Road Cycling - Cleaning a frame?

Hello:

Can anyone advise me on what is the best substance to properly clean a road frame?

Thanks

Terry

Warm water and a non-salty detergent.
Use a sponge or soft brush. High pressure hoses should be avoided, at least near any bearings.
Sometimes I apply some grease-dissolving hand-cleanser to oily bits before getting it wet.
Once you have it clean, apply a few coats of car wax, and the next clean will be a lot easier.

I've got this rubbery (or oily) substance on parts of my bike (particularly near the chain) that refuses to come off with soap and water, would a degreaser (like WD-40, as much as we hate it) be a good choice here to spray locally?

I use a standard workshop hand degreaser gel (Swarfega from Deb). It dissolves grease/oil when dry and washes off with water.
It is a bit easier to use than most liquid degreasers, which can stray inside bearings if you are not careful.

Dishwashing soap and a garden hose do it for me. I bought a toilet brush to get the hard, in-between places, and another, soft bristled brush for everything else.

I use a degreaser I bought at x-mart. It's called purple something and runs about $4.00 per gallon. I spray it on the drivetrail, hubs and around the bb before I wash the bike.

bucket of soapy water (with dishwashing detergent) and a bucket of rinse water. Remove both wheels from the bike and wash them seperately then clean the fame, with a sponge and washcloth. rinse all parts thoroughly and dry, I normally will clean and relube any parts (such as chain) at this point. takes all of 20 min or so.

I also like to take both wheels off to clean my bike. I don't have a bike stand. I also live in a condo buiding, so I have to go down to the loading dock to wash my bike. Does anyone have ideas for either proping your bike up or hanging it or something, so you can wash it with both wheels off. Or is it time to go out and finally purchase that bike stand?

PBW

performance (http://www.performancebike.com) has a small work stand for $20 (called the quick stand I believe) I use it and it works fine for washing and stuff :)

I actually happen to have one of those quickstands. They are ok, but not great. They bend pretty easy actually. Bike ends up leaning to one side and pretty soon will tip over. You have to keep your eye on it. Also, you have to keep the front wheel on. It's great for working on the drive train, as long as you don't mind sitting on the floor. That's the other problem with cleaning, you have to crouch down to clean the bike with this.

It's been worth the cost so far... but not exactly the best solution. I think I might go with a full size bike stand. I belong to Performance's bike club and I have some of their club dollars saved up.


Does anyone have any ideas of places you can go to clean your bike? I live in a high rise building and they only have a hose in the loading dock. Unfortunately, they turn the water off in the winter so the water in the pipes doesn't freeze.

PBW

I use a product called Bike Wash, which I purchased at the bike shop. You spray it on the bike, let it sit for a couple of minutes and spray off the bike. It will, inconjunction with a spray on degreaser, really clean up the chain and cassette. About the only place I have to scrub, is the underside of the BB, especially this time of year with the trees shedding.

The wash liquid, as well as the degreaser and lubricant I use is made by Finish Line. It's what the shop uses on their Serottas, so I figure it must be pretty good and I am happy with the results.

yeh my shop uses it... its pink right???:)

Originally posted by Arsbars
yeh my shop uses it... its pink right???:)

Yes it is. Works really well and does not damage the finish on the bike at all. If you have a good hose, you really don't need to touch the bike. Dirt comes right off.

I spray my trek with pledge spray wax once a week and it works great!!!!!!

The general-purpose "Formula 409" cleaner works well for some of the greasier stuff too. I don't know if it's available outside North America or not, anyone know?

A coat of wax can help your frame shed water and dirt better for a while. I like Meguiar's Cleaner Wax, which can be used to rub out light scuff marks too. I prefer the liquid type over the paste type, as it comes off easier.