Am I slightly insane or am I simply protecting my investment

T-Rekster

As the title says am I a insane, show signs of Compulsive Obsessive Disorder or is this a good idea?

Just spent a little under an hour (@ 7:00am on a Saturday morning I might add)on my brand new already spotless cycle, cleaning, polishing and finally using Supaguard Paint sealer on the frame work, now has an almost mirror finish and is silky smooth to the touch.

The paint sealer is the same stuff car dealers sell that protects the paintwork for up to 3 years, should stop dirt from sticking as much and help prevent road contaminants from starting any corrosion process as well as seal the decals from moisture.

Good idea or am I being a little obsessive :?:

T-Rekster

springtide9

I finally cracked last weekend and washed my PX Carbon as it was starting to look a little dirty. I got it in November. Compared to my MTB, it always looks clean!

ShutUpLegs

Thats an hour lost riding 8)

markos1963

Just think of all that extra weight in polish you're carrying around!!

T-Rekster

Ah now I've thought of the weight issue, which brings about another question considering I carry two 800ml water bottles and 1.6 litres of water at 12 degrees centigrade weighs approximately 3.527 pounds, does a few micro ounces of polish or indeed a few grams of lower weight expensive components really make a difference?

there go figure that one out eh? (is expecting a sudden rise in the number of people hitting the crazy button)

T-Rekster

sungod

surely it saves weight as the polish prevents all that heavy dirt sticking to the bike

i didn't respond to the poll as i couldn't find the button for "pefrectly rational, but i hope you cleaned the tyres as well"

mattshrops

whats the sealer called and where did you get it?
please bump this over the next couple of weeks to let us know if it makes any difference 8)

T-Rekster

The Paint sealer I used is from Scotts, widely used in the automotive sector, not readily available off the shelf, would also recommend some of the paint sealer products from Autoglym range which is readily available.

I will update with how long the bike stays clean and importantly if it makes it easier to clean once it's dirty.

PS

yes I did clean the tyres but didn't think paint sealant would help the grip at all

Ands

markos1963 wrote:

Just think of all that extra weight in polish you're carrying around!!

Surely glossy finish = more aerodynamic?

sungod

T-Rekster wrote:

The Paint sealer I used is from Scotts, widely used in the automotive sector, not readily available off the shelf, would also recommend some of the paint sealer products from Autoglym range which is readily available.

I will update with how long the bike stays clean and importantly if it makes it easier to clean once it's dirty.

PS

yes I did clean the tyres but didn't think paint sealant would help the grip at all

yes of course, for tyres it's just a mild shampoo, followed by blow dry and a dusting of finest luzenac talc

:-)

snowley

I would say its definitely a good idea!!

giant_man

Only an hour? Lightweight ......

plowmar

Do you need help to get your technique perfected? You must be able to travel.

T-Rekster

for those that were interested done some time and miles now, first impressions the bikes has simply stayed cleaner than it otherwise would have been, 2nd impression found it a breeze to wash & dry back o a show room shine

http://www.scottstrading.com/

not easy stuff to get hold of off the shelf, PM me if anyones interested in a bottle?





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carl_p

Sounds like you're spending too much time on the easy bit - the frame. Trust you have been flossing the cogs and wiping in between each chain link with a cotton bud, otherwise it's a pile of filth

T-Rekster

Carl_P wrote:

Sounds like you're spending too much time on the easy bit - the frame. Trust you have been flossing the cogs and wiping in between each chain link with a cotton bud, otherwise it's a pile of filth

of course, your talking to the man who has just stripped out a brand new BB on a month old bike just to make sure the threads are clean & adequately greased...



.

Zoomer37

Just ride the bloody thing.

You'll probably fall off it soon anyway and scratch it, so id not bother cleaning it to much

:twisted:

MSByrne

Maybe the fact that you've created a poll for other people to assess how obsessive you are indicated that you're obsessive! But to an extent anyone who spends a lot of their time feverishly reading a bike forum is probably obsessive - so we all are

Kudos to you for obsessing over a worthwhile thing - it's great to have a shiny, well looked after bike of which you can be proud! If only I had your patience and was less lazy...

Pokerface

T-Rekster wrote:

As the title says am I a insane, show signs of Compulsive Obsessive Disorder or is this a good idea?

It's OCD, not COD.


The only question I have is - does it actually protect your frame any better than paint?

T-Rekster

Pokerface wrote:

T-Rekster wrote:

As the title says am I a insane, show signs of Compulsive Obsessive Disorder or is this a good idea?

It's OCD, not COD.


The only question I have is - does it actually protect your frame any better than paint?

good catch, my error, & yes it does protect the paint, think of it as an extra layer of protection against UV damage, road salts, rail dust etc etc, that and due to how the polymer surface works, dirt & flies simply don't stick as much!

.

Dmak

Cleaning a clean bike is a bit OCD. I have a white Allez, takes ages to get spotless. I'll take it out for 30 miles, have a look and think meh WHY DID I BOTHER!?

Maybe a super non-sticky slippy coating is a good idea.

cougie

Maybe you should have polished one side and not the other - just to see what difference it does make ?

springtide9

A bike is for riding not look at.

This reminds me of a guy who used to ride his new Motocross bike and try to avoid getting it dirty.

Personally I think you should put that effort into riding the bike or performing maintenance to keep things running smoothly. Obviously you want to keep it looking reasonably nice, but if you have a few hours to spare (and are a beginner, so need the training)... spend those hours riding or buy yourself a turbo.

T-Rekster

I do all three, I ride it hard but like to maintain it as well both mechanically and aesthetically, for every hour spent maintaining I spend 4 riding.....

springtide9

T-Rekster wrote:

I do all three, I ride it hard but like to maintain it as well both mechanically and aesthetically, for every hour spent maintaining I spend 4 riding.....

If you can do all three, then you are sorted :P

I have very little spare time, so cleaning the bike is way down the list. It's way under cutting the lawn, but a little above cleaning the kids bikes. A bike isn't an investment it's a purchase... as you are unlikely to make any money from it.

But if I had 4hrs free to ride and 1hr to clean/polish the bike, I'd rather ride for 5hrs LOL