Cleaning your baby....

[FishrCutB8]

Thought this was good...
http://www.trinewbies.com/BikeClean/Welcome.asp

[ODB]

I'm afraid that cleaning the mud off will expose to many scratches. Pretty bikes are for the road. A good mountain bike is held together by the dirt and mud.

[Kaiser]

One thing: if you have a carbon fiber seatpost, you are not supposed to grease it. Just an FYI and counter to what the site said.

[FishrCutB8]

Great point--the grease would break down the CF, yes?

[bmph8ter]

Originally posted by FishrCutB8:
Great point--the grease would break down the CF, yes?

That's what people say, but it simply isn't true. Carbon fiber parts won't seize like metal parts so they don't need the grease; galvanic corrosion and stuff. If you grease a carbon post, you increase the chances of slippage and this indirectly increases the chances of over tightening the post. Think about it, if you seat post were to slip, what would you do first?

[ODB]

That's why I had bmph8ter check my bike out during the race! Dude has skills.

[Kaiser]

Bmph8ter answered first. Yes, there is no truth to the rumor that grease will decay CF... unless the CF epoxy has been worn off to the point of disappearance. CF tubes, if overtightened, will not bend like metal ones, but will crack. Obviously that is a big safety issue, and since they don't corrode with water, there is no reason to grease them at all.

[bmph8ter]

Originally posted by ODB:
That's why I had bmph8ter check my bike out during the race! Dude has skills.

*blushing* Aww, thanks!