General Advice: How to clean your bike
Discussion
Just some advice for everyone (without wanting to be condescending): The amount of people I come across who use a garden jet hose gun or worse a powerful pressure washer for cleaning their bike is somewhat alarming. In my opinion you seriously risk getting water in areas it really shouldn't be going. Also having 'sealed bearings' does not mean they're impervious to high pressure water.
If you need to use a hose for lumps of crud use very little pressure and avoid the wheel bearings, headset and bottom bracket area.
Use a neutral detergent (G Technic G Wash or Dodo Juice Born To Be Mild), a damp micro fibre cloth and two buckets (one for washing the cloth and getting rid of stones etc, the other for fresh soapy water)
Afterward washing spray something like Bilt Hamber Ferrosole (lubricant and water diaplacer) through the cable outers if possible (obviously avoid getting it anywhere near the brakes or rim). I also spray my rear mech pulleys with it (after giving them a gentle clean).
The chain is best cleaned off the bike with Bilt Hamber Surfex or similar (I recommend wearing gloves for this). Re-oil with small drops of Finish Line and remove excess oil.
Best regards,
Matt
If you need to use a hose for lumps of crud use very little pressure and avoid the wheel bearings, headset and bottom bracket area.
Use a neutral detergent (G Technic G Wash or Dodo Juice Born To Be Mild), a damp micro fibre cloth and two buckets (one for washing the cloth and getting rid of stones etc, the other for fresh soapy water)
Afterward washing spray something like Bilt Hamber Ferrosole (lubricant and water diaplacer) through the cable outers if possible (obviously avoid getting it anywhere near the brakes or rim). I also spray my rear mech pulleys with it (after giving them a gentle clean).
The chain is best cleaned off the bike with Bilt Hamber Surfex or similar (I recommend wearing gloves for this). Re-oil with small drops of Finish Line and remove excess oil.
Best regards,
Matt
Edited by BeirutTaxi on Tuesday 24th May 22:58
Hose brush + Muc-Off, then GT85 on fixings, TF2 on shifters, mechs and bearings, and whatever chain lube I've blagged, currently C3 dry lube.
Strip and regrease BB and lower headset bearing every three or four races, check wheel bearings at the same time, remove chain for degrease and clean, and clean gear cables, if applicable. All my race bikes have SPD- M540 pedals, which appear to be indestructible, these get a dusting of TF2 on the clips and springs.
GT85 smells like victory...
Strip and regrease BB and lower headset bearing every three or four races, check wheel bearings at the same time, remove chain for degrease and clean, and clean gear cables, if applicable. All my race bikes have SPD- M540 pedals, which appear to be indestructible, these get a dusting of TF2 on the clips and springs.
GT85 smells like victory...
Being a terminal cheap skate I use cheapo water based degreaser at £5.99 for a 5 litre container along with the good old bucket and sponge. Because I'm also too lazy to get the hose out I use one of those pump-up garden sprayers to rinse...
Baby wipes are also great if your only giving it a quick lick and tickle after a week of dry commuting, which also serves to confuse 4yr old neighbours... 'why are you using baby wipes on your bike?' - 'because this is my baby...' Cue confused looking 4yr old!
Baby wipes are also great if your only giving it a quick lick and tickle after a week of dry commuting, which also serves to confuse 4yr old neighbours... 'why are you using baby wipes on your bike?' - 'because this is my baby...' Cue confused looking 4yr old!
Banana Boy said:
Being a terminal cheap skate I use cheapo water based degreaser at £5.99 for a 5 litre container along with the good old bucket and sponge. Because I'm also too lazy to get the hose out I use one of those pump-up garden sprayers to rinse...
Baby wipes are also great if your only giving it a quick lick and tickle after a week of dry commuting, which also serves to confuse 4yr old neighbours... 'why are you using baby wipes on your bike?' - 'because this is my baby...' Cue confused looking 4yr old!
I've recently purchased the 5ltr No Nonsense Degreaser from Screw Fix, it works Brilliantly on chains etc.Baby wipes are also great if your only giving it a quick lick and tickle after a week of dry commuting, which also serves to confuse 4yr old neighbours... 'why are you using baby wipes on your bike?' - 'because this is my baby...' Cue confused looking 4yr old!
Muc off and all that is just marketing bs.
Hose, bucket, fairy*, water, drying towel, relube.
On my mtb's I'm not scared to use a small pressure washer, don't point it at bearings obviously, but nothing else cleans tyres better.
Quick in-stand frame wash: 1lt garden sprayer with weak fairy mix and drying towel.
*No. Any minute amount of salt in there will not harm your components.
Hose, bucket, fairy*, water, drying towel, relube.
On my mtb's I'm not scared to use a small pressure washer, don't point it at bearings obviously, but nothing else cleans tyres better.
Quick in-stand frame wash: 1lt garden sprayer with weak fairy mix and drying towel.
*No. Any minute amount of salt in there will not harm your components.
A few weeks ago after cleaning my commuting bike I coated it in Poundland special, quick detail wax. We have builders in our office and everything in the lobby gets very dusty but nothing has stuck to that bike since.
Before that I was regularly wiping it down with the baby wipes and worried about all the cack getting into the gears but now it's like the whole bike is covered in dry ceramic chain wax
Before that I was regularly wiping it down with the baby wipes and worried about all the cack getting into the gears but now it's like the whole bike is covered in dry ceramic chain wax
I use Beaver bike cleaner its fantastic removes all the crap then rinse with water and soap with a sponge and hose.
I do admit though few scratches on it the other week when I came off so got the buffer and cutting compound out and removed them all - bike then got a coat of wax with a random sample pot I had just because I was bored haha
I do admit though few scratches on it the other week when I came off so got the buffer and cutting compound out and removed them all - bike then got a coat of wax with a random sample pot I had just because I was bored haha
Gassing Station | Pedal Powered | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff