Can I hose down my bike? [Easy Bike Wash Guide]

There is a ton of dirt getting on your bike, grease collecting along the chain and you just rode through some Ice cream that a tourist dropped while walking across the Golden Gate. You may be wondering can I hose down my bike?

Hosing down your bike would seem like the best thing to do since you wash your car with a hose right? (Ideally in California you may do it less often than so).

There are some considerations to make if you choose to hose down your bike and why you may want to focus on other alternatives.

In short, the answer is yes – but you should pay attention to detail of where you hose down your bike.

You will learn how to hose down your bike if you choose to, where the places are fine on the body to hosing down your bike.

You will also learn how to wash your bike by hand if you want to choose to go in that direction.

Can I power hose my bike?

Do not power hose or pressure wash your bike. There are parts in the bike that if the water gets lodged, it will not be able to get out and may cause issues of rust. If you power hose your bike, you may have to get many parts replaced and the bike tuned up at a bike shop.

Power washing is not advisable because you also may remove grease in sealed areas of your bicycle: the drivetrain, the cassette, the fork and handlebar connection to name a few.

If the grease is removed from those areas and you are not versed in taking the bicycle apart to regrease the areas, then you may need to go to a local bicycle shop to have your bicycle taken apart and regreased to function the right way.

If you absolutely feel the need to take a hose to your bike, do it with a spray setting that has no power – however, we have not found this to be very practical because it simply sits on top of the dirt that you are trying to knock off rather than having the function of a power hose.

There are alternates though, so fear not

Is it OK to pressure wash a bicycle?

Pressure washing a bicycle will not cause the bike to react well. It will push out the grease and oil that is needed for your bicycle to function properly, and you may even take off some paint from your bike.

The pressure it too high for the bicycle, and although it may seem like a great idea because you are getting off the dirt – there are adverse affects to applying such high pressure to the bicycle such as stripping lube off of the chain.

The other consideration that many do not consider is Aero Wheels.

What about Aero Wheels?

The problem with pressure washing, hosing, and power hoses is that the water is being forced out of the hose into a specific place.

This means that it will be shoved in places that are so tight that typically only air can get in.

One of those places are aero wheels. If you have aero wheels, typically the inside will be hollow and the spoke nipple will have just enough room for water to get in if it is power washed inside.

Avoid spraying your wheels!

If you spray your wheels the water can get caught inside and either – evaporate slowly during a ride (you will hear it sloshing on your next couple of rides).

The other issue is corrosion of spoke nipples. If you put water inside of the wheels and you happen to live in an area that is close to a beach (San Francisco) the water mixed with the salt in the air could make the spoke nipple corrode and fail.

This will speed up the time for a new spoke nipple, and quite possibly cause you to need to rebuild your wheel.

Is it Okay to wash a bike with water? (Can I hose down my bike?)

Yes, it is Okay to wash a bike with water. If you are softly spraying the only the frame of the bike, then you will be fine.

However, if you are washing other parts, you may want to take caution, or not do it at all and simply hand wash those parts of the bicycle.

Hand washing is simple, fast and fun to do.

How do I hand wash my bike?

Hand washing is pretty easy and it’s quick to do. I like to handwash my bike about once a month and include it in my tune-up schedule.

The ingredients that I use are:

• Water
• Bucket
• Soap (If Needed – rarely needed)
• Old Rag
• WD40
• Can of Air

The steps are as follows –

1. Dip the rag in the bucket and handwash the frame: From time to time there will be chain lube on the frame and you may need to use some soap to get it off. If you wipe off the chain lube, remember to re-lube it with the correct chain lube.
2. WD40 spray the chain to get off extra debris: WD40 is an excellent solvent and is great to get the chain gunk off. This way you do not have to spray the chain with unneeded water and possibly rust the chain (If you can’t get rust off, replacing the chain is easy and affordable.)
3. Spray air in any small crevices that are holding dirt and debris you can not get to by hand: Do not hold cans of air upside down.

This is very easy, simply and quick, and following I will towel dry my bicycle afterwards.

What is most important is while handwashing: Avoid bearings, the hubs of your wheel, the gearset and the fork. This is wear grease is stored inside of your bike to keep it functioning in the right way.

Conclusion

If you are wondering can I hose down my bike? The response is yes but proceed with caution. Avoid spraying any moving parts, and do not spray any moving parts that have any grease inside to keep the bicycle functioning.

It is very easy to hand wash your bicycle and if you want to take the time to do it, it will greatly extend the life of your bicycle.