My cousin has often given me crap about how much cleaning I do to my bike. But honestly, I LOVE my machinery and somewhat enjoy doing the cleaning. I find it a little theraputic. I'm not anal about it. Most every day I ride I spend about TWO MINUTES wiping the dust off the chrome and paint parts with a dry "microtowel". That is enough to keep it nice looking for awhile. In the summer, I give it a bath with weak soapy water about every two weeks, using a mitt and drying it off with a towel. I can guarantee you that all my bikes look as good as when I bought them. In the meantime, my cousin's bikes look like they need to go to the junk after a couple of years.
