Skylark Posted January 5, 2017 Posted January 5, 2017 I've always washed my bike with a hosepipe, hose on hose off, easy peasy lots of joy.I might be moving to a new place with no such amenities and face the prospect of having to use buckets of water to wash my bike. I gave it a test run yesterday and I'm starting to understand why some people pay the LBS for a bike wash Anyone have handy tips to making it work? I suppose its just a pita you have to accept, lug those buckets back and forward etc but there's nothing like a healthy jet of water to dislodge stubborn dirt/get the cassette sparkly etc..
Skylark Posted January 5, 2017 Author Posted January 5, 2017 Forgot to mention, its a MTB so often a good bit of mud/muck involved, a roadbike would be much easier/feasible to clean with just a bucket.
fanievb Posted January 5, 2017 Posted January 5, 2017 1. fill with soap water and spray bike. refill and redo very dirty spots2. wash as normal with bucket and cloth/brush of your choice3. fill spray with clean water and change nozzle to mist and rinse bike4. dry off, polish and lube5. go make your bike dirty again6. repeat steps 1-5
Baracuda Posted January 5, 2017 Posted January 5, 2017 With the ban on hosepipes in the Cape, mates of mine are using a pressure washer with the inlet pipe placed in a bucket of water. It works fine. You go through 1-2 buckets in a bike wash.
Skylark Posted January 5, 2017 Author Posted January 5, 2017 1. fill with soap water and spray bike. refill and redo very dirty spots2. wash as normal with bucket and cloth/brush of your choice3. fill spray with clean water and change nozzle to mist and rinse bike4. dry off, polish and lube5. go make your bike dirty again6. repeat steps 1-5With the ban on hosepipes in the Cape, mates of mine are using a pressure washer with the inlet pipe placed in a bucket of water. It works fine. You go through 1-2 buckets in a bike wash.Awesome tips blokes! Seems like not having a hosepipe won't be so terrible after all.
PeterF Posted January 5, 2017 Posted January 5, 2017 Some Clean Green to loosen the muck. One bucket with soap to wash and one bucket with clean water to rinse.
Skylark Posted January 5, 2017 Author Posted January 5, 2017 Some Clean Green to loosen the muck. One bucket with soap to wash and one bucket with clean water to rinse.Prepsol, Kleengreen pales in comparison. 5L Prepsol at Midas for R110 equals win.
GrahamS2 Posted January 5, 2017 Posted January 5, 2017 I borrow my son's super soaker water pistol for this very purpose
Bateleur1 Posted January 5, 2017 Posted January 5, 2017 Since in Europe I wash my bikes in the cellar. I take a biggish bucket of Warm water down, and have bowl in which I pour that water into. Pre spray the bike with some soap. Wipe with cloth that you rinse in the bowl. With the MTB if it is very dirty I make a turn at the car wash and spray it with the pressure sprayer (not on the hubs, BB, etc) just to get the worst off.
seanrcb Posted January 5, 2017 Posted January 5, 2017 KleenGreen and water in bucket soft bristle brush and get to work. rinse using clean bucket of water and sponge. take bike out for spin dry repeat as required. WASH RIDE REPEAT
ZakAttak Posted January 5, 2017 Posted January 5, 2017 5L of Prepsol lasts a very long time and it's a very effective degreaser/muck remover... Love it! Oh, and it's cheap compared to bike specific degreasers that does the same thing....
HowardSteele Posted January 5, 2017 Posted January 5, 2017 I've always washed my bike with a hosepipe, hose on hose off, easy peasy lots of joy.I might be moving to a new place with no such amenities and face the prospect of having to use buckets of water to wash my bike. I gave it a test run yesterday and I'm starting to understand why some people pay the LBS for a bike wash Anyone have handy tips to making it work? I suppose its just a pita you have to accept, lug those buckets back and forward etc but there's nothing like a healthy jet of water to dislodge stubborn dirt/get the cassette sparkly etc..Just get yourself a two litre garden sprayer,,,the pump one and a nylon brush for doing the dishes.Add your soap liquid of choice and hot water...pump ...spray and brush...watch non compatible soaps on your brake pads.....I use a bulk sale car wash from the chemical place.if you pump the sprayer and turn it upside down you get a nice foam...coat your chain,chain rings in foam and while rotating crank clean with brush...I don't know what they coat those brushes with but if you rinse them the dirt just comes right off the bristles.
Skylark Posted January 5, 2017 Author Posted January 5, 2017 5L of Prepsol lasts a very long time and it's a very effective degreaser/muck remover... Love it! Oh, and it's cheap compared to bike specific degreasers that does the same thing....It's one of those little known facts, I picked it up from a fellow hubber.Then you see the "bike specific" degreaser stuff getting sold for R150/L.... eeish
ZakAttak Posted January 5, 2017 Posted January 5, 2017 It's ludicrous the mark up the bicycle industry makes on essentials..... The consumer also just keeps forking out on these things, instead of researching alternative suitable cheaper products...
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