Bike Cleaning

For those new to road cycling, keeping the bike clean can be as much of a skill as setting up the gears - as i am experiencing at this very moment.

Yesterday, i spend several hours (although worth it) reading through information i had printed off from the Park Tool website on gear set up and adjustment.

I then successfully (i hope, works perfectly on stand but ride this morning will confirm) set up both front and rear derailiers, including limit screws.

However, after i had finished, i looked at the bike, and thought to myself how dirty it looks in comparison to other riders bikes i see on the roads.

A couple of guys rode past me the other day whilst i was walking, and you could hear the crisp running bearings in their rear wheels (they were expensive bikes may i add and had all the top clothing on and looked the part) and their bikes were like they had just been pushed out of the shop door.

However, i had oil deposits amongst my tripple chainset that i just can't seem to clean, together with marks on the pedal cranks where i've come off in the past...

I suppose this is all part of getting your first road bike, i will be upgrading next Christmas to at least a 2K bike, and at least by that time i will be confident at setting up the gears!

So, my next step is cleaning to keep the bike looking like a million dollars..

Do you guys have any suggestions or advise on bringing the bike back to what it looked like when new? Apart from removing every single component on the bike and soaking it in acid!????????????????