Today I spent a little under 3 hours cleaning a bike. Granted, this bike has not been ridden on a regular basis for at least 3 years and is an older bike to begin with, but I think most will agree that this is a long time to be cleaning a bike.
I took my time, cleaning the chain, removing the front and rear wheels and cleaning the rear sprocket by taking it off the wheel. In the end I had a bike that was as clean, if not cleaner than a bike on the floor in a bike shop.
There are several reasons to keep your bike clean:
1) Reduce wear on the parts
2) Dirt and grit will break the seal created by grease
3) Eliminate the chance of rust (or slow the oxidation process down)
Perhaps the most important reason you clean your bike is to make sure there are no mechanical problems with your bike. I learned that the bike that I was cleaning had a flat tire and removed the tube to check it for punctures. Sure enough I found a small hole in the tube and replaced the whole thing. I will end up patching the tube and using it as a spare because it is not good to waste, but I am glad that I found the hole then and not 30 miles away from wherever I started riding.
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