bike wash?

[bitterfish26]

ok for thoes of you who wash your bike what should be done when you wash your bike aside from just blasting all the mud off? because all i do is just blast the mud off and dry it

[tryandgetme]

sounds about right, just don't blast too hard (no pressure washers) or you'll get water in the bearings. give the chain a bit of attention after with a degreaser and chain cleaner gizmo, and some lube. That's about all I used to do. now that I ride a singlespeed I let it shed it's own mud.

[bitterfish26]

yeah i just use the garden hose and get the s*** off of the chain and re-grease it but i was also wondering if chenicals should be used like soap or what?

and if i dont wash it i then it just accumulates dirt on the trailer

[tryandgetme]

carwash gear and chemicals seem to work pretty good on the bike finish part of it, for the chain MEC (canada) sells a great green enviro-friendly degreaser to pour into the chain cleaner

[Hand/of/Midas]

i use a hose to get the main nastys off.
then a air compressor gun to dry.
then a rag with simple green.
then white lightning epic on drive train.

and i most likely have to replace my outboard bearings cuz they suck in mud,everytime. but my isis are always ok.

and you just have to be careful with the air compressor at 120 psi around bearings and fork seals.

[tryandgetme]

yeah, careful around the bearings for another reason too: water+high air pressure=carwash pressure washer, it'll force water into them too. I can see it being super handy for drying the chain off so you can lube it up though...I want an air compressor. and a garage to store it in.

[K-Man]

I've tried a lot of different cleaning "chemicals" but found nothing beats a hose, a soft brush and a sudsy bucket courtesy of Dawn dishsoap. Lather, rinse, repeat.

[CRUM]

I've tried a lot of different cleaning "chemicals" but found nothing beats a hose, a soft brush and a sudsy bucket courtesy of Dawn dishsoap. Lather, rinse, repeat.Absolutely. I wash almost every repair in the shop before I touch them with a wrench. Customers love it and the time on the repair stand is cut by at least half.

[K-Man]

Absolutely. I wash almost every repair in the shop before I touch them with a wrench. Customers love it and the time on the repair stand is cut by at least half.

Perfect example of how going the extra mile with a bit of customer service pays off.

[Cyclenaut]

Dawn dish soap seconded here. Cheap, and won't eat your paint. I use Pedro's Bike Lust if I want to put a shine on the frame.

Always lube after washing. Rust will set in overnight.

[cMc]

Watered down simple green on everything. Boeshield on the chains for the MTBs, Road Rage on the roadie.

[Teamfubar]

Here is what I use that seems to have good results. FWIW, I have never had to replace bearings due to contamination from this method either.

1. Spray bike down with Pedros Bio-Cleaner. It's environmentally friendly and it won't screw up seals. In a pinch I'll use Simple Green at about 50%. Make sure you get the drive train good and soaked.

2. Have a bucket with a rag, sponge, a big soft bristled brush and one with a stiff brush, and a Park cog cleaner. Bucket full of soapy hot water. About as hot as you can stand it. I use the big soft brush to get the big stuff off the frame and fork, the stiff brush to clean rims and sides of tires, the rag and sponge to "detail" the frame, and the Park brush to clean the drive train.

3. Rinse the whole shootin' match off with a hose, though a bucket of hot water will do fine.

4. Clean chain with one of those chain scrubber deal-e-o's. I do this last since the washing cleans a lot off, so this is a "detail" cleaning.

5. Lube everything up (I use White Lightning, but it is rarely wet here) and go get 'er dirty again!

I know some people don't think you should go through so much hassle just to go get it dirty again, but it gives you a good chance to go through your bike and make sure there are no problems lurking. I have found 2 broken frames, split rim sidewalls, and many broken parts by spending a bit of up close time with my bikes. I am sure I would have found them eventually, but I might not have all my body parts intact. ;)

[squirrl_poker]

ok for those of you who wash your bike

Thanks for recognizing the rest of us.:D

I wipe my bike off. And clean parts of it when it seems appropriate.

[bitterfish26]

no problem