My baby bike.
TomBombadil
Posts: 263
Hi all - Just thought I'd post one of my favourite tips 
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My partner accuses me of treating my bikes like babies - that's because I do. Many years ago I found that the best way to clean my bike was to use Johnsons Baby Wipes - They are absolutely fabulous. The clean and leave no lint etc - they carry an aloe Vera oil which acts as a light oil solvent for grease and dirt.
They are very good at cleaning chains just run the chain through the wipe - completely cleans the chain in just a couple of ticks.
I actually have found that the light oil residue it leaves acts like a good chain oil and my chains seem to last a very long time.
Don't rinse the bike as the light residue/oil left oils parts like brakes etc and protects the bike.
Finally when you finished just use a fresh wipe to clean your hands - it removes all the grease and gunk better than swafiga
Funnily I've tried other brands but the oil/cleaning mix isn't as good. They are really cheap and I can't recommend them more highly. Three or four wipes and I have completely cleaned my road bike and hands in a few minutes even after a real winter outing.
Try them if you haven't already you may be surprised!
Tom 8)
.My partner accuses me of treating my bikes like babies - that's because I do. Many years ago I found that the best way to clean my bike was to use Johnsons Baby Wipes - They are absolutely fabulous. The clean and leave no lint etc - they carry an aloe Vera oil which acts as a light oil solvent for grease and dirt.
They are very good at cleaning chains just run the chain through the wipe - completely cleans the chain in just a couple of ticks.
I actually have found that the light oil residue it leaves acts like a good chain oil and my chains seem to last a very long time.
Don't rinse the bike as the light residue/oil left oils parts like brakes etc and protects the bike.
Finally when you finished just use a fresh wipe to clean your hands - it removes all the grease and gunk better than swafiga
Funnily I've tried other brands but the oil/cleaning mix isn't as good. They are really cheap and I can't recommend them more highly. Three or four wipes and I have completely cleaned my road bike and hands in a few minutes even after a real winter outing.
Try them if you haven't already you may be surprised!
Tom 8)
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Comments
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Had a go cleaning my Alu road bike with baby wipes this weekend. Turns out the bike is a Saracen, there's even a website address on the downtube. :shock:
I found you could carry on cleaning even when the wipe is black with dirt.
Good tip.
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Hi Twostage,
You're right - when using the wipes you keep thinking 'maybe I should use another one?'..... But the one your using keeps soaking up the grime even though it looks dirty!
You'll find that after a major clean up - if you want to do a quick clean later it just take a few minutes. In fact I find that it's so effective I don't mind doing a quick clean more often than I otherwise would have.
I'm glad somebody gave it a go! I do a lot of cycling -over 7000 miles year and this really is my best tip - and it really does make the chain last if used to clean the chain. My chains are normally only changed because I break them (killing them when I try and rip away in the wrong gear...kerblam! and even then only when they've been on the bike along time) not because of stretch.
Tom0 -
Baby wipes have long been touted as an excellent cleaning aid on this forum!0
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Hey Nap,
I'm sure you're right but I've never seen a post, but I don't follow everything.
But I'm not surprised because they work so well but it's easy to miss a post and I just wanted to spread the word having found out by simple trial and testing.
Makes dirty winter cycling a pleasure.... but still cold.
Tom0 -
Heh heh, just did a search and over 150 posts just in the road section
But they are great, makes me wonder what the hell they do to kids' backsides though!!0 -
I've been using them since someone on here suggested it a couple of years back.
I particularly like the way that you can poke them through tiny gaps and use a back and forth motion to really work them into the tight spots. Try doing that with a sponge.
Another forum user pointed out the benefits of using a lump of snow to clean the frame. They're right, it's like mildly abrasive water.0 -
Hey Nap,
Your'e right again but out of how many total posts? You alone have done almost 10,000 posts and there's no way I'm reading them all just for interest! Unless you're looking for s specific tip, a lot of people, including me, would just miss it.... Sudocrem for the arse, baby oil for massages and vaseline for the chamois! All a lot cheaper than cycling dedicated stuff.... Having just used the cleaning wipes I thought I'd spread the word - like most things in life it was a bit random..
What's your best tip?
Tom 0 -
You miss the point, search reveals over 150 posts by different people extolling the use of baby wipes as bike cleaning
Anyway, you've nicked my best tip!
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Cool - Somehow I miss a lot of things in Life!!!!! - Tom :oops:0
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would you believe i just tried this tonight and then read this post a bit later, spooky. cant deny they're effective though.
keeping your bike in a second floor flat means you have to use your initiative when it comes to cleaning/maintenance.
if you start cleaning your bar tape with johnson & johnson no more tears shampoo then maybe start to worry about yourself.0
