Quick degreasing & cleaning tips

daveb99

Although I'm not new to cycling (did plenty in the 80s / 90s) I've just got back into it after a 20 year break.

I have a second-hand Specialized Allez Elite arriving tomorrow and want to get it tip top before I ride it.

After checking it over to make sure it is all OK, clearly I want to give it a good degrease / clean before adjusting it all to my needs etc.

Products I've bought are:

Muc-Off Spray Degreaser (water soluble one)
GT85 lubricant
Spray bike cleaner

What's the best order to do things - I was thinking of the following:

Degrease everything (unless it is spotless and has just been lubed - which I doubt!)
Rinse
Wash everything
Rinse
Dry
Lubricate

Logically this seems about right - or have I got it wrong?

Is there anything I should look out for, or leave well alone during the degreasing / cleaning / lubrication?

Any help much appreciated !

coopsman1

If you are going to do a full degrease then I would use either kerosene or Isopropanol.

This is great stuff for removing grease / dirt and evaporates off.

mikeyboy12345

You're pretty much spot on with the routine - do the degrease before the wash, and that's about it. You might want to invest in a chain cleaning machine, and white spirit is the best degreaser known to man (but not exactly eco). Just don't pressure wash it and you'll be fine. A KMC Missing Link in the chain makes cleaning a doddle, too.

daveb99

Thanks for your help - I'll leave the BB, headset and hubs well alone I think, as it will just be a quick clean & regrease to start with.

Any other tips?

Gizmodo

Enjoy the ride!