What do you use to clean your mountain bike?
Discussion
PurelyRetro said:
nessiemac said:
Just simple hot soapy water always gets the mud and crap off..
I tend to use just hot water, but can it be damaging to the paint?Edited by nessiemac on Tuesday 26th May 20:05
staceyb said:
Jetwash, then oil everything that needs oiling.
You need to be careful with the jetwash as it's too easy to force water or other muck into sealed bearings and the like. If you must use a pressure washer, make sure it's set to very gentle, just to get the main crap off, before getting the job done by hand.Usually just a rinse off with a hose-brush thing. Pressure washers are okay so long as you are gentle and keep the nozzle quite far away from the bike. Everything's sealed on modern bikes anyway.
Muck off really cleans things up, but for a bike that gets dirty all the time there's not a lot of point. The only exception is if you want to get it really clean before putting on some wax / polish. This IS worth doing occasionally as it makes it easier to rinse off, and protects otherwise vulnerable areas from corrosion. Keep it off the brakes though!
Cheers,
FT.
Muck off really cleans things up, but for a bike that gets dirty all the time there's not a lot of point. The only exception is if you want to get it really clean before putting on some wax / polish. This IS worth doing occasionally as it makes it easier to rinse off, and protects otherwise vulnerable areas from corrosion. Keep it off the brakes though!
Cheers,
FT.
I find a hand held pressurised garden sprayer like this is perfect:
http://www.gardencentreonline.co.uk/Garden-Waterin...
With some car shampoo added you can take it with you to wash down the bike before putting it back in the car.
http://www.gardencentreonline.co.uk/Garden-Waterin...
With some car shampoo added you can take it with you to wash down the bike before putting it back in the car.
I only wash the bike if it is really covered in wet mud. In that situation I use muc-off and a hose pipe.
Most of the time the mud has at least partially dried by the time I get home, so I just brush it off and maybe stick the chain and cassette in a bucket - I don't think getting the bike wet again does it any favours.
Most of the time the mud has at least partially dried by the time I get home, so I just brush it off and maybe stick the chain and cassette in a bucket - I don't think getting the bike wet again does it any favours.
Muc-Off can damage your paint if you dont get it off straight away.
A similar thing is called Fenwicks, which you can buy a sachet or bottle of and dilute it or the normal 'mucoff' style bottle. Much kinder on your seals and paint and cleans well too.
I tend to use that if i can be bothered to wash it, i usually just use hose pipe and a brush, wait till it dries and then use a rag and GT85 to polish it up, avoiding the rotors
A similar thing is called Fenwicks, which you can buy a sachet or bottle of and dilute it or the normal 'mucoff' style bottle. Much kinder on your seals and paint and cleans well too.
I tend to use that if i can be bothered to wash it, i usually just use hose pipe and a brush, wait till it dries and then use a rag and GT85 to polish it up, avoiding the rotors
I've heard 'horror stories' about Fenicks cleaner being left too long on paint too.
Either work well as a spray on, short soak and then rinse off cleaner.
I prefer Megs Car Shampoo though, warm water and a soft brush. Car shampoos are very very mild detergents so don't damage surfaces or wash out oils. I use finish line degreaser if I need to clean the oily bits. I have a seperate disc cleaner for the stoppy bits.
Either work well as a spray on, short soak and then rinse off cleaner.
I prefer Megs Car Shampoo though, warm water and a soft brush. Car shampoos are very very mild detergents so don't damage surfaces or wash out oils. I use finish line degreaser if I need to clean the oily bits. I have a seperate disc cleaner for the stoppy bits.
Low pressure hose down, leave to drip dry for about 15 mins, lightly apply WD 40 to all moving parts ( except brakes) and wipe over frame with a rag to remove any surplus oil. Then specialist lube detailed areas such as the chain with Wet Lube or similar.
This seems to work fine for me and the WD 40 is much cheaper than many of the more specialist products.
This seems to work fine for me and the WD 40 is much cheaper than many of the more specialist products.
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