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Am I Doing It Wrong? - Bike Cleaning


Andrew_Smith

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The only place a degreaser should go near is the drivetrain. Mud doesn't really require much more than warm water and a sponge to remove. Unless you enjoy replacing seals and bearings every 6 months.

yeah. Indeed. 

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I used to use paraffin to clean my chains, but then I shelled out for some Muc-off degreaser, and what a pleasure. Firstly, it doesn't make your hands, garage or bike stink and secondly it seems to work a lot quicker. Just spray it on the drivetrain, agitate it around with a brush or sponge, leave for 5-minutes and then rinse off.

 

I am pretty sure the other citrus-based degreasers would work just as well. I just haven't tried them yet.

 

As for regular cleaning, when you are running really expensive chains and cassettes, getting the max longevity out of them is a priority for me. Keeping my stuff clean does help reduce wear.

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Oh and on the topic of using Sunlight soap to wash your bike, I have heard that it is a really bad idea because it contains abrasive crystals which will eventually dull the paint and cause oxidation on parts. It's probably best to look at using a non-abrasive cleaner such as proper car wash soap or bike wash.

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Oh and on the topic of using Sunlight soap to wash your bike, I have heard that it is a really bad idea because it contains abrasive crystals which will eventually dull the paint and cause oxidation on parts. It's probably best to look at using a non-abrasive cleaner such as proper car wash soap or bike wash.

 

Yeah agreed, not to even mention Handy Andy :| That's the true killer of dreams. I like using a shampoo that's a wash + wax. Somewhere in my mind I'm hoping that the wax protects... well... something LOL :D

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Question: Is it advisable to de-grease a chain? This would surely remove all the grease from the pins and rollers and thoroughly getting grease (and I'm talking G20) efficiently / effectively back into those areas are at best hit and miss.

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I have one of these, it is not only great for cleaning the car's wheels but I find it gets in behind the crank and in the cassette and derailleur quite nicely on the bike.

 

http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/php/image.php/image.jpg?width=360&image=/images/uploads/watermarked/ez-detail.jpg

After each ride I try give the bike a quick wash. If I am feeling tired and the bike is only dusty then it can survive until the end of the next ride. 

 

If it is muddy then it always gets a proper wash when I get home, replacing drive train is too pricey.

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I used to use paraffin to clean my chains, but then I shelled out for some Muc-off degreaser, and what a pleasure. Firstly, it doesn't make your hands, garage or bike stink and secondly it seems to work a lot quicker. Just spray it on the drivetrain, agitate it around with a brush or sponge, leave for 5-minutes and then rinse off.

 

Was looking at Muc-off the other day, Sportmans Warehouse have a good special on a pack for the same price of the degreaser on it's own. Good to know it works!

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My mtb is muddy after every ride here and even worse in winter where there is both rain and the de-icer that they distribute on the roads here, which eats a drive train faster than anything I have ever seen. I hose after every ride and do a full chain removal and clean about once a week or every third ride.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

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Just checked out that Shelbroco chain cleaning process. This must be a spoof surely?

 

Anybody do that around here? Please let me know when I can send you my chain for a thorough clean. Thanx in advance.  :whistling:

 

Oops. spoof. Was so shocked I didn't scroll down.  :clap:

I do them regularly. 

Post your chain to me and I'll return it to you within two weeks.

R750, excl. courier

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chain pig - maybe once a month or two -chain only

 

car shampoo twice a year whole bike - makes all the carbon all polishy without actual polishing

 

 

way too much washing and too little riding in this thread :whistling: 

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Here is a little-known secret... pinch some of SWAMBO's Omo (Liquid), add water - at least 50% and put the lot into a spray bottle. Spray onto the bike, leave for a minute or two, gently brush with a soft brush. Rinse. Ride. Simple, fast and your bike even smells like fresh laundry!

 

For chains - get your hands on SMOOVE's chain cleaner (Smoove Prep)... I used to do the "paraffin with chain in a bottle clean-up" every now and then, but this stuff is so much easier to use. Spend a couple of Rand on a proper chain scrubber like the Park Tool jobbies - it is worth it!

 

Oh yes - SWAMBO = She Who Always Must Be Obeyed.

 

Happy riding!

 

omo-auto-liquid.jpg

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https://www.facebook.com/motoxclean

 

I make use of the product above and have been using it for years. Works really well on every part of the bike including the chain. Apply with a soft bristle brush and leave on for a few minutes then rinse off.

 

If needed, I use something stronger for the chain or my chain cleaner device but very seldom.

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Just another thing you should be considering - you should not be using the hose at all for anything anywhere in the Western Cape.

 

True, but this quite some time that I used the hose again to rinse off my bike due to the mud.

 

On normal occasions when my bike is not covered in mud, I'll only use 500ml of water to clean my fork and drivetrain.

 

I'll skip a shower to clean my bike.  :whistling:

Edited by Andrew_Smith
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Got myself a good paintbrush with a "no hair loss" guarantee (Did not do much for my head though - Lol). Find that better than the brush you show  in your pic. And generally do like MM says, concentrate on the drive train mainly. Find the long hair bristles get in everywhere I need it to go. Don't even remove the chain every time. Use soap and water, leave to dry thoroughly in the sun and then re-lube with dry lube twice. Once immediately after dry and then again the next morning. Maybe that's overkill but ok, I do it anyway.

 

Lol. Really? I find that my brush is good for the scrubbing of the chainring, but must say long hair bristles would work much better. Absolutely, I mainly focus on my fork stanchions and drivetrain. The frame only gets a quick wash down (covered in scratches anyways - was not me though). Tires I completely skip because that's the first thing to get dirty again. Yeah, I never removed my chain before, but I really struggle to clean my chain with the wet lube. But Myles did mention there will be grease on the chain. So I am thinking to myself, maybe it was not needed to clean the chain. There was some dirt on the chain after the muddy ride, but nothing hectic. The frame overall and fork was the majority covered in mud.

 

So should it be fine if I only rinse off the whole bike and go for a next ride? Or should I re-lube the chain after each muddy ride?  

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http://i.imgur.com/sjxd2RO.jpg

 

+

http://www.titanbookstore.com/StoreImages/4-960076-1.jpg

 

 

=

far better looking crank!

 

Haha for real?  :lol:

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