no flames please just a newbie question
cleaning my bike should i wash it like a car (dishsoap and a hose) then dry off or is there some other method i should be using?
Thanks
I’m a newbie when it comes to bike maintenance, but I’ve read two different theories, but most of the info I’ve read, and what I did with my own bike is buy some citrus cleaner that you can spray on. I bought an aerosol can at my LBS. Spray it on the areas you want to clean and wipe off the grit as it dissolves. Then, relube.
Car wash soap is actually a good choice. I use Mother’s Gold. Use a sponge to clean off the dirt.
Be careful with the hose, especially around your bottom bracket. Don’t go full blast. I usually do a light spray to rinse off the soap. Emphasis on LIGHT. (Definitely NO pressure washers or anything like that.)
Afterwards, WD-40 is great for lightly lubing things. WD stands for “water displacement,” so it is good for getting water out of your derailleur and stuff. Also inside of your shifters, where water can get in.
A final light lube with a bit of Teflon lube can make everything extra nice.
Most modern bikes have very little to no steel parts (except for those of you who ride a steel frame), so you don’t have to worry to much about things rusting. But I usually like to overdo the WD-40 and then towel everything off and leave it in the sun to dry.
Chain can be cleaned with a special chain cleaning tool like Park Cyclone and a heavier duty degreaser.
Clean it like you would clean a show car…
I may be the most obsessed bike cleaner on this forum, so feel free to ask me any questions…
thanks for the advice i will give it a go tomorrow night.
Pedro’s & Park both make cleaning “starter kits” that include brushes/cleaners/sponges, and both come in a nice container that doubles as a bucket. Might be a good place to start, as the brushes can be nice for cleaning between cogs, etc.
http://pedros.com/frames/bikecare.html
http://parktool.com/tool_indexes/catindex_clean.shtml
The Pedro’s kit is more of a “kit” – both the super pit kit and mini pit kit are quite complete. But again, an old towel, old toothbrush, and old sponge works pretty darn well… Just wanted to throw those out there if you’re a “gear head.”
Link to an article at the parktool website: http://parktool.com/repair_help/BCB4.shtml
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Good points above. I’ll add that a bike stand is a very worthwhile purchase even if you only use it when cleaning your bike. It makes it a lot easier to clean the bike and lube it up after your done.
Another thing I do is gently hose it off quickly with water after every hot longish (2+ hours) ride. Then just dry it off. You do not have to thoroughly clean it as often. I ride 200+ miles/week and sweat profusely, and this has really saved my frame and components.
I would use a bike lube and not WD40.
Also, try not to blast water into your cable housing or you will wash out the grease the mechanic used when installing the cable.
I personally don’t think a hose is needed. All you need is a bucket of water, cleaning agent and a cloth. Also, WD-40 is not the appropriate lubricant, I think it’s considered too heavy. Go to the LBS and see what they have instock. I use k-9 on the derails, brakes, inside the cable housing… I even give a little sqirt in some of the bolts areas in my profile carbon-x to force some of the water out of the pooling areas.
I’ve used Pledge with decent results on the frame. I take the rear wheel off and use a toothbrush and dishsoap carefully on the cog set. I used a Park chain cleaning tool that works pretty well.
It stuns me that folks would use a garden hose, bucket and sponge to clean a bike. But…pretty much the best way to go if you’re in a hurry.
I take off both wheels, remove the cassette, remove the chain…and then clean everything by hand with citris and/or my cleaning well. Perhaps a bit more intensive than most, but it’s more relaxing than a chore…
The Pedro’s kit mentioned above is a very nice investment, especially if you can find the old one in the “real” bucket than can be used as a seat!
WD-40 is not, technically, a lubricant. It is a metal protector. It is MUCH thinner/lighter than any teflon based lube (like is used on bikes), which is why it is not preferred as a lube. WD-40 is good for getting water out of the way. And a heavier Teflon lube will displace it. I use both.
The best bike cleaning tool I have is a brush and scraper combo for getting ice and snow off your car. The brush has long thick bristles that are surprisingly soft…I give my casette a good spray with degreaser, stick that brush in there and give the pedals a spin and hey presto its sparking in no time.
Ditto on the Park Cyclone, that will save you on hours of chain cleaning drudgery.
That’s a good trick. The park brush for cleaning cassettes is too small and the bristles are too stiff. I use the “floss with a towel” technique, as demonstrated on the park tools site. But I know the kind of snow brush you are talking about.
I was at first very scared due to the mention of the word “scraper” in your post…
“I may be the most obsessed bike cleaner on this forum, so feel free to ask me any questions…”
A challenge huh? Well, we’ll discuss that later. But now I wish to take you task for recommending WD-40 to anyone as a substance to be used even within sight of a fine bicycle. WD-40 is a distillate carrier with such wonderful things as lanolin in it. Know what lanolin is? SHEEP GREASE! It’s the nasty substance that builds up and turns that rancid yellow color on things that have been “lubricated” with WD-40.
If you want to gum things up over a period of time then WD-40 is your weapon of choice. I can’t believe you would consider using WD-40 on anything with the name Campagnolo or Shimano on it. You must be a closet Sun Tour man….
I usually DEGREASE everything too, though. No build-up on my bike. It remains that WD is a good way to displace water. That’s what I use it for. Teflon (Zep 45) is my lubrication of choice for final touches.
I wipe down after WD’ing, always. I also degrease when cleaning to remove any build-up, of which I’ve never had ANY from using WD. My bike is clean, happy, and bright. To each his own…
I’m not saying go nuts with the stuff… What product(s) do you choose?
Dan was using a lot of WD40 at fixapalooza. I saw him mostly using it on brakes. I missed out on whatever else he uses it on.
C’mon Slowman, when to use or not use.
I find it particularly funny that LBS and lube makers have made WD 40 out to be such an evil thing. Funny, but they use it to remove grease on Formula 1 engine parts when needed. Now I do not care what you think your bike may be worth… it ain’t close to the $575,000 those engines cost. It is a degreaser and that is all. But at 10 bucks a gallon, it sure beats 7.95 for 16 oz of Pedros Oranj Peelz Degreaser.
I used it regularly on a Panoz LMP-1, McLaren F-1 GTR Longtail, and other race cars worth as much as a nice house. I like the stuff. That’s why I use it on my bike…
It is not technically a “degreaser.” It was designed for the military as a water-displacer, hence WD. It does cut grime, hence using it as a “degreaser.” And it definitely keeps water out.