How to clean and degrease your bike?

I am new to cycling and I would like to get some tips for cleaning my bike. I have hydraulic disc brakes.   thanks! 

Hey Charlie, 

It obviously depends on how often you ride and in what terrain! I have noticed that when I clean my bike often, the parts last way longer so this is definitely a way to improve lifetime and decrease the amount we're spending on our bikes ;-). Plus it obviously looks and feels better. I ride ± 14k a year and my cassettes and chains last way longer if I keep them clean. 

My cleaning strategy is:

Every road ride: wipe off chain/drivetrain (this is a must in my view), if I've ridden through puddles, the bike has gotten dirty I take that off immediately as well, since it damages the parts and actually takes longer to clean if I leave it on. 

Every gravel ride: gravel (unless really dry) typically involves a lot of dirt so I tend to completely clean the whole bike afterwards, the least I will do is hose it off and dry it, otherwise the bike will sound horrible, parts will wear in literally 1 ride.

Once a month: thorough drivetrain and bike clean with biodegradable degreaser and hot water.

Before A race (important events, say 6 per year): I disassemble my whole bike and double check the brakes, all moving parts, put grease in it again and ensure that everything is clean and safe. I feel way more confident going downhill with 70+ km/hour when I know I've checked everything...

That's it, for cleaning itself I think GCN has a ton of video's! Good luck and feel free to ask for more tips/tricks etc.!