Road Dust Problem

Rowena

Rowena

New Member
Region
Africa
Hello everyone,

I need to travel over dusty dirt roads to get to the best places for mnt bike cycling, which invariably means that when I arrive at my destination the ebike’s drivetrain is thickly covered with dust, meaning I have to wash and wipe it down everywhere 🙈

Has anyone found a solution to keeping your bike clean during transportation on a bike rack?
Any cover that is open underneath is useless because (in my experience) the dust billows into every nook and cranny no matter how I tie it down.

Then stretch-knit fabric covers like Velosock don’t keep the dust out due to the nature of the fabric.

Gravel road dust really is is big problem for me and my bike and I wondered if anyone else had found a solution?

Thanks
 
A dirty MTB is a happy MTB :)
Seriously: Have you considered transporting your e-bike inside the car (rear seats folded, the front wheel of the bike removed for the transport)?
 
When travelling in dusty environments, I've had good luck lightly coating dust collecting parts of my bike with dry silicone spray.

1759930922936.png

Camie Dry Silicone, 13 oz. can, 1 Count (999): Industrial Products: Amazon.com: Tools & Home Improvement

Camie Dry Silicone, 13 oz. can, 1 Count (999): Industrial Products: Amazon.com: Tools & Home Improvement
www.amazon.com

Go easy with it and don't apply too much. Avoid getting any on brake pads or disks
 
Stefan Mikes said:
A dirty MTB is a happy MTB :)
Seriously: Have you considered transporting your e-bike inside the car (rear seats folded, the front wheel of the bike removed for the transport)?
Click to expand...
Thanks - but I’m not talking dirty from cycling, I’m saying that the chain and cassette are THICKLY covered in dirt that chokes up all the working parts.
Stefan Mikes said:
A dirty MTB is a happy MTB :)
Seriously: Have you considered transporting your e-bike inside the car (rear seats folded, the front wheel of the bike removed for the transport)?
Click to expand...
 
@Rowena,
I have your answer. Wax. I mix soy based bio wax with some paraffin and a little Muc-Off dry lube in a small crockpot. A new chain goes in along with a clean derailleur for two hours. Little bubbles come out as the wax goes between the pins and rollers. It helps to have something like a coat hanger bent and inserted to pick them up in advance with another hook to hang them. When they get dusty the dust cannot stick. Just spray with a bottle of water. Every once in a while spray with a little soapy water and rinse with fresh water, wipe, dry and apply a little Muc-Off dry lube. If you want to know who I am saying this, see Google Maps, PedalUma eBikes. What part of Africa?
All the best.
 
PedalUma said:
@Rowena,
I have your answer. Wax.
Click to expand...

👍👍 on the Wax.

I only ride on dusty gravel roads, and me and my e-bike are always covered in dust.

My chain is waxed, and no dust sticks to it. (I cooked mine on the stove. 😁)
I only wash the e-bike once or twice a year and just ignore the dust.

I almost never pedal, but when I do, the dust just falls off.
As an added bonus, the chain is never dirty.
I can always grab my chain without getting my hands dirty.

Dust sticks to oil and grinds its way into the chain.
 
I made two and one-half gallons of bike wash concentrate and gave out several spray bottles 1/2 full of 2:1 concentrate to five friends last week. One of the surprise ingredients is used in hand lotions and moisturizers. The rest is used in commercial kitchens. If you are going to buy a nice MTB take care of it and keep it away from the dirt! It is the popping of the foam that uses the strongest force in nature to remove the dirt, The Weak Force. Geckos use it to walk on a glass celling. I am not sure what people down under do. The bike wash smells like bananas and rinses with low pressure water.
 
PedalUma said:
This is an advert but informative.
Click to expand...

I watched the video and realized that I didn't let the wax cool down before I pulled the chain out of the wax.

I was a brand new chain though, so I figure the gaps would be small enough that the hot wax wouldn't drain out?

I will however make sure to let it cool to 75°C next time.
 
PedalUma said:
If you are going to buy a nice MTB take care of it and keep it away from the dirt!
Click to expand...

My ebike doesn't need to be clean to maintain it's structural health.
The fork stanchions and rear shock get wiped off occasionally.

My swingarm (you guys call it a chainstay) has sealed bearings and dust won't find its way inside.

Even low pressure water can help facilitate dust or water penetration into places I don't want them, especially with all that foaming and popping going on.

I just made all that up.
I'm just lazy and don't wanna bother washing it. 😁

But Seriously,.. I Shouldn't Have To Wash It.
That should only be done for superficial reasons.
 
Working in the bike shop last year people would get their MTBs covered, one Levo was used at horse shows covered in it, and then they would bring them in for service. It is like going to the barber shop with unwashed hair. The worst are time trial bikes. They come in covered in sweat and those folks drink plenty of fluids but do not take pitstops. It is all over the bike along with blood and snot.
 
Last edited:
PedalUma said:
Working in the bike shop last year people would get their MTBs covered, one Levo was used at horse shows covered in it, and then they would bring them in for service. It is like going to the barber shop with unwashed hair. The worst are time trial bikes. The come in covered in sweat and those folks drink plenty of fluids but do not take pitstops. It is all over the bike along with blood and snot.
Click to expand...
Yup. Same goes for multi day charity riders who rent bikes from us. Disgusting.
 
I could write a long essay on the duality of mtbing and cleaning, but it would mostly be me deflecting from laziness.

I have a mentality many would find horrific, I ride on the beach and dont make much effort to clean the chain, its a consumable alongside the cogs.

Giving the slightest attention to the obvious incressed wear to me is another mental path towards not exposing the bike at all to the entropy of
the universe, I could stay on the road, or leave it in the house.
All a bit dramatic , but as I get older I see so many people losing their spark for life in exchange for comfort, its such a fragile thing to be excited by anything.

I could argue myself here, but how many times have I heard people say.
'Oh no, Ive just cleaned it!'.

Im going for the nobel prize for waffling excuses for being a lazy twt.

All I can say in conclusion is there is a sliding scale of insufferable people I know and those at the top have the cleanest bikes.
 
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