Here's what I do, and I've washed many bikes many times. We have lots of salt on the roads all winter, so a wash after every ride is very important . I use a bucket 1/2 full of car washing soap and hot water along with a real high quality 5" paint brush.The over all wash and rinse with fresh water takes maybe 5 minutes followed by a quick towel dry! For chain lube, many of us in NW-Ohio are using Rock-N-Roll Gold, a petrol based wax, it's a great lube with better wet weather resistance than White Lightening which wouldn't last one ride in wet weather.
Will McKnight
NW-Ohio