Hi this is Salmaan at Bike Bath and I’ve always loved anything on two wheels for as long as I can remember. Growing up in the suburbs, my bike was the fastest way to meet up with friends and explore the neighborhood. It still reminds me of those endless summers when we rode around with friends and were outdoors all day!
Fast forward a few years to adulthood in 2020 and like so many others, I started using my bike to go out for longer and longer rides during the COVID lock-down and rediscovered my city from an entirely new and amazing perspective. All of this bike riding got me searching for optimizations: A bike fit to make the longer rides more comfortable. Better fitting clothing. The best way to maintain the drive train (I settled on chain waxing). And of course what became my obsession: cleaning.
Watching video after video on the GCN YouTube channel made it clear that a clean bike is a fast bike and I realized that I also felt more excited about riding after it was sparkling. Just one problem: why did it have to be done out in the elements? Taking my 5 gallon hardware store bucket with cleaning supplies outside along with my bike and using the frigid water from the garden hose in the fall and winter was a drag and always took longer than I felt like it should. Cleaning the bike felt like a necessary evil and I started to subconsciously consider whether it was even worth it to go on rides in iffy weather knowing that I would have to clean it afterwards (sometimes in the dark). Also I am fortunate enough to have access to a garden hose; what about my neighbors in NYC and other cities that live in apartments?
I wanted a way to ensure that I could clean my bike after any ride and do it inside where it is dry and warm! And let’s get it done in 15 minutes while we are at it! My new routine is to get home from my ride, shower, eat and then (this is normally where the dread of going back out in the cold would set in, making me try to justify pushing off the wash to some other time): clean the bike. Now that I am well fed and warm, I set up the stand in the tub and pop my bike on it. I rinse the bike with hot water, wipe down with soap using a car-wash mit, rinse, dry with a microfiber cloth and boom we are done! (I used to use biodegradable de-greaser to clean the drive train but no longer need to do this step since I wax the chain.)
I worked with my dad to design a stand that could disassemble for storage under a bed or closet without using any tools. I hope that it makes it easier, faster and more fun to clean your bike!