Thanks In Advance! My bike needs a bath! What are the proper steps in washing a bike? What are the best products from a quality/cost standpoint? Thanks!
Personally, dish soap and simple green. I use Squirt wax lube on the chain, so heavy cleaning isn’t needed.
Bike lust
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I’d make a reference to Google.com’s “How to clean a bike”, but I did the work for you.
Products: Muc-Off, Morgan Blue, Finish Line, etc.
Bike Cleaning Products - Buyer’s Guide
Park-Tool’s Bike cleaning guide
Posted by Titanflexr above, the youtube videos are now simplified with titles:
GCN - 5 minute wash
GCN - 30 minute wash
What are the proper steps in washing a bike? There are many many articles and videos about this online.
Be careful using a hose - don’t spray your bike with one. Over time, I’ve finally figured out why I was going through bottom bracket bearings like candy - I was washing my bike like the pros, and spraying it with a hose. Even though I was trying to avoid spraying the bb bearings, they were still getting wet. From now on, I’m just going to wipe it down with a wet rag or sponge, or use a bike wash that you spray on from a bottle. I’ll still use degreaser on the chain & rear pulleys, but I’ll avoid getting it near the bb.
Be careful using a hose - don’t spray your bike with one. Over time, I’ve finally figured out why I was going through bottom bracket bearings like candy - I was washing my bike like the pros, and spraying it with a hose. Even though I was trying to avoid spraying the bb bearings, they were still getting wet. From now on, I’m just going to wipe it down with a wet rag or sponge, or use a bike wash that you spray on from a bottle. I’ll still use degreaser on the chain & rear pulleys, but I’ll avoid getting it near the bb.
The pros blast away with pressure washers, but they have nine bikes to wash every night and plan on replacing the bearings at the end of each tour (if not also during one of the rest days). Definitely not a model most people will want to emulate.
My personal favorites to Clean-Lube-Protect. WD40 Bike…
and you can use it without the hose!
Jake
I drop the rear wheel and clean the cassette with a tooth brush and simple green. Clean the rear wheel area with hot soapy water and a sponge while the wheel is out. Put the wheel back in and use a chain cleaning tool filled with simple green. Hit the chain rings and pulleys with simple green and a tooth brush. Once clean, fill the chain cleaning tool with hot soapy water and run chain through again. Then just wash the whole bike with hot soapy water and a sponge making sure to get any degreaser rinsed out. Never spray the bike, just run water over it (if that makes sense) to rinse. Let dry and lube. Doesn’t take long and everything stays spotless if I do it once a week or so.
I’ve bought spike specific cleaner, but quit when I realized it wasn’t any “better”. Keeping it clean makes each clean really easy. Outside of letting it dry and getting my work stand and stuff out, it takes like 15 minutes.
A soft rag and WD-40 if all is required is a wipe down. Soapy water (dish soap) and a sponge if it’s really dirty after a wet ride, then the soft rag and WD-40 afterwards. Rock and Roll gold on my chain.
I love Veloshine bike cloths. One cloth can do a whole bike, and they work great. I’ve used them for years. http://www.veloshine.com
Bike Lust is also terrific.
303 aerospace is hands down the best stuff to clean carbon
your drivetrain is your own business, I’m not telling you what I do with mine
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I bought a Park Tool chain cleaning machine thing a few weeks ago and it’s great. Highly recommend getting one.
It’s amazing how dirty chains get. I clean mine every 4 or 5 rides.
I also picked up a work stand for good money and use Muc-Off a sponge, water from a hose and Rock N Roll lube. Takes 15-30 minutes depending on how dirty.
Same process for my R3, Camber and Time Warp.
303 aerospace is hands down the best stuff to clean carbon
I use that stuff on about everything I have. Cars, outdoor gear, etc it works great
Personally, dish soap and simple green. I use Squirt wax lube on the chain, so heavy cleaning isn’t needed.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5ak4AzlUz5Q
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QvzVRxlIUL0
+1 for simple green. It’s a cleaner for everything. You can get a gallon of the stuff for like $3, and it also is a concentrated solution. So you can dilute it up to like a 1:10 ratio and its still effective
Clorox wipes are incredibly easy for the frame.
I then use a Park Tools chain cleaner thing and lube the chain after.
Just wanted to add a quick note/caution on Simple Green. If a chain is left to soak in it for a long time (days/weeks) it can embrittle the chain links and lead to the chain snapping.
SG is fine to use in chain cleaners and “shake bottles”, just don’t leave the chain immersed in SG for an unreasonably long time.
Personally, dish soap and simple green. I use Squirt wax lube on the chain, so heavy cleaning isn’t needed.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5ak4AzlUz5Q
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QvzVRxlIUL0
+1 for simple green. It’s a cleaner for everything. You can get a gallon of the stuff for like $3, and it also is a concentrated solution. So you can dilute it up to like a 1:10 ratio and its still effective
I spend less than $20 on cleaning products a year. I use Finish Line Super Bike Cleaner spray for regular cleaning. Spray on, wipe off. You can use it inside if you put something on the floor. A $10 bottle of Finish Line lasts around a year. A spay cleaner is great since with one, there is no excuse not to do a touch up clean a couple times a week.
About once every 6-8 weeks or so I do a full on hose cleaning and for that I use the same car wash I use on my car which I would have anyway but it only costs about $8. (You can spray a bike with a hose but use a gentle stream and don’t blast the bearing areas).
For my chain, I use a quick link and take it off to clean it about once very 2-3 weeks (I lube it once a week which also doubles as a light cleaning). I use Simple Green concentrate cut to a very imprecise ratio of about 10:1. (i.e., I pour some Simple Green in a disposable aluminum pan that for this purpose is reusable, and then put in some water, no measuring). I soak it while I wipe down the frame so 5-10 minutes tops. A gallon of Simple Green concentrate is about $8.50 and lasts for a couple years even when used for other cleaning around the house.
As mentioned, wipes are great to have around too but I find baby wipes more versatile. They are great for quick bike touch ups and I find they do a decent job getting grease off my fingers (and tools). They also come in handy for personal use when you aren’t going to get to the shower immediately after a ride.
A cheap box of latex gloves are a key cleaning tool too.
One of the biggest changes I made was to use candle wax as a chain lubricant. When I clean a bike the chain comes off, and, depending on the time available, both front chain rings. Every third or fourth time I will dismantle the rear cluster and re-wax the chain.
I put the wax in a plastic take away container and place in a pan of hot water, although I’m on the lookout for an old crock pot.
coxy