Giving my bike a proper clean,,. what do i need?

hatbeard

Winters not being very kind to my bike but as of yet I don't have any bits to clean it properly and the one time I attacked it with a sponge I just succeeded in spreading grease over most of the frame.

Assuming all I have in my possession what cleaners, tools, gadgets & gizmos do I need to get my bike back to looking it's best (we're talking full on top to bottom clean not just wiping the mud off)

also which bits should I be cleaning more regularly (and how regularly).

I'm probably off to the LBS tomorrow to stock up on bits so a nice shopping list would be handy

Cheers

nicklouse

http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/article/w ... bike-18259
at the bottom of the page

Nifer

I use Muck Off bike cleaner, degreaser on drivetrain and those fancy Park chain cleaners are pretty handy. Oh, and a toothbrush.

iPete

I used a tesco jet wash for the annual clean today, then used a chain cleaner when I got home and gave it a re-lube. Done.

deptfordmarmoset

nicklouse wrote:

http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/article/workshop-how-to-clean-and-lube-your-bike-18259
at the bottom of the page

One thing that I don't understand about those instructions is that it says to start off with hot water. I always start off with degreaser on the chain, cassette, crank and chainstay and then use soapy hot water with nail and old toothbrushes before rinsing off with hot water. Using hot water first simply seems to smear grease all over rather than remove it.

rolf_f

iPete wrote:

I used a tesco jet wash for the annual clean today, then used a chain cleaner when I got home and gave it a re-lube. Done.

I'd be stripping it down to the bearings now to replace all that grease you washed out

Nothing more than a garden hosepipe for me - even road spray is enough to wash the grease from rear bearings so heaven knows what a jet wash is doing......

iPete

Rolf F wrote:

iPete wrote:

I used a tesco jet wash for the annual clean today, then used a chain cleaner when I got home and gave it a re-lube. Done.

I'd be stripping it down to the bearings now to replace all that grease you washed out

Nothing more than a garden hosepipe for me - even road spray is enough to wash the grease from rear bearings so heaven knows what a jet wash is doing......

Well, on a plus side you can get to the bearings now without needing to dig through layers of mud and grit..

Might take the chain & casette off next week for a proper clean and do the jockey wheels whilst I'm at it, not sure what else needs doing at the rear, deralieur? Pretty sure my wheels and BB are sealed.

fossyant

iPete wrote:

Rolf F wrote:

iPete wrote:

I used a tesco jet wash for the annual clean today, then used a chain cleaner when I got home and gave it a re-lube. Done.

I'd be stripping it down to the bearings now to replace all that grease you washed out

Nothing more than a garden hosepipe for me - even road spray is enough to wash the grease from rear bearings so heaven knows what a jet wash is doing......

Well, on a plus side you can get to the bearings now without needing to dig through layers of mud and grit..

Might take the chain & casette off next week for a proper clean and do the jockey wheels whilst I'm at it, not sure what else needs doing at the rear, deralieur? Pretty sure my wheels and BB are sealed.

Uh oh - 100 plus PSI from a jet wash - sure as hell will penatrate the seals.....

Even my home jetwash will remove hardened blobs of paint off a driveway, never mind getting through dust seals........

Never jet wash your bike.

A

nich

The stuff I pay most attention to is the brakes 'n drive-train.

With rim brakes this means cleaning the gunk of the rim. Usually just use a bit of warm water n some kitchen towel / cloth until the gunk is removed. The pads themselves can be cleaned too, and sometimes I use sandpaper to get the black gunk off completely

Maybe once or twice a year I'll take of the chain and give it a mega clean in white spirit :twisted: , but once a month I'll probably give it a wipe down with some de-greaser 'n re-lube it. I use de-greaser 'n some cloth on the front/rear cogs to get them shiny again.

Adjustiting the gears is usually a done once every 2 months for me, but no real cleaning required here.

My SS is much friendly to clean. It's very quick to strip it down, so maybe once every 3 months I take the crank/bb apart and clean that. The disc brakes on this beast also need adjusting monthly, usually just to take into account pad wear, but also to clean them a little.

johnny2legs

+1 for the toothbrush on the chain method. I use white spirit to clean mine with. Also if you have a crank tool then I'd recommend taking the whole crankset off to give that a clean. It will also make it easier to clean the frame behind it.

PBo

fossyant wrote:

iPete wrote:

Rolf F wrote:

iPete wrote:

I used a tesco jet wash for the annual clean today, then used a chain cleaner when I got home and gave it a re-lube. Done.

I'd be stripping it down to the bearings now to replace all that grease you washed out

Nothing more than a garden hosepipe for me - even road spray is enough to wash the grease from rear bearings so heaven knows what a jet wash is doing......

Well, on a plus side you can get to the bearings now without needing to dig through layers of mud and grit..

Might take the chain & casette off next week for a proper clean and do the jockey wheels whilst I'm at it, not sure what else needs doing at the rear, deralieur? Pretty sure my wheels and BB are sealed.

Uh oh - 100 plus PSI from a jet wash - sure as hell will penatrate the seals.....

Even my home jetwash will remove hardened blobs of paint off a driveway, never mind getting through dust seals........

Never jet wash your bike.

A

pretty sure i read an article about pro mechanics cleaning bikes - they used a hose, but maybe not high pressure - but the key is to not squirt directly at bearing seals, but to squirt down from above...

rolf_f

PBo wrote:

pretty sure i read an article about pro mechanics cleaning bikes - they used a hose, but maybe not high pressure - but the key is to not squirt directly at bearing seals, but to squirt down from above...

And they'll no doubt give the bike a complete strip and rebuild after each event......

vorsprung

It depends how far you want to go really

On most bikes there is a relatively inaccessible area between the chainrings and the frame. To really clean that, remove the chain rings. To get the cassette back to new condition it is usually a good idea to remove the back wheel.

To clean the inside of the forks all the way round, remove the front wheel

As far as products go, I use pedros degreaser on the chain and drive train, then use a hosepipe on it, then wd40, then a hosepipe again. The remainder of the frame just gets car wash + hot water.

Tiitanium frames respond well to a polish with wd40
Shiney carbon bits can shine more with a multi surface cleaner like Mr Sheen

SimonAH

Oh dear, my belt-driven fixie smugness levels are in danger of hitting overload.

Bowl,

Cloth,

Warm lightly soapy water,

Approx five minutes,

Smug, smug, smuggedy smug-smug.

Monkeypump

A butler.

Failing that, lots of time, an OCD-level of attention to detail, a decent selection of brushes, cloths, sponges and wipes, plus all the cleaning potions mentioned above.

Nobody has mentioned baby wipes yet, but plenty on here seem to rate them.

And it's often easier to strip down (the bike) than work around inaccessable nooks and crannies.

I wish I had a butler.

Kieran_Burns

I use a bike stand (maintenance one), remove the wheels and clean that way. You can spray bike lube freely afterwards without worrying about the wheel rims as well.

Getting to the undersides is a matter of rotatnig the frame in the clamp. Spray bike cleaner to loosen all the crap, then hot (HOT) soapy water again.

I use a chain cleaning tool once a week and relube afterwards (in the Winter)

Zephr

you all seem to be missing the key ingredient for any washing of any mechanical thing.

Babes in Bikinis.

UpTheWall

I use a bucket of hot soapy water to sponge down... oooo

Hang on, oh bike cleaning. Yeah, for that too.

Then a narrow bike brush with much off for chain and cogs / cassette.

Then a rinse, and a lube. Are we still on bikes?

Hey presto I always have just-out-of-the-shop new looking bikes, and they stay in working condition so much longer since I switched to doing this when they get dirty.

And yes I just started using the baby wipes for quick cleans - frickin miracle they are. Shift everything and keep your frame soft and young looking. Oh, hang on...

jeepie1999

For me the Park chain cleaner is a "must have" - after that its a garden hose, some lube, dry and a squirt with the Muc Off branded "Bike Spray" to make it shine.

Did mine yesterday and today was like riding a well oiled machine - zooom (well, would be except its 30 yrs old, made of steel and the panniers are full of heavy stuff)

lemoncurd

A carefully aimed jet wash, old rags, GT85 and my wife's toothbrush.

UpTheWall

Interesing. Mr Lemoncurd.

i've been using GT85 in the bits that might rust like steel screws before lubing, but now I just make sure I dry it with a rag.

I've seen a few pros say that using that kind of thing is a real bad idea in tech vids, but yet to see them jsutify that... what do you chaps reckon?