General Advice: How to clean your bike

General Advice: How to clean your bike

Author
Discussion

BeirutTaxi

Original Poster:

6,627 posts

213 months

Tuesday 24th May 2016
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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


Edited by BeirutTaxi on Tuesday 24th May 22:58

gazza285

9,780 posts

207 months

Tuesday 24th May 2016
quotequote all
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...

Banana Boy

467 posts

112 months

Wednesday 25th May 2016
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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... smile

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! smile

tjdixon911

1,911 posts

236 months

Wednesday 25th May 2016
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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... smile

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! smile
I've recently purchased the 5ltr No Nonsense Degreaser from Screw Fix, it works Brilliantly on chains etc.


richardxjr

7,561 posts

209 months

Wednesday 25th May 2016
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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.

Dixie

732 posts

234 months

Wednesday 25th May 2016
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I jet wash mine (MTB). Dont blast the bearings to death. Wipe down and a good dose of GT85 and it's good to go. Never had any issues.

Chain off every now and again for a full de-grease and re lube.

Fugazi

564 posts

120 months

Wednesday 25th May 2016
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Wet wipes.... All I ever use or need.

Watchman

6,391 posts

244 months

Wednesday 25th May 2016
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Jetwash or hose, old towel and GT85.

TheFungle

4,069 posts

205 months

Wednesday 25th May 2016
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Should I use a wax or sealant as an LSP?

pembo

1,203 posts

192 months

Thursday 26th May 2016
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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 biggrin

SamR380

725 posts

119 months

Thursday 26th May 2016
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I don't suppose TFR will do any damage will it?

Some Gump

12,671 posts

185 months

Thursday 26th May 2016
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fks sake, it's a bike. If the oily bits are cleaned and oiled, job jobbed.

Your Dad

1,924 posts

182 months

Thursday 26th May 2016
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Glad I'm not the only one to using baby wipes for bike cleaning.

Marvelous things, tough enough to remove grease and oil from hands yet soft enough for wiping a babys arse.

anonymous-user

53 months

Thursday 26th May 2016
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Pound shop cleaner + jet wash (not directed at bearings etc) works fine for me

Your Dad

1,924 posts

182 months

Thursday 26th May 2016
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You'd never catch serious riders having their bikes jetwashed, except 'crossers.



biggrin

troc

3,740 posts

174 months

Thursday 26th May 2016
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Some Gump said:
fks sake, it's a bike. If the oily bits are cleaned and oiled, job jobbed.
This smile

Kev_Mk3

2,739 posts

94 months

Thursday 26th May 2016
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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