Bike Cleaning

[kopite]

Hey everyone!

Well I've had my bike for a few months now and other than a mishap where the rear dérailleur snapped off all has been good.

I havent however given the bike a good clean yet past a hose down after a long ride.

With the weather getting bad now I reckon its probably a good idea to start cleaning it.

So what do you guys use? How do you clean your bikes? Do you have a set routine?

Cheers

[Dooms]

I do 21 miles a day on my Cube for commuting... 10 of those are through forest and mud. I try and clean my bike every weekend but sometimes it just doesn't happen but at the minimal I'll wait till the mud is dry give it a good brush off and run the chain through a chain cleaner & re-oil.

I use http://www.wiggle.co.uk/morgan-blue-...t-with-bucket/ & http://www.wiggle.co.uk/park-tools-c...chain-cleaner/ for all of my needs.

[scaryjim]

Is it insured? If so you can lock it in our shed, and within a week it will have mysteriously disappeared and you can buy a shiny clean bike with the insurance money*

Personally I clean bikes about once every couple of years, and go at it the same way I'd do a car - buckets of warm soapy water and a big-ass sponge (maybe with a small scrubby one in case there's anything particularly tough). tbh that's not enough for Manchester, where the roads are apparently paved with some kind of foul black goo that's strangely attracted to bikes, but when I lived out in the sticks it was more than enough. WD40 the chain excessively immediately after washing to force any water out of the chain links, let it dry naturally, then lubricate as required.


*in case it's not obvious, mine wasn't insured. I'm an idiot.

[DDY]

Since I've moved back to my parents house I've used my dad's jet wash on everything, my car, motorcycle, pushbike, plus 101 other household items. My pushbike is washed every time it gets really muddy or before I do any significant amount of work on it.

My routine is usually;

1 - Jet off the bigger and more conspicuous bits of dirt
2 - Party with the foam lance
3 - Jet rinse
4 - Dry with towel
5 - Lube the drive
5a - If the drive is really dirty I'd take the chain off and give it a good shake inside a bottle partially filled with white spirit, while the chain dries I clean the sprockets and derailleurs with an old greasy flannel

I know there are some people who feel really strongly about using a jet wash on a bike, I'd say with a bit of care and attention it's a great way to wash a bike, not least because it's good fun.

[Skinleech]

It's worth investing in some Muc Off, it's a really good cleander for getting rid of most of the junk that builds up on your bike frame & components plus is fully biodegradable & alkaline based. They do a rnage of brushes too which are useful but I found mine got oily & greasy really quickly so aren't so useful any more as I now need to clean them too...

I also agree that a chain cleaner is a good plan plus regular re-oiling of any moving parts avoiding your disk brake pads (if you have disk brakes).

[merdat]

I usually use car wash solution on the frame and then a degreaser on the chain and sprocket gear which is then washed of with a power washer making sure to avoid the paintwork.

[Dooms]

My main issue is I don't have a hose I can use so it has to be by the bucket... makes cleaning that much more of a pain

[DDY]

My main issue is I don't have a hose I can use so it has to be by the bucket... makes cleaning that much more of a pain

You can run a jet wash from a bucket.

[Tumble]

I just use a wheel brush and a bucket of soapy water for the MTB. The road bike just needs a wipe down with a damp rag. No need for jetwashing - I enjoy having grease in my bearings

[Brian224]

The trouble with cleaning a bike is that anything other than water removes oil and grease. Personally I would recommend a bucket of warm water and a stiff brush to get the mud off, and leave any other cleaning until you will maintain the bike.

When I cycle commuted I did a big clean about now and another one at the end of March. Wash the bike with a stiff brush, detergent and a bucket of water, rinse, dry, wash with paraffin, dry, grease and re-assemble. It takes the best part of a day each time, but done well almost completely avoids the need for any other maintenance other than lubing the chain and checking the brake blocks and wheel rims (they really wear in winter).

That way you start the winter with freshly greased bearings, and you clean off all of the winter's muck in spring before it has the chance to penetrate. It also gives you the chance to really examine everything and replace as necessary, and it is so much nicer truing your wheels when they are squeaky clean.

I wish I maintained my wheelchair the same way, but cannot bring myself to love it

[james.daly91]

When I wash my bike I tend to use cleaning wipes like Big Wipes rather than water - work just as well and you don't have to worry about the water rusting the various parts of the bike