Hey guys, a quick one this time.

Can you let me know your cleaning / maintinence routine for your buggys (I fly at the beach.)
I used to mountain bike a lot, I don't so much now, but I used to throughly clean my bike every week, and give it a thorough service every month, so don't mind getting down and dirty. The buggy seems more difficult to clean though, because of the amount of fabric.
I'm worried about the amount of salt and sand that gets everywhere! So far I've just been brushing off the sand with a normal bush, but it doesn't seem enough. Could I hose the buggy down every so often ?

Maintenance wise, how can I keep the mechanical/ moving bits in good condition ? I know how to repack bearings, and have done on one of the wheels.
When I went to brush it down today the front wheel was stiff as anything, and pretty grindy! I'll buy some new bearings, but when I bought he buggy a couple of weeks back they were pretty much perfect, as the buggy had only been used on grass. I'm concerned that the salt/ sand degraded them so quickly! How can I avoid this?

Cheersssss,
Tim

As much as I hate to admit it, I rarely do any maintenance on my buggy and I go to a beach at least once a month, sometimes more. Once or twice a year I'll hose it all off, but otherwise I just ignore it. It looks like crap, and is completely covered in sand, and the car has about an inch of sand in the trunk, but I'm just too busy to make that a priority. My old buggy was not stainless and rusted pretty hard as well. The new one is stainless for that reason. Oh, I do end up replacing rusted nuts and bolts often.

My bearings usually last a while, up to a year or two. I also happily cruise through salt water almost every outing. When I do need some new ones, I buy them from AK bearings in the UK. The owner is a buggier and can help you get the right ones.

repack the bearings with marine grease. That stands up to salt water better.

I always give my bearings a wipe with a wd40 impregnated cloth - keeps the rust out of 'em after a beach session. I don't get into the salt water. And maybe after every second or so outing I give the whole bug a wash with the hose. My bearings seem to last a couple of thousand km's. I will use slightly better than the $4 cheapie bearings...maybe pay $7 or so for the precision bearings - they seem to last well. I've never bothered re packing...just turf 'em after a couple of years and put a new set on. And a bit of lubricant around the head stem bolt every now and then too.

I fly at the beach nearly every weekend during summer and I NEVER wash my buggy. The closest it gets to a wash is the spray from running thru salt water.
Stainless steel buggy, stainless steel bearings and zinc coated bolts. Sorted

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Originally posted by andy666 I fly at the beach nearly every weekend during summer and I NEVER wash my buggy. The closest it gets to a wash is the spray from running thru salt water. Stainless steel buggy, stainless steel bearings and zinc coated bolts. Sorted

I like your style sir! :singing:

WD40 the WD stands for Water Displacement.. the 40 I believe stands for the amount of ounces....anyway WD40 will actually break down grease so depending on application it's not always the best. You can purchase sealed bearings that will last a long time. I have found that a dry lube is the best as sand, dirt, etc will not stick to it. (teflon lub).
I have a stainless steel buggy so I don't worry too much especially since the wheels are plastic and bearings are minimal cost. The seat is the biggest thing to break down due to salt and sun...Just give it a quick spray down as you would a surfboard, diving equipment etc....It should last years.

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.anyway WD40 will actually break down grease so depending on application it's not always the best.

Yes, it's actually pretty good at cleaning up alloy rims too. I spray it onto a cloth first, then wipe - that way it stops the surface of the bearing getting too rusty but doesn't interfere with the grease. Good tip about the teflon spray - I actually have some but have never tried it on the bearings - I will

for my sand, wd40 make sand stick horribly so i don't use it. I just run my bearings for a long time then either add in marine grease when the stock stuff dies or get new bearings if I feel too lazy. I used to wash my buggy down with fresh water each time but i put a coast of pain on the steel and it been fine just letting the water dry and then quickly brushing off the sand so i don't
t have a pile of it in the garage.

Now I did let my landboard go unwashed for a month and the bearings completely rusted over :/ this was stock grease and the bearings where not very old.

If I have time, I just hose everything down with fresh water. buggy, landboard, and kitesurning equipment.

Quick fines wit fresh water when I get home to get off sand and alge.

Picked up the teflon tip from some hardcore mountain bikers who said that when they used it... their chains and gears didn't pick up as much sand/dirt etc.... Dupont dry teflon spray is what I use. Also great on woodworking tools and tabletops as to not contaminate the wood for finishing. WD40 will make finishes fisheye....sorry that this isn't all kite related.