Pressure washer on my bike?

Muztard
Muztard Posts: 160
edited September 2010 in Road buying advice
In recent weeks I've ended up cleaning my bike after almost every ride and I suspect it will only get worse as I cycle through the Autumn and winter.

To date I've been using water and baby wipes but I'm thinking of getting a pressure washer. Is it safe to use on my aluminium bike?

Comments

  • ride_whenever
    ride_whenever Posts: 13,279
    not really, you can use it but it'll blast your bearings clean of grease and push any muck in. If you're careful then you can as long as you spray parallel to the bearing faces.

    A better solution is one of those pump up garden sprayers. Plenty of water and you can pop bike cleaner in.
    Neeermad
    Carbon 456
    456 lefty
    Pompino
    White Inbred
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    Normal hose pipe for me...
  • cougie
    cougie Posts: 22,512
    The pro teams use them to clean their bikes - but as RW says - they spray parallel - so no full on forces onto the hubs or BB's whatever. And they do have pretty high budgets !

    You still cant beat a decent hand wash though I reckon.
  • lotuseater
    lotuseater Posts: 58
    Hose pipe. low pressure, but good flow with soft bike brushes.
    Orange Crush AM 15
    Airnimal Chameleon Ultra
    Planet X Team Alu
  • ilm_zero7
    ilm_zero7 Posts: 2,213
    dont do it ! you risk disaster - lots of degreaser and a watering can - spray safe !!!
    http://veloviewer.com/SigImage.php?a=3370a&r=3&c=5&u=M&g=p&f=abcdefghij&z=a.png
    Wiliers: Cento Uno/Superleggera R and Zero 7. Bianchi Infinito CV and Oltre XR2
  • Lillywhite
    Lillywhite Posts: 742
    You should never use a power jet on a bike. Besides the damage it could do to the bearings it could also affect the paintwork on the frame. I've witnessed the damage done to industrial plastic-faced wall cladding where regular power jetting has removed the protective coating.

    To clean a road bike all that is needed is a bit of washing up liquid in a bucket of warm water applied with a sponge and rinsed off with a very small amount of cold water. Once dry the frame can be polished with some furniture polish.
  • father_jack
    father_jack Posts: 3,509
    rinsed off with a very small amount of cold water

    Lol pouring a bucket of water over a bike isn't going to do any harm...unless you never ride in the UK weather?
    Say... That's a nice bike..
    Trax T700 with Lew Racing Pro VT-1 ;-)
  • Lillywhite
    Lillywhite Posts: 742
    Father Jack wrote:
    rinsed off with a very small amount of cold water

    Lol pouring a bucket of water over a bike isn't going to do any harm...unless you never ride in the UK weather?

    I'm on a water meter. :wink:
  • UPGRAYEDD
    UPGRAYEDD Posts: 117
    I wouldn't.

    Washing it with a bowl of hot water and sponge etc will hardly take a long time.
    "A gentleman who goes by the name Upgrayedd. Which he spells thusly, with two D's, as he says, "for a double dose of this pimping."
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,111
    I can only assume all you naysayers don't race cyclocross all winter? :wink:
  • anto164
    anto164 Posts: 3,500
    my full suspension mountain bike has seen the pressure washer many a time, and the bearings are still running smooth with no play.

    As long as the pressure washer head isn't something stupid like 1" away from the frame, but a sensible distance, then i don't see a problem at all with you using one.
  • UPGRAYEDD
    UPGRAYEDD Posts: 117
    andyp wrote:
    I can only assume all you naysayers don't race cyclocross all winter? :wink:

    You assume correct, chap!

    I assume you're not talking about using the type of pressure washer strength you'd use to remove paint from exterior walls? It would be one thing spraying your bike from a sensible distance with something you could buy in Halfords, and quite another thing to use a commercial/industrial model.
    "A gentleman who goes by the name Upgrayedd. Which he spells thusly, with two D's, as he says, "for a double dose of this pimping."
  • synchronicity
    synchronicity Posts: 1,415
    I just bought a Karcher. :)

    Before that I was hand washing up to 20 bikes a week... this season I just won't have the time.

    Not too fun cleaning other people's sweat I can tell you. :(
    I wonder how I ever did it before... :wink:
    vertebr.ae | precision braking & shifting
  • italiafirenze
    italiafirenze Posts: 132
    Lillywhite wrote:
    To clean a road bike all that is needed is a bit of washing up liquid in a bucket of warm water applied with a sponge and rinsed off with a very small amount of cold water. Once dry the frame can be polished with some furniture polish.

    I wouldn't use washing up liquid though, many have salt in them. Not good for bikes.

    But to add, I would use a home pressure washer if I had one, they're not ridiculously high pressures and always away from bearings.

    Now, a steam cleaner I would avoid...
  • father_jack
    father_jack Posts: 3,509
    many have salt in them

    I ride during winter, so salt is put down by the gritters, and that is flung up by the tyres, and then splashed on the bike by road spray. So really not a big deal. You're not soaking the bike in the sea for 6 months. And I only use a bit of washing up liquid and apply with a wringed out cloth not splash it everywhere, and I rinse with water.

    At the end of the day a bike is a vehicle, not a showroom masterpiece
    Say... That's a nice bike..
    Trax T700 with Lew Racing Pro VT-1 ;-)
  • secretsqizz
    secretsqizz Posts: 424
    synchronicity wrote:
    I just bought a Karcher. :)

    Before that I was hand washing up to 20 bikes a week... this season I just won't have the time.

    Not too fun cleaning other people's sweat I can tell you. :(
    I wonder how I ever did it before... :wink:

    bet you do it round the back to get away from the tut tut sounds of onlookers
    :wink:

    such a lot of tosh is written and said about bikes
    My pen won't write on the screen

Categories