A daily dose of sweat can have unwanted effects on your bike. Expert advice from an experienced mechanic.
While finishing a home trainer session in a puddle of sweat can feel satisfying, sweat can spell disaster for your bike. The salt in sweat corrodes metal parts such as the handlebars, stem, seatpost, pedals, and brake pads. As Chief Mechanic at Easy Rider, I’ve seen what condition a training bike can reach after a season of indoor workouts. Use these best practices and recommendations for some of my favorite equipment and consumables — to clean sweat and keep your bike in good shape.
Use two fans instead of one
I’ve found that using a fan behind me cools me more effectively. I also like having one in front because it creates a pleasant airflow. Personally, I prefer an oscillating model, as I can adjust it to blow air exactly where I want. In comparison, a simpler fan must be angled, placed on a chair or table, or elevated somewhere to direct air anywhere but your feet. Using two fans also prevents some sweat from dripping onto the bike, making cleaning easier later.
I’ve found that using a fan behind me cools me more effectively. I also like having one in front because it creates a pleasant airflow. Personally, I prefer an oscillating model, as I can adjust it to blow air exactly where I want. In comparison, a simpler fan must be angled, placed on a chair or table, or elevated somewhere to direct air anywhere but your feet. Using two fans also prevents some sweat from dripping onto the bike, making cleaning easier later.
Protect your stem
The bearings in the stem and the bolts are very prone to rust. If you ever need to adjust or replace the stem, it’s important that the bolts aren’t rusted. If they are, they might be impossible to remove and could damage the bolt heads. Extracting damaged bolts is complicated and expensive. There are sweat covers, such as those from TACX, that attach between the seat tube and handlebars, made of absorbent material to soak up sweat and prevent it from reaching the bike.
The bearings in the stem and the bolts are very prone to rust. If you ever need to adjust or replace the stem, it’s important that the bolts aren’t rusted. If they are, they might be impossible to remove and could damage the bolt heads. Extracting damaged bolts is complicated and expensive. There are sweat covers, such as those from TACX, that attach between the seat tube and handlebars, made of absorbent material to soak up sweat and prevent it from reaching the bike.
Protect your handlebars
Regularly changing handlebar tape is necessary, even if you don’t sweat excessively. Any moisture can infiltrate under the tape and corrode aluminum handlebars, potentially causing catastrophic damage. (Carbon fiber or composite bars avoid this problem since composites do not corrode.)
Regularly changing handlebar tape is necessary, even if you don’t sweat excessively. Any moisture can infiltrate under the tape and corrode aluminum handlebars, potentially causing catastrophic damage. (Carbon fiber or composite bars avoid this problem since composites do not corrode.)
On average, cyclists replace handlebar tape once a year, but some need to change it more often. After a year and nearly 5,000 km of road riding, you may find corrosion under the tape even if the aluminum bars are only three years old and showed no previous signs of corrosion.
So, replace handlebar tape about twice as often if you use a home trainer compared to outdoor riding. Look for tape that blocks moisture, and draping a towel over the bars while pedaling can help further.
Inflate your tires
If you ride on rollers or a home trainer connected to the rear wheel, invest in trainer-specific tires that are more resistant to wear and heat. Or inflate your current tires to the maximum recommended pressure. This slightly reduces abrasion and ensures smooth rolling when back on the road. Constant trainer use can wear the tread, so increasing pressure reduces the contact patch and prevents flattening.
If you ride on rollers or a home trainer connected to the rear wheel, invest in trainer-specific tires that are more resistant to wear and heat. Or inflate your current tires to the maximum recommended pressure. This slightly reduces abrasion and ensures smooth rolling when back on the road. Constant trainer use can wear the tread, so increasing pressure reduces the contact patch and prevents flattening.
Pedal, Wipe, Repeat
Immediately after training, wipe your bike with a cloth or microfiber towel and a bike cleaning solution, such as Muc-Off MO-94. This is my favorite because it’s odorless — important if you’re indoors or in a poorly ventilated room.
Immediately after training, wipe your bike with a cloth or microfiber towel and a bike cleaning solution, such as Muc-Off MO-94. This is my favorite because it’s odorless — important if you’re indoors or in a poorly ventilated room.
Make sure to wipe areas where sweat can enter the frame: handlebars, stem, headset, brake levers, and shifters. Also, wipe the frame tubes, focusing on areas where cables enter the frame or external cable stops (even on carbon frames, these are usually aluminum and can corrode). On aluminum frames, wipe the bottom of the tubes as sweat tends to accumulate there — I’ve literally seen holes in aluminum frames caused by sweat corrosion. Another critical area is the top of the seat tube where the seat clamp bolts are, the seatpost clamp, and where the seatpost enters the frame.
