This eight-step cleaning method will get your bike sparkling new and help you find worn parts before they break. If you ride four or more days a week, clean it once a week. If you ride less, biweekly is fine. This thorough cleaning will take about 40 minutes.

PRE-WASH PREPARATION
Fill two buckets with soap and water. One bucket will be for the drivetrain and wheels and the other for the frame, saddle and bar. Always use the same bucket, sponges and brushes for the same application. Switching can smear more grease on your frame than there was before you started, or worse, cause scratches.

REMOVE WHEELS
With your dirty rig in the stand, remove the wheels and put your chain around the old hub or Pedro's Chain Keeper. Check the tires for cuts; if any slice all the way through the tire you need a new tire. Check the spoke eyelets - if any pucker out from the rim, get a new rim, too. See if the hub is loose by trying to move the axle up and down. Then wiggle the cassette to see if it's loose and check for signs of excessive wear, such as missing or sharp, pointy teeth.

DEGREASE
Give the bike a light dowsing with the hose, but don't use high pressure and avoid spraying directly at the bearings in the headset and bottom bracket. Then spray the drivetrain with degreaser and scrub with brushes. Keep the degreaser away from hydraulic seals on disc brakes and shocks as well as the brake pads and bearings.

SCRUB
Using the drivetrain bucket and brushes, give the rings, cranks and derailleurs a good scrubbing until the gunk is gone and the run-off water is clean. Using the other bucket, start at the top of the bike and work your way down. Don't rub dirty rags or use abrasive cleaning materials on shock stanchions - these can scratch the stanchions and cause the fork's seals to leak.

RINSE
After the entire bike has received a good scrubbing, rinse with the hose set for gentle water pressure - again starting at the top and working down.

CLEAN WHEELS
Start with the rear. With the cassette facing the ground at a 45-degree angle, shoot it with a bit of degreaser - this way the dirty sludge drains away from your clean shiny hub. Scrub and wash with your drivetrain bucket. Using your frame bucket and a Scotch-Brite pad, give the rest of the rear and the front wheel a good wash. Then rinse.

Sewup warning: Do not use degreaser or soap on sewup rims. Grab a third bucket and fill it with only clean water to wipe off this kind of rim. Use a new Scotch-Brite pad to clean the rims.

DRY OFF
Before you put your wheels back on, inspect brake pads for wear. If the pad surface is shiny, buff it with sandpaper. After spinning the wheels a bit to remove water, place them back in the frame. Then bounce the bike a few times on the ground to shake off more water. Use a clean, dry towel or rag to wipe off the remaining water. Give the chain a good spin.

INSPECT
Closely examine your spiffy-clean frame for cracks or signs of rust, paying close attention to cracked or buckled paint. It's also a good time to retape the handlebar if needed. Lube it up and you're ready for your next ride.

MAKE YOUR BIKE SHINE!

MUST-HAVES
2 buckets (3 if you're riding sewups)
Assortment of sponges
Brushes
Dish soap, such as Dawn
Degreaser
Clean towel or rag
Scotch-Brite pads
Hose with gentle-stream nozzle

NICE ADDITIONS
Bike stand
Cleaning kit
Sleeping hub - name for something you put in the rear dropouts to keep the chain from rubbing the chainstay. Or you could use a spare hub.