27 May 2010

Lazy Woman's Hub Cleaning Scheme

A simple pipecleaner, $1.99 for 100 at my local store (and yes, I have spare ones for free if you want one), makes an excellent hub cleaner for lazy people. The directions are simple:
  1. Wrap it around your hub
  2. Twist the ends together
  3. Forget about it for about a week on your townie or for a long (dry) ride on your pleasure bike
When your hub looks sufficiently clean you just tug firmly to remove. It is so easy that while the rest of my bike is still dirty the hubs are certainly gleaming!

11 comments:

MandG said...

Nice! I'm all about doing things the lazy way!

Mark said...

Not sure if i believe you on this one - but if you are right you should win the Nobel Prize for bicycling or something.

I'm going to try this out as soon as i get a pipe cleaner.

Anonymous said...

nice tip on the hub, but what about that nicely maintained chain? there's a bike on the rack near my office that obviously gets use but has a drivetrain that's so clean that the chain and cassette almost sparkle. I have to admit to some envy.

Rupert said...

Two words: Brilly Ant!

Oldfool said...

Good Idea. Twist two together (or more) to match the bike.
We think a like. Well maybe not but we love our bikes.

George said...

That makes me remember a bike (must have been from the 1940s)my older brother had when I was a kid that had a leather band loosely buckled around the rear hub all the time. It stayed clean even though we lived on a farm and only rode on dirt roads.

John @ Beans and I on the Loose said...

So simple. I like it. I recall the leather straps of long ago designed to do the same job. Maybe they are still around, I do not know.

Charlotte said...

Cris, I wish I could claim some wonderful scheme for the chain, but confess it's merely a new chain. I think we put it on in March, after the worst of the weather.

Charlotte said...

George and Sinbad'sDad -
it's exactly the same idea, but removable. The Normandy hub I got with my Raleigh International has a leather strip, which appears to be continuous (!) and permanent.
These pipecleaners get so dirty I'm happy to be able to take them off (and use a fresh one when needed).

somervillain said...

neat! i wonder if i could wrap a few around my kitchen and see if they keep it clean :-).

Unknown said...

This is the best! Thank you :)