General Cycling Discussion - Going to wash my bike this weekend.

Or at least try to. It is supposed to rain. If not I'll wash it on Monday.

It varies as to what needs to be cleaned. This time it is just the drive train & brakes.

Going to use a slightly different method. I usually use Simple Green & water then I use my air compressor chase the water out. After that I use White Lightening to re-lube everything, it now comes in a spray can so it's very user friendly. Well I'm still going to do all that, but I'm adding an extra step. Before I degrease everything with the Simple Green I'm going to spray WD-40 to help loosen up the gunk, etc. Should get things a bit cleaner.

Or at least try to. It is supposed to rain. If not I'll wash it on Monday.

It varies as to what needs to be cleaned. This time it is just the drive train & brakes.

Going to use a slightly different method. I usually use Simple Green & water then I use my air compressor chase the water out. After that I use White Lightening to re-lube everything, it now comes in a spray can so it's very user friendly. Well I'm still going to do all that, but I'm adding an extra step. Before I degrease everything with the Simple Green I'm going to spray WD-40 to help loosen up the gunk, etc. Should get things a bit cleaner.

Wd40 is at the wrong time. It is a spray oil based lubricant so wont do anything to help get rid of or loosen the crud on the bike. Wash the bike off with a hose and water, and brush off the areas where the crud has collected, then use the Simple green and brush off again and hose down. Use the airline if you wish, but I normally just shake the bike. THEN spray the whole bike with the WD40, making certain that you don't get it in the blocks or wheels. Leave for 2 hours and polish off the surplus with a cloth.

The WD will dispell the water(wd = water dispersant), and put a film of oil over everything, hence the polish off with a cloth. Then before you ride again, polish it off again.

It's far easier to leave the bike covered in crud, as it will always look as though you have just finished a ride.

You may hear differing opinions about using compressed air. Compressed air sometimes forces water and crud into bearings and other unsealed parts of the bike.

Wd40 is at the wrong time. It is a spray oil based lubricant so wont do anything to help get rid of or loosen the crud on the bike.
WD40 is a poor choice for lubricating anything on a bicycle; it's too thin.

It is , however, excellent for thinning and removing stubborn road crud. Here are some uses:

http://www.twbc.org/wd40.htm

If you are gonna spray the bike down with something, why not use a lubricant thats actually good for bikes instead of WD40? GT85 is a GREAT lubricant, sprays on, and displaces water nicely. Works great on cables, chains, cassettes, everything...

If you are gonna spray the bike down with something, why not use a lubricant thats actually good for bikes instead of WD40? GT85 is a GREAT lubricant, sprays on, and displaces water nicely. Works great on cables, chains, cassettes, everything...


In the UK WD40 is the generic name that is used for any of these sprays, and none of them are lubricants. A very fine light oil yes, but none of them are lubricants. GT85 may be a "better" lubricant, but not as good at water dispelling as WD40 or some of the other branded products. If you want to lubricate, then use the proper lubricant for the job, I.E Chain oil, Shockgrease etc. but if you want to dispel water, then use ANY of the light spray dispersants. Incidentally, I don't use WD40 as it is expensive but use a light assembly oil that I buy in 5 litre cans and use a hand spray at the same price as one of the large spray cans. I use 3 of these 5 litre cans a year, but at this price, I can afford to.

I spray with WD-40 right before spraying Simple Green to loosen up the grime on my drivetrain. WD40 works as a solvent to help remove old road grime. Then, the Simple Green removes the WD-40 along with any remaining grime. Works great. I don't know why everybody gets so upset about using WD 40 on the bike?...it's not like you're lubing it the the WD40, just degreasing. Just make sure to use a good lube after you're all done. I don't like White Lightning, I like TriFlo and Progold...thats just me though.

WD40 works very well for cleaning/light degreasing -- I spray down my chain with it and then wipe it clean, then apply my lubricant of choice, and it keeps my chain very clean.

Wd40 is at the wrong time. It is a spray oil based lubricant so wont do anything to help get rid of or loosen the crud on the bike. Wash the bike off with a hose and water, and brush off the areas where the crud has collected, then use the Simple green and brush off again and hose down. Use the airline if you wish, but I normally just shake the bike. THEN spray the whole bike with the WD40, making certain that you don't get it in the blocks or wheels. Leave for 2 hours and polish off the surplus with a cloth.

The WD will dispell the water(wd = water dispersant), and put a film of oil over everything, hence the polish off with a cloth. Then before you ride again, polish it off again.

It's far easier to leave the bike covered in crud, as it will always look as though you have just finished a ride.


stapfam, you probably don't know much about WD-40. In the US it is good stuff and about every american home owner has a can or 2 in the garage or house. I used the stuff today to do some maintenance on my Jeep, my garage door, my hedge trimmer & my lawn mower. The stuff literally has thousands of uses. Go to this web site to find out more: http://www.wd40.com/

I'm not using it as a lubricant on my bike. I'm using it to loosen up the gunk. It does that like you wouldn't believe. If you read the info. on the web site you'll see it is great for this purpose when it comes to bikes. After I use the WD-40 I'll then use the Simple Green to degrease everything, then I'll re-lube with the White Lightening. In the past I've found that while the Simple Green works well I need something to loosen up the gunk better.

WD-40 is a light weight lube, not very well suited for use on a bicycle, plus as it is oil based it can attract dirt.

Yeaup. I love WD40. Always have, ever since a little 3 year old plunking around in my grandfathers garage. It was my favorite chemical.

Or at least try to. It is supposed to rain. If not I'll wash it on Monday.

It varies as to what needs to be cleaned. This time it is just the drive train & brakes.

Going to use a slightly different method. I usually use Simple Green & water then I use my air compressor chase the water out. After that I use White Lightening to re-lube everything, it now comes in a spray can so it's very user friendly. Well I'm still going to do all that, but I'm adding an extra step. Before I degrease everything with the Simple Green I'm going to spray WD-40 to help loosen up the gunk, etc. Should get things a bit cleaner.



I use Honda motorcycle polish to clean my bikes. Works great! Quick and easy. Kind of expensive at $7 a can but that can will last quite a while on bicycles. For the chain I use a Finish line chain scrubber with Simple Green and water until the water runs clean. Then I displace the water with mineral spirits in the chain scrubber and finally lube with Finish line chain lube. Sounds like a lot but my bikes are clean and the chains are clean, well lubed, and rust free. Gotta keepem clean since I keepem in the house. The wife appreciates that.

I use Honda motorcycle polish to clean my bikes. Works great! Quick and easy. Kind of expensive at $7 a can but that can will last quite a while on bicycles. For the chain I use a Finish line chain scrubber with Simple Green and water until the water runs clean. Then I displace the water with mineral spirits in the chain scrubber and finally lube with Finish line chain lube. Sounds like a lot but my bikes are clean and the chains are clean, well lubed, and rust free. Gotta keepem clean since I keepem in the house. The wife appreciates that.


One thing you need to be careful of with mineral spirits is it can be harsh to plastics. The little wheels the chain runs on near the derailer are made of plastic so mineral spirits may affect them.