Cleaning essentials

swardchill

Hi what cleaning and maintenance items should I buy to maintain my bike as simply jet washing is not working so I am going to start doing this right instead of being lazy. I have no lubes or cleaning tools so a full list of the essentials would be great thanks along with recommended brands. The only items hive have picked up so far is muc off bike cleaner and muc off bike spray. Cheers

70\ʹspenguin

What jet washer are you using? I hope its not high powered.

Halfords teflon grease is fine and a recommended buy, or any other teflon grease you fancy. Some de-greaser too for the chain and mech. Muc off, halfords etc are all fine. If you want to go green there are more eco friendly alternatives.

Some decent chain lube is recommended. Finish line is ok. Lots to choose from.

You could buy a brush set or you could just get a cheap brush from the supermarket and use an old toothbrush, a sponge and a few rags.

Read this too: http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/article/w ... ike-18259/

cooldad

Jetwashing is the worst thing you can do.

Briggo

You need some water, a brush and some cleaning liquid.

Oh and a good right arm.

bartimaeus

Water - from a hose or a bucket and a soft brush. Muc Off is fine for cleaning your drivetrain... a couple of cheapo nail brushes makes an excellent chain cleaner (grip chain between the two of them in one hand, and spin the cranks). Some old rags to dry your chain so it doesn't get rusty - and some chain lube (lots of threads about that).

You can also read http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/article/workshop-how-to-clean-and-lube-your-bike-18259/

winter_zombie

well first of like the others have said dont use a jet wash it will kill your bike

get yourself a fence sprayer like this ....
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Portable-Pres ... 460a8538c5

then i would recommend the following
GT85 ... http://www.wiggle.co.uk/gt85/
Muc-Off Wet Lube ... http://www.wiggle.co.uk/muc-off-wet-lube-120ml/
Fenwicks Fs-1 Concentrate 1L ... http://www.evanscycles.com/products/fen ... l-ec020494

the fenwicks is a great bike cleaner and i would say much much better than muc off, the bottle is a Concentrate and what you do is mix it as a ratio of 10:1 so this 1ltr bottle makes 10 ltr's. also if you save some before you dilute it down it can be used as a degreaser for your chain/cassette.

the GT85 is a good Water Displacer, so this helps move water . i also use it after ive finished everything on a clean microfiber cloth to wipe down my bike frame as it helps keep it looking mint and it leaves a protective barrier. and i find that mud and crap dosent stick as easy and cleans off much quicker.

i use the muc off wet lube on my chain, because were i bike its always quite muddy and wet.

i havent gone into detail about how to clean you bike as i gess you know. i dont rush cleaning my bike as i do enjoy cleaning it and looking after it, and i want my bike to last.

paulneenan76

Dilute your muc off by half and its still effective but less aggressive on bits you want to protect. Brushes, cloths, fence sprayer or watering can, GT 85, muc off wet lube, juice lubes brake juice and a little hug before tucking her in ;D

swardchill

Thanks I will get on it properly this weekend, one more question, I get out on my bike once a week in winter and only on trails so no major mud fest so did I need to do this full clean after each ride or is it ok to go on 2 or 3 and then do it? Cheers

Chunkers1980

You only 'need' to keep your drive train clean.

EH_Rob

A million people will give you a million different answers to this. I prefer the minimalist approach.

It is worth giving all moving bits a once over after a ride I reckon. You can do it in 10 minutes.

I tend not to bother with cleaning products as they strip grease out of places it doesn't need stripping from, and do not have a weird personality disorder that requires my mountain bike to be spottlessly clean. I leave the mud to dry, come back a day later and brush it off the moving bits with a brush, then relube and grease as required. If the frame is properly caked I might brush that too, but not usually.

That said, this approach does depend on where you keep your bike. Mine lives in the flat, so the heating means that water doesn't hang around. If it's somewhere colder (garage or shed) it's important to make sure there's no water sitting around on it or rust might be a problem. GT85 is good for getting rid of water. Do remember though it's not a lubricant.

allthegearnoidea

basic car shampoo for ceaning the bike, wheels, etc, white spirit throg a chain cleaner for the chain, and a mixture of degreaser and white spirit in a pot with a stiff bristled aloy wheel cleaning brush for the cogs and rings,

you can go all out and spend a fortune on bike specific products for everything, but you dont allways need too!!
fenwics is god in he sense its very diluteable, but go to any whlesalers and you'll be ableto pck up a degreaser equaly as diluteable for a tenner for 5L!

winter_zombie

EH_Rob wrote:

A million people will give you a million different answers to this. I prefer the minimalist approach.

It is worth giving all moving bits a once over after a ride I reckon. You can do it in 10 minutes.

I tend not to bother with cleaning products as they strip grease out of places it doesn't need stripping from, and do not have a weird personality disorder that requires my mountain bike to be spottlessly clean. I leave the mud to dry, come back a day later and brush it off the moving bits with a brush, then relube and grease as required. If the frame is properly caked I might brush that too, but not usually.

That said, this approach does depend on where you keep your bike. Mine lives in the flat, so the heating means that water doesn't hang around. If it's somewhere colder (garage or shed) it's important to make sure there's no water sitting around on it or rust might be a problem. GT85 is good for getting rid of water. Do remember though it's not a lubricant.

i appreciate my bike and i dont have the money to replace it so i look after it well. if thats what you call weird personality disorder then maybe you need to see somebody :!:

EH_Rob

We all want our bikes to last, which is why we maintain them.

I think people who spend more time cleaning than a) they really need to b) than riding are weird. It wasn't aimed specifically at anyone in particular.

Anyway - my point was a mountain bike can be maintained perfectly adequately by addressing moving parts, nothing more. For me, products such as Muc Off and Fenwicks etc are totally unecessary.

warpcow

Anyway - my point was a mountain bike can be maintained perfectly adequately by addressing moving parts, nothing more. For me, products such as Muc Off and Fenwicks etc are totally unecessary.

^^This. There's a difference between essential maintenance and obsessively cleaning everything until it sparkles. Not that there's anything wrong with it if that kind of thing keeps you happy (I've been known do it when I get really bored and there can be something quite 'zen' about it), but it is not 'essential' and it almost certainly does nothing to maintain the actual function of most bicycles. It can sometimes cause more problems than it solves too.

DanDax1990

Loads of babywipes to clean the frame with, works a treat.

Unclejonny

DanDax1990 wrote:

Loads of babywipes to clean the frame with, works a treat.

Cleans up other messes too, not to mention cleaning babies bums too :roll:

Anonymous

Quick way most peeps use.
Muc off or similar product spray on leave to dwell for a few mins wash off repeat process
Quality Teflon grease
And good quality oil or lube
Degreaser for chain and sprocket.
Drying cloths
Heli tape if required

My OCD method (same stuff I use on the motor)
Muc off as a pre wash method
Auto gleam shampoo or Megs gold class
Bucket couple of micro fibres
Dry using micro fibres
Whilst chain and cassette are in a tub of degreaser or engine muc off diluted
Srp polish for a quick blitz or Megs ultimate and sum Megs quick wax to protect frame
Chain and cassette into oil bath I use semi synthetic oil from my last motor leave over nite, wipe excess oil off
Then re fit as for rotors and pads once a month use disk cleaner from Stp
Tyres on wall Megs to prevent cracking..
End result one showroom bike

northpole

Has anyone found a good alternative to the likes of finish line multi bike degreaser for cleaning chains and drivetrain components? Whilst the finish line works very well, I can't believe how much it costs. Equally (and the bike trade probably play on this) I don't imagine white spirits is going to be the right thing to use without causing damage. In truth, I'm not at all sure about this, hence the question.

Peter

allthegearnoidea

White spirirt is absoltely Fine for chains etc., been using it for years with no detremental effect,
But any general degreaser will do a similar job,

adri123

after each ride I fill up a 5 litre garden sprayer with hot water and a bit of soap and spray the bike down with that. 5 min job and cheap as chips

Briggo

raceface gt wrote:

Quick way most peeps use.
Muc off or similar product spray on leave to dwell for a few mins wash off repeat process
Quality Teflon grease
And good quality oil or lube
Degreaser for chain and sprocket.
Drying cloths
Heli tape if required

My OCD method (same stuff I use on the motor)
Muc off as a pre wash method
Auto gleam shampoo or Megs gold class
Bucket couple of micro fibres
Dry using micro fibres
Whilst chain and cassette are in a tub of degreaser or engine muc off diluted
Srp polish for a quick blitz or Megs ultimate and sum Megs quick wax to protect frame
Chain and cassette into oil bath I use semi synthetic oil from my last motor leave over nite, wipe excess oil off
Then re fit as for rotors and pads once a month use disk cleaner from Stp
Tyres on wall Megs to prevent cracking..
End result one showroom bike

You've got way too much time on your hands.

cooldad

Only a matter of time before he discovers internet porn.

Anonymous

You ain't seen the motor on a detailing day!

cooldad

cooldad wrote:

Only a matter of time before he discovers internet porn.

Can't happen too soon.