Workshop rags
This may sound like a strange question, but what do people use as rags for bicycle maintenance? I have lots of car-oriented cleaning and polishing cloths at home but these are not really designed for dirty chains, for example. I don't have unwanted sheets or clothes that I can cut up as I give those away to charities.
Currently I use kitchen towels but these are not very strong and shred easily when cleaning the drivetrain. I don't really want to use my expensive microfibre cloths which I bought for car cleaning.
Currently I use kitchen towels but these are not very strong and shred easily when cleaning the drivetrain. I don't really want to use my expensive microfibre cloths which I bought for car cleaning.
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Get yourself to the local charity shop and buy loads of towels or anything that you make think will do the job(or pound world or similar). Or steal them.
TDV's clothes also rock as rags.
I use anything - towels, t-shorts, etc really.
If you want, you can buy huge bags of rags from somewhere like Demon Tweeks or local motor factor.Postby team47b » Sun Jun 28, 2015 11:53 am
De Sisti wrote:
This is one of the silliest threads I've come across.
Recognition at last Matthew, well done!, a justified honoursmithy21 wrote:
He's right you know.0 -
old cotton (worn out sheets, shirts etc. as long as they're not too thin/low tpi) is good, it's absorbent and tends not to snag or leave fluff, you can draw a chain through it to remove grease/dirt
if you'd pay for 'new' rags, might be better to give the money to charity and use an old sheet for rags, you'd get a few years' worth out of one, after five years i'm just about finished with the rags from a ripped shirtmy bike - faster than god's and twice as shiny0 -
Keep your sheets. Give to the charity the amount of money they could sell them for.0
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Plenty Dura cloth from the supermarket are really strong and work well.0
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Basic blue jiffy multi purpose type clothes from most supermarkets and pound shops. Strong and cheap so doesn't hurt when you buy them. Baby wipes are also good for a quick wipe down if not to dirty. Old sheets and wife's old sisters come in handy as well.
Sorry? You get your wife's old sisters then use them as rags? Blimey, that's a bit Silence of the Lambs isn't it? Doesn't the blood residue and hair clog your mechs up though?
Don't want to cross you on a dark night Mr Oxoman, Sir, M'Lud, Sir.....Postby team47b » Sun Jun 28, 2015 11:53 am
De Sisti wrote:
This is one of the silliest threads I've come across.
Recognition at last Matthew, well done!, a justified honoursmithy21 wrote:
He's right you know.0 -
Old sheets and wife's old sisters come in handy as well. 0
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There is an engineering supplies shop near me that sells a 10Kg bundle of rags for £9 just like this: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/10kg-General-Purpose-Graded-Bag-of-Rags-Cleaning-Wiping-Wipes-/252004775571?hash=item3aaca7b693:g:Kw4AAOSwT6pViXE5. The bundle comprises a mix of stuff like half a T shirt or sections of sheets and, according to the label anyway, it's all boiled in an industrial laundry and thus completely sanitised. Brilliant as you just chuck it away after use and a 10Kg bundle will go a seriously long way even if you are very profligate with the stuff. Suggest you track down a similar store near you.Cannondale Synapse Carbon Ultegra
Kinesis Racelight 4S
Specialized Allez Elite (Frame/Forks for sale)
Specialized Crosstrail Comp Disk (For sale)0 -
I just use my old clothes & towels etc
Also use old tooth brushes the old kitchen sink brush & sponge for cleaning bike0 -
Amazed. We seem to generate more rags than we use. There are 2 of us in the house and rarely throw anything away.
Clothes rarely go to charity shops as we don't ditch them until they are not fit to wear.
I seem to spend my life working on bikes. Having 6 currently rideable and as many projects means that I get through rags but even so I never run out. Start with it clean and use for polishing, then a bit of WD for wiping things over, finally cover it in black and muddy grease after replacing a BB.0 -
I just use my old clothes & towels etc
Also use old tooth brushes the old kitchen sink brush & sponge for cleaning bike
This.0 -
+1I just use my old clothes & towels etc
Also use old tooth brushes the old kitchen sink brush & sponge for cleaning bikeFFS! Harden up and grow a pair0 -
Old shoelaces are good for flossing cogs and chainrings.0
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+1I just use my old clothes & towels etc
Also use old tooth brushes the old kitchen sink brush & sponge for cleaning bike
Be careful with those kitchen sponges with a scrubbing bit on one side. Some are very abrasive . One of my kids cleaned the dead flies of our car windscreen with one.There were so many scratched bits I had to have a new screen fitted.0 -
Just a quick update on what I've bought as an interim measure, I purchased a couple of rolls of Spontex Handy all purpose cloths from my local Sainsbury's. There's 40 sheets on a roll which is the same width as kitchen towel rolls. Each sheet is a decent size and made of cloth and appears to be lint-free.
In terms of brushes and sponges, I have a lot of them in my garage as I'm very much into car detailing - even down to brushes designed to get the dust off car air vents! Going off-topic for a second, I actually use my Chemical Guys Hybrid V7 sealant/quick detailer on a newly-cleaned bike frame to give it some good protection for a few weeks at a time.0 -
Just a quick update on what I've bought as an interim measure, I purchased a couple of rolls of Spontex Handy all purpose cloths from my local Sainsbury's. There's 40 sheets on a roll which is the same width as kitchen towel rolls. Each sheet is a decent size and made of cloth and appears to be lint-free.
In terms of brushes and sponges, I have a lot of them in my garage as I'm very much into car detailing - even down to brushes designed to get the dust off car air vents! Going off-topic for a second, I actually use my Chemical Guys Hybrid V7 sealant/quick detailer on a newly-cleaned bike frame to give it some good protection for a few weeks at a time.
Cool - all sounds good. Thank you for the update - always nice to read how people do things.Postby team47b » Sun Jun 28, 2015 11:53 am
De Sisti wrote:
This is one of the silliest threads I've come across.
Recognition at last Matthew, well done!, a justified honoursmithy21 wrote:
He's right you know.0 -
Use T-shirts that no longer fit or have faded beyond use. Always made of cotton, a plentiful supply as the years roll by...
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Use T-shirts that no longer fit or have faded beyond use. Always made of cotton, a plentiful supply as the years roll by...
But never, ever, ever, ever, EVER use old band t-shirts. Ever. You will regret it.
I still have to wipe away an occasional tear when thinking of my lost Stone Roses t-shirt.Postby team47b » Sun Jun 28, 2015 11:53 am
De Sisti wrote:
This is one of the silliest threads I've come across.
Recognition at last Matthew, well done!, a justified honoursmithy21 wrote:
He's right you know.0
