I’ve always just kind of tried to get it done with water. But I have a lot of neglected grease and road scum to wash off. Does anyone have any products that they use to wash their bike? Is normal car wash ok? Any home brew concoctions?
a squirt of dish soap in a bucket is just fine.
Windex works wonders. Spray it on a rag and wipe so it doesn’t get anywhere you’d rather it didn’t.
…I have a lot of neglected grease and road scum to wash off…
If you have heavy crud, Simple Green works pretty well. I like regular dish soap on a rag for routine cleaning.
If you have bad grease-based crud in the drivetrain, it might be worth removing the chain so you can do a good job on the chainrings and RD pulleys.
Car wash soap works great. That is what I use. Dish soap works great too, its just that for me the dish soap is inside under the sink while the car wash soap is in the garage with my bucket and more handy . . .
I use Finish Line bike specific spray cleaner and a microfiber rag for quick cleanups indoors. https://www.amazon.com/Finish-Line-Concentrate-Bicycle-33-8-Ounce/dp/B001GCER7S?ref=ast_p_ep
I use that because they had it at my LBS but my guess is any general purpose cleaning spray would work. For super quick spot touch ups, baby wipes work great. They do a decent job of getting light grease off your hands too.
The chain gets degreased with Simple Green.
Simple Green on greasy components, pretty much Dawn (cuts grease too) on the bike. I also always use a top quality car wax on the bike so stuff doesn’t stick and it looks nice. Much easier to keep clean that way. After trainer rides, I spray McGuire’s detail wax and wipe and it keeps it looking great.
Dish soap for the frame/wheels/bars etc, citrus degreaser/cleaner on the drivetrain. Followed up with frame polish, chain lube, and some WD-40 squirted into derailleurs and brake cable points.
Car wash soap works great. That is what I use. Dish soap works great too, its just that for me the dish soap is inside under the sink while the car wash soap is in the garage with my bucket and more handy . . .
I use Finish Line bike specific spray cleaner and a microfiber rag for quick cleanups indoors. https://www.amazon.com/Finish-Line-Concentrate-Bicycle-33-8-Ounce/dp/B001GCER7S?ref=ast_p_ep
I use that because they had it at my LBS but my guess is any general purpose cleaning spray would work. For super quick spot touch ups, baby wipes work great. They do a decent job of getting light grease off your hands too.
The chain gets degreased with Simple Green.
I’ve done baby wipes it does do ok. Car wash and dish soap sound good though.
Disclaimer: I’m sponsored by MucOff
When it comes to cleaning bikes, MucOff products have treated me very well. The drivetrain degreaser they offer is magical. It works wonders on greasy chains, chainrings, and cassettes. Before switching to mucoff products, I used car wash soap. For your frame, that’s fine. It won’t really help degrease your drivetrain. I’ve also used Pledge and Windex. Again, they work fine for light-duty jobs, but won’t really cut the grease. Simple Green as a degreaser is ok, but nowhere near as potent as the mufoff degreaser.
Another nice thing about MucOff is that their products all smell nice (similar to how all Meguire’s car wash products smell nice. It doesn’t make your bike smell like an industrial cleaner.
I’ve always just kind of tried to get it done with water. But I have a lot of neglected grease and road scum to wash off. Does anyone have any products that they use to wash their bike? Is normal car wash ok? Any home brew concoctions?
Dish soap, brush, and a pressure washer (don’t blast your power meter). For a deep clean on your cassette and chain use mineral spirits. Simple green is a great option for a quick wipe down.
I use simple green and a brush if the chain lube/grease grime is bad.
Otherwise it is a cuss and swear fest as you smear it everywhere with windex or dish soap.
Also, work to clean the bike in order:
-clean drivetrain first
-then clean the frame/wheels
I used to try all at once and get mad that cleaning the drivetrain just spread grease to the frame. You can also pre-rinse the frame and spray a mist of simple green on it so that any grease/lube you get on it while cleaning the drivetrain rinses right off.
Also…swapping to dry lube for all riding except using wet lube for rainy rides only changed my life.
The park tool chain clean tool also changed my life. Simple green in that bad boy and using dry lube…wow clean drivetrain.
When it comes to cleaning bikes, MucOff products have treated me very well. The drivetrain degreaser they offer is magical. It works wonders on greasy chains, chainrings, and cassettes…
+1
won a flite of this stuff last year and it’s damn nice. Only thing I haven’t used is the aerosol spray to allegedly keep the bike clean. A bit cheaper and easier to get - I still keep a spray bottle with 2parts water & one part simple green in the van for when water is scarce (say Moab for example).
for a simple quick cleaning I just rinse off the bike and clean the chain with a park tools chain cleaner with warm water and dawn
for a medium cleaning, rinse, spray on some simple green, rub in it. clean chain with chain cleaner, and rinse off.
more thorough cleaning, rinse, bucket with warm water and dawn, clean chain. (and throw cassette in mineral spirits once in a great while)
If you want to do it properly these guys are the go to when it comes to doing cars, and I’ve followed their techniques on bikes for the last 10 years with success. http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/safe-washing-and-drying.html
Doing it property will keep things nice and shiny and as scratch free as possible.
I have always used Finish Line Super Bike Wash
.
Finish line bike wash here also.
For the cassette. https://www.amazon.com/Finish-Line-Gear-Floss/dp/B07BFJ3C6B
I use the Park tool solution and tool for cleaning the chain. NFS for chain lube after.
Disclaimer: I’m sponsored by MucOff
When it comes to cleaning bikes, MucOff products have treated me very well. The drivetrain degreaser they offer is magical. It works wonders on greasy chains, chainrings, and cassettes. Before switching to mucoff products, I used car wash soap. For your frame, that’s fine. It won’t really help degrease your drivetrain. I’ve also used Pledge and Windex. Again, they work fine for light-duty jobs, but won’t really cut the grease. Simple Green as a degreaser is ok, but nowhere near as potent as the mufoff degreaser.
Another nice thing about MucOff is that their products all smell nice (similar to how all Meguire’s car wash products smell nice. It doesn’t make your bike smell like an industrial cleaner.
I’m not sponsored by MucOff and its a +1 from me bloody great stuff