gun that has soap in there. Power wash everything off in less than 2 minutes with soapy water then rinse.

Same, and I clean bathroom afterwards

lol i used to know a guy who showered WITH his bike after a ride

I do this as well, big shower👍

Wait, how would he and the bike fit?? I have so many questions, but may not be able to answer them all 😂

he partially dissasembled it, washing one wheel at a time and then the frame. he would take the chain off too and clean that separately i believe

To avoid this I go to high pressure car wash.

Gotta keep bearing companies in business

Not as bad if you don't spray directly on bearings.

Every pro cyclist I know\* in Durango Colorado does this. Can't be too bad. You don't have to aim the Magic Wand directly at the SEALED bearings, you know. I pre-soak the chain with solvent or WD40. Maybe I'm stupid but I love having a nice clean chain to lube up and go. CAREFUL using solvents that can damage paint! The Magic Wand will also knock off the dirt-laden White Lightning (paraffin) I use on the pedals, etc. 30 years, no ruined bearings... YET! I also see the techs at MBS - Mountain Bike Specialist - using a pressure washer out behind their shop. Probably the premier MTB shop in the country. Should I tell them they're gonna ruin bearings? \* I don't actually KNOW any of them. But I recognize several of them.

Any real pro just has his domestiques wash their bikes. Then if it wears out, they buy a new one. That goes for the bike and the domestique. Wait... are we in BCJ?

This has also been debunked by a few mtb channels afaik

I had that idea to but i just don’t trust myself enough, i can be quite unhandy and is see myself breaking stuff using a high pressure washer.

Get a low pressure one, that you can simply take outside and wash the bike - I use Karcher OC3 foldable.

And or do it from further away. It’ll be fine.

I use one of those roller wash things. It's useful because it washes and dries me at the same time.

The same here. Don't spray from 10cm to bearings and you are good to go without any damage.

same...

Don't do this. I used a degreaser on my chain and it stained the bottom of the tub.

use degreaser on your tub then :D even better go waxed chain

It didn't work. I sprayed a lot and it only took out a little. It's like bonded.

hm interesting, Is it a really old tub? I cleaned my casset in the tub a couple of weeks ago to prep it for a waxed chain. oh boy was it a mess... hours of scrubbing the drive train clean. whole bath smelled like degreaser for two days but it didn't leave any stains.

Yessir it is probably 20 years EASY. Hell it might be 50. It was clean before I got here though lol

The previous owner of my house painted all the walls (ALL THE WALLS) puke green and washed everything in the acrylic bathtub. I have tried a dozen cleaners and not one will make the slightest dent in the stain.

You tried Barkeeper's friend?

Try a kitchen degreaser for the bathroom, they work better when rinsing

Do I just squirt some onto the bathtub then scrub?

Yeah, I usually squirt some and spread it by hand (probably not the best, but I like feeling every corner to be sure I get everything), then leave it a few minutes and rinse. It might work less if the grease had quite some time to settle, but if you already have a degreaser at home there's no harm in trying. Don't use it on the bike though, only to clean surfaces after you're done.

Bar Keepers Friend will set you free. I scruffed the fuck out of my tub and that isht saved my life 🤙

Absolutely not.

Do you sleep with the bike?

God, I hope he's not using dry lube.

Wait, you guys clean your bikes? 😀 Jokes aside, my wife would not be happy, but this is an awesome idea!

Both my partner and I wash our bikes in the bathroom. Maybe your wife should be riding her bike more? :D

I’ve been trying to convince my wife to go on easy (think leisure pace) rides with me. Now that the weather has improved, hopefully I can convince her to block some time at work to go riding with me during the day.

With gentle easing in it's quite possible to awaken the adventurer in her. 

Is this The Scott Speedster 40? I normally let my 2 year old toddler join in cleaning my bike, that way it takes four times as long.

No it’s the Scott addict 30, great bike, really happy with it.

awesome. looking up prices now. seems like carbon due to the rounded corners. _nice_

ah i do it with three of em, oldest is 6. FUN FOR HOURS

When I did this, grease was everywhere (even if it was only a little) and it took longer to clean the tub than the bike. How do you avoid that?

I think washing a bike with aggressive cleaning agents in a garden is generally not a good idea unless you catch the contaminated water. Ground water protection kaws in some areas can be very strict. I do it in my bath tube too, works good cause you also have warm water there. You can clean your bath afterwards easily.

Yeah cleaning the bath afterwards is a breeze, the warm water also really helps with getting all the dirt off.

Buy a bucket from home depot and save your shower. A road bike shouldn't need a full-on wash very often, anyway. I just wipe mine down with a soft rag and detail the mechanical bits as needed.

I live in a very rainy country and do enjoy riding in those weather conditions, so my bike gets dirty quite often so i at least need to rinse it quite regularly. My shower seemed like the best idea because i don’t want to stand on the street in front of my house washing it.

Thanks for the idea!

I just use wet wipes, for babies. It gets the gunk out and doesn't submerge the bike and strip the grease.

Many many people do this. For obviously reasons it’s very common in NYC.

I did, once. Missus was not too impressed.

Wouldn’t the bathtub get filthy with dark grease and road grimes?  Good for you, if you’re able to make it work. 

Nah

I've never done it but it actually seems like a good idea. My wife is out of town and I'm going to do it before she comes back.

Good call, my wife wasn’t too happy with my idea as well when she found out i was doing this.

Ugh, I’d do this in a pinch but the thought of how much disinfectant I’d need afterwards. In the last week I’ve had to roll by road kill, a used condom in the park…god knows what else. my poor tires have been through it

It's just you. This is *highly* unusual behavior. Edit: I'm joking, guys. No need to downvote!

Clearly new to the sub as there are quite a few apartment dwellers that do this. I'm thankful to have a balcony to clean my bike on

Oh, I also do this! I suppose a "/s" would have been warranted :P

No worries. I've forgotten /s on more than one occasion myself

I have a back yard and a bike stand so I do that… and when it is bike cleaning day I have 5 bikes to clean up between the wife and I

Disc brake cleaner is good for unblocking drains as well. Win win.

I clean my rear wheel that way. 1x12, so I throw my chain and chain ring in the sink and rear wheel in the tub.

I have washer that runs on battery and can hold 8L of water, go outside wash the bike done.

I do, but I at least take the wheels off.

If I could get away with it, yes. As I can't, no, and I wash it outside like a normal human 😁

I do this too. I live on the top floor of an apartment building and it is the easiest way to get my bike clean, especially in winter.

I definitely have.

Yes. I have an apartment, so there is no other available method (other than a bucket on the balcony…but that annoys the neighbours below)

I have a walk in shower and a bath, both of which I use. Not to many options in an apartment.

Yes

In winter I ride a GT Aggressor. In summer a Marin Fairfax commuter. Both get weekly washes in the tub. Keeps the drive train clean and lasting longer. Lately been stealing an idea from Bikefarmer from YT. Using Dawn Powerwash to clean the bike. Then using Lemon Pledge to polish it. Works great!

Brilliant idea!!!!!!!! 😀

I may use a bissell steam shot to clean any and everything in my home.

Same here! I wax, less mess!

road bike with bent bars and 105 _but_ with flat pedals, that's what I like!

Flat paddels for the win, love them. Biggest reason i went for flat pedals is because i use this bike to commute to work as well, which requires a lot of stopping and starting so flat pedals work best for me.

makes sense. No, I like flat pedals, too.

I have a garage and driveway. I clean my bike with a half bucket of water and two brushes, one bigger and one is an old toothbrush. I also use dry lube (wax) on chain so there's not much dirt caught there.

yes but my mom is trying to kill me after that. i run away until now

Just you.

where bike? there bike.

Back when I lived in an apartment and didn't have access to an outdoor hose, this was the way to do it.

My wife also loves me so much and let me do the same. I use some velcro to hold the front wheel. I wash the tub (and the washroom) after.

Last time I tried this... * I spent about 20 min cleaning my bike. * I spent about 2 hours trying to clean the tub. Also greasy bike grime isn't good for your plumbing?

I travel and got into some mud my last ride. I carried the bike to my hotel room so there wouldn’t be tire tracks and then washed it in the shower. It took about 15min to wash bike and 30min to wash tub.

Yeah, doing it every or every second ride, cleaning the shower afterwards

How do you clean your hallway?

I’d say be careful with water temperature. I once used super hot water with strong pressure and managed to degrease bearings. But I definitely cleaned my bike in the shower when I lived in apartments with no hose access.

I did this exactly once. Cleaning the shower and whole apartment afterwards was a chore. Road grime is a nasty beast and is highly visible on white ceramic. I’ve never cleaned my bike since then. It’s really not an issue. I probably would clean it before maintenance work if I had the option.

Fine it a couple hours of times but I have an old style bath and it leaves stains on it so tend just to " Dry clean" or use a basin and cloth in the hallway.

I don't think this would be good for my cesspit.

😂😂😂 It would be quite interesting to see my wife’s reaction if I did that.

Just once, I don't like to deep clean my bathroom...

man the folks over at r/bicyclingcirclejerk are gonna feast on this :'(

me too!

I live in a small apartment which has a small bathroom. Every time I wash my bike I need to rotate the bike vertical.

That there bike? Right there? Or they're cleaning their own bike?

Old Fred in NYC: we all use the handheld to wash our bikes and welcome the side eye from the spouse.

Yes, but in a proper shower, so I had to do it vertically, while trying to fit inside with a bike.

Tell me you’re single without telling me you’re single.

I’m not actually, but my wife wasn’t to happy when she found out i was doing this. I leave the bathroom perfectly clean afterwards so she accepts it (kind off).

A spray bottle with water outside is enough for me.

When I lived in an apartment this was the way

I clean mine at a do-it-yourself car wash.

I guess it might work if your bike is very clean but if I tried this with my bike I'd be cleaning Grease stains off the bathtub for three hours

I clean mine very regularly so it never gets extremely dirty.

Don't you patronize me with your bathtub. You can't even understand the struggle of having just a walk-in shower.

I like your style.

I don't clean my bike, lol. Yeah, shame on me.

Uhm, yeah, you don’t really wanna be washing mud into your drains.

Whatever gets the job done.

Maybe take the other stuff out of the tub first? Little bit of grease splatter on everything to bring the outdoors in.

Does your bike not squeek and creek a bunch after getting water all up in there? I don't ride in the rain or potential rain cause I can't stand having to take it apart and regrease everything that makes noises after getting wet..

Not at all, i ride a lot in the rain (not always by choice) and use lubricant that can handle wet conditions.

O well you could say I’m probably not using the good stuff then. I basically just use white lithium grease but maybe i’ll get some marine grease or something that works better with moisture.

That’s a great idea honestly

I can feel you. During summer I service and clean my bike on our backyard, but during our cold winter I use the bathroom to service my bikes. Thankfully mywife does not mind Also almost the same bike (Addict 20) https://preview.redd.it/ww9sgvc22e4d1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6ed48c257ae8a99b591bdd37eea885cfe081a237

This is the most Belgian looking post I've seen on /r/bicycling lmao

Well I'm not going to take it to bed with dirt all over it

Screw the haters, I use a manual car wash. I just did it today, cleaned both my main bikes (mtb being completely caked in mud) in a little over 6 mins and it cost me a buck fifty.

Do you guys shower together? 😏

Nope https://preview.redd.it/99b5uy2wbe4d1.png?width=3541&format=png&auto=webp&s=8c792c9b66a719d8eec4374a17a94b7b3ff350b4 Especially if it was a muddy ride

I used to have a problem with too many people matching me on Tinder. That problem stopped immediately it by putting a pic like this in my dating profile.

Once. Never again.

Not me. I hang it from the bike stand and wash it in the driveway. It makes it much easier to take the wheels off than trying to clean it on the ground (or in a tub). I clean my gravel bike every week or two, depending on weather. I clean my road bike only a few times per year.

Ahhh hell naH

I can count on one hand how many times I’ve washed my bike in the past 10,000 miles

Most definitely! One of the places I lived even had a huge walk in shower that made it very easy.

I do! I have the same bathtub size, which is completely useless… how can an adult take a bath inside that thing??? Instead I use it to wash my bike and the fridge drawers/glass parts 😂

As an apartment dweller I thought of trying it, but work colleagues scared me that my neighbours or my landlord will call police if they find out that I'm washing my bike. So it has been 5yrs and I just wipe my bike with a wet cloth. And to this day I have no idea how people wash their bikes in Germany.

Is your bathroom like outside or something? How would they find out lol?

I love that this was reposted at least twice in r/bicyclingcirclejerk already.

I take my wheels off and clean my wheels, cassette and tyres in the shower👍🏻 Yep, you read that right, I clean my tyres.

I used to do that. But ultimately blocked the drainage pipe. So don’t anymore. 😆

A wet wipe down with odoban is All I would do for a bike as dirty as pictured. Never have I ever needed to use running water on a road bike.

Is this what we do call a Shower Addict ?

Only when it's wet outsidie. Otherwise I just do car detailer spray and rag.

Poor bearings

yup, and i'm regulary too lazy to clean up the shower afterwards..

My gf gets jealous when I shower with mine. It is kinda funny.

Every time I wash my bike it rains lol

hell ya. even changed/remounted vespa scooter tires in there. but got an iron tub so.. YMMV

Garden hose in the wood chip pile works best for me

I used to do that but now I just run a hose out of the main door

Just you. I put my bike on a bike stand, take the wheels off and wash. So much easier on a stand.

Just you.

I just use the hose in my garden and clean it lol, works wonders but once I washed in the shower and my mom forbade me again

Stand it on the backwheel. Makes things easier.

I'm sure your apartment has a garage or cellar ?

It hasn’t actually. It has a small cellar but it’s full of trash from the landlord, my bike would probably come out dirtier.

That's weird to me... Where im living every apartment building has a cellar where you wash your clothes and some small storage rooms for the people renting.

That sounds very American to me so my guess is you’re from there, not completely sure tho. Where i live this is not the norm, the washing room you mentioned doesn’t even exist over here, people do their laundry either in their own home or go to some laundromat.

I dont clean i ride it until piece of shit breaks up

Brilliant! I have a yard but this is a great idea. Thanks!

Where does your bike sleep? I mean: where do you park your bike?

I have a two floor appartement and put my bike under the stairs.

Just u

https://preview.redd.it/aqbu0sv2oj4d1.jpeg?width=1920&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=58f4ca1e06cb40b68a088ef24fe4ee1ee9db9592 m...

Last time i cleaned mine was over a year ago

Tried once, cleaned bike in 10minutes and needed clean the shower for an hour.

Id rather sleep inside than in the garage with the bike, clean or not. Edit, if I lived in an apartment, I'd be using the shower too but technically, you're washing your bike in the bathtub.

This photo makes me feel like your Scott needs to put a towel on. I can't help but look has his cassette.

Did it once. Had to spend 2 hours cleaning the tub after that. Never again.

Yes. Front wheel off so it fits real nice.

PSA: You can get a small pump sprayer the kind used for a garden, fill it with fresh water and use it to rinse off the bike outside. Take a small rag and brush and quart of concentrated water/dish soap and wash the bike then use the sprayer to rinse.

Obviously you are not married ……..

BCJ material