A clean bike is a fast bike, and one of the first jobs on your pre-summer checklist should be to give your bike a good clean, whether it’s been in use over winter or just coming back out of the shed for the first time this year.

If you’re feeling on form, then you should have a bike which looks top dollar too, and if it’s the first time you’ve given your steed the once over in a while then we’re not just talking about a quick going over with a damp cloth. A thorough clean can give a bike a new lease of life and will also give you the opportunity to check for damage.

Video: how to clean your bike like a WorldTour mechanic

Standing your bike upright (or, better still, using a workstand), rinse the bike to get ride of any loose dirt and then use a cleaning agent to work away any more stubborn much with a sponge and warm water. Next up clean the drivetrain (more on that on the next page) and then take to the wheels, paying particular attention to the cassette and brake track. Rinse again with clean water, dry the bike with a clean rag and re-lube the chain and your tired-looking bike will be well on the way to looking like a new machine.

And if you want to see how the pros do it, check out how Etixx-QuickStep’s mechanics clean the team’s bikes in this video guide.