What cleaning products?

dai_t75
dai_t75 Posts: 189
edited October 2012 in Road beginners
Hi all,

Just wondering what everyone uses for cleaning?

I read an article on this site I think and from what I remember all it said you needed was an old tooth brush and a couple of rags.

Is this stuff any good as a cleaner:
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/muc-off-nano-tech-bike-cleaner-1-litre-bottle-with-spray-1/

What lube does everyone prefer? Do you all use wet lube during the winter?
This one seems to get good reviews on wiggle:
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/finish-line-cross-country-wet-lubricant-120ml-bottle/

Cheers for the info!

Comments

  • I use Green Oil products all round, all year round; they're very good and I'd recommend them to anyone. I would also recommend that Finish Line lube; if I had to suggest one to anyone it would be that. It works really well, it's cheap and you can buy it everywhere. Muc Off is also one of the most common bike cleaners; it definitely works.

    As for cleaning, the most important things to have are a degreaser and a stiff brush. You really need to get the muck off your chain and sprockets. After that, a basic bike wash is good, or you could use car shampoo if you already have it in. Washing up liquid works (I used it before I knew any better) but it's salty (apparently), which isn't great news, though it's unlikely to do much harm if you wash it off thoroughly.
  • Sprool
    Sprool Posts: 1,022
    Any cleaning product with nano in its title says to me they are trying to make people part with too much cash in the belief that they can use a bit less elbow grease to get the mud off. Hey they might be right!
    Stiff brush, water, washing up liquid and some GT85 spray works for me and not a single nano particle in sight (that cos they are nano size, they are too small for the naked eye....)
    Get me coat.
  • Two Words: Muc Off
    All their product do what they say well+a set of decent brushes
  • dai_t75
    dai_t75 Posts: 189
    Sprool wrote:
    Any cleaning product with nano in its title says to me they are trying to make people part with too much cash in the belief that they can use a bit less elbow grease to get the mud off. Hey they might be right!
    Stiff brush, water, washing up liquid and some GT85 spray works for me and not a single nano particle in sight (that cos they are nano size, they are too small for the naked eye....)
    Get me coat.


    Don't worry I don't fall for all the marketing hype.. I was a chemist in a former life and I'm pretty sure that almost all single compounds are nano in size anyway!

    It was just the first cleaner that came up on wiggle. I have got some car shampoo for general cleaning, just wondering what was commonly used as a degreaser for the chain.

    I will pick up some of the lube I linked above and see how it goes. Is GT85 a general cleaning product?
  • ricky1980
    ricky1980 Posts: 891
    i used to use fairy liquid + really hot water...worked a treat then when i was washing the chain...the water got really dirty and needed another 2-3 bucket. So i am giving this citrus washer a try. they are concentrates so hopefully will last a bit. also not going to soak the chain and the cassette in the bucket again!
    Road - Cannondale CAAD 8 - 7.8kg
    Road - Chinese Carbon Diablo - 6.4kg
  • Sprool
    Sprool Posts: 1,022
    gt85 is a silicone-based spray like wd40 but it has teflon in it, so acts as a water barrier, degreaser and very light lube (since its in volatile carrier solvents it evaporates off quickly) so you need a beefier heavy oil lubricant for your chain, etc, but it does a great job of cleaning up once you use water-based detergent to get the initial grime off. Also spray and wipe on your frame to buff it up nicely and help prevent further grime adhering to it.
  • Sprool wrote:
    gt85 is a silicone-based spray like wd40 but it has teflon in it, so acts as a water barrier, degreaser and very light lube (since its in volatile carrier solvents it evaporates off quickly) so you need a beefier heavy oil lubricant for your chain, etc, but it does a great job of cleaning up once you use water-based detergent to get the initial grime off. Also spray and wipe on your frame to buff it up nicely and help prevent further grime adhering to it.

    You can use GT85 as your only lube on chains as longa s you keep it 'topped up'. I have only used GT85 for the last seven years and never had a problem no matter the weather, usage or conditions and no failures either but I do reapply to the cassette after every ride and before every ride.
  • Sprool
    Sprool Posts: 1,022
    ^good advice, my MTB has done well over the last 2 years on just regular GT85 sprays on the cassette, but I'm a bit more of a tart with my road bike and polish the chain with FinishLine Dry every 500 yards.
  • Peddle Up!
    Peddle Up! Posts: 2,040
    I find a decent car shampoo better than washing-up liquid. Baby wipes are excellent for cleaning crud off chains and running gear too.
    Purveyor of "up" :)
  • Peddle Up! wrote:
    I find a decent car shampoo better than washing-up liquid. Baby wipes are excellent for cleaning crud off chains and running gear too.

    This.

    Best bike cleaning/repairing investment is a stand btw. So much easier.

    For a thorough clean, I start by taking off the chain & dumping it in white spirit or similar (from pound shop).
    Next I clean off the chainrings & cassette etc with Muc-off degreaser or white spirit if I'm lazy. Old toothbrush or brush set.
    Piping hot water with car shampoo, I clean the frame. Wheels, rims, spokes get a scrub.
    Rims - I've heard white vinegar spray (pound shop again) is good for shining them up, not sure if this is the case.
    Dry off/leave to dry.
    Polish frame with furniture polish & clean towelling cloth. Polish/towelling is also good for bar tape. Have heard oven cleaner also does the job but haven't confirmed this yet.
    Polish cassette with old cloth/tea towel.
    Lube/grease.
    Scrub chain in white spirit/whatever. Rinse. Leave to dry overnight/for a few hours in a warm place.
    Chain back on & lube.

    For a quick clean, baby wipes every time on the chain, wipes & polish elsewhere. Cheap.

    Most stuff you can find at a supermarket or pound shop apart from a good lube, perhaps specialist brushes and a less harsh degreaser than white spirit!
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 40,217
    ^ pretty much this. Also, one trick I was shown in my LBS for cleaning white bar tape was to spray degreaser onto a soft white cloth / high quality paper towel and grip it around the bars then just twist it gently in the direction of the tape. I had oil all over my virtually new tape after fixing someone else's chain for them (everyone else was sqeamish about getting their tape or hoods oily!), this cleaned the tape up beautifully. Most of my washes are just hose off the worst of the much, wash down with car shampoo using a sponge, wipe chain over with a cloth soaked in GT85, make sure I've cleaned the rims and brake blocks thoroughly then reapply a liberal amount of GT85, run it in and then wipe off the excess.

    If I strip the bike down to clean off the components I used to use diesel and a small washing up brush, diesels gone too expensive and is a pain to get rid of now so I use white spirit.
  • Peddle Up!
    Peddle Up! Posts: 2,040
    I had white bar tape on my last bike. Looked great, but it's never going to work, is it? :(:)
    Purveyor of "up" :)
  • dottigirl wrote:
    Most stuff you can find at a supermarket or pound shop apart from a good lube, perhaps specialist brushes and a less harsh degreaser than white spirit!

    I have to say I disagree; I'd sooner use 3-in-1 oil on my chain than white spirit to degrease it!
  • Sprool
    Sprool Posts: 1,022
    if you want to degrease the chain, why not choose the most effective solvent to do it? The key is then lubing it up again nicely afterwards and wiping all the excess off so it doesn't act as a grime magnet.
  • It's not designed to be used as a bicycle chain degreaser, and therefore may remain on your chain's inner surfaces. Why bother going to all that trouble when there are products that don't require you to remove the chain? I certainly can't be bothered to take mine off!
  • Flâneur
    Flâneur Posts: 3,081
    http://www.londoncyclist.co.uk/bike-clean/

    bottom has some products he likes. I use dry lube over wet so there is less gunk but its more that is what I have than what I prefer
    Stevo 666 wrote: Come on you Scousers! 20/12/2014
    Crudder
    CX
    Toy
  • Peddle Up! wrote:
    I had white bar tape on my last bike. Looked great, but it's never going to work, is it? :(:)

    Furniture polish & a white towel, as the bloke above said you rub it in the direction of the wrap.

    Although I prefer black and will shortly be changing mine. Flipping hiding to nowhere...
  • It's not designed to be used as a bicycle chain degreaser, and therefore may remain on your chain's inner surfaces. Why bother going to all that trouble when there are products that don't require you to remove the chain? I certainly can't be bothered to take mine off!

    Because it's so much easier to clean the rest of your bike with the chain off? Much easier when it's not in the way.

    I used to use a chain cleaning tool thingy, but the amount of times I had to run the chain through, empty, fill and run through again, I could clean my bike twice or three times in that time, and have less waste degreaser to pour away. And whichever fluid you use gets everywhere.

    After white spirit, I rinse the chain as thoroughly as I can, I dry it as well as I can, and I lube it up better than before. If that's really going to make a huge difference...

    As I've said, for a quick clean I'll baby wipe it. Just depends on how many miles and what surfaces I've been cycling.