Fifty Plus (50+) - Carbon Fiber Cleaning and Polishing

Anyone have a good system for cleaning and polishing a carbon fiber frame? I believe Stepfam said he had good luck using furniture polish? don't want to guess at it and damage the paint job with the wrong solutions.

if you must, try Pedro's Bike Lust. I just use a cloth rag and mild soapy water.
99719

Is it painted, clear coated or nude?

Pledge

The LBS guys say clean with Windex.

I use Bike Lust. I think it works very well.

Is this what you want?

Is this what you want?

yes, it is a new Roubaix, looks to be clear coated but not sure.

The LBS guys say clean with Windex.

I use Bike Lust. I think it works very well.
My road bike gets a damp rag wipe down as soon as it goes on the rack. The MTB rarely gets anything except rode hard and put up wet...

Anyway, when it comes to chemicals if it is a Windex with ammonia in it, eventually the ammonia will dull a shiny finish.

I would try the Pledge, or one of the bike specific products.

Why not use car washing soaps and shampoos? You probably have some in your garage, already. They are specifically formulated not to damage or cause deterioration to clear coats and paint. The Meguiar's products are pretty good. I would be very wary of dishwashing detergent and furniture and window cleaners.

Pledge

+1 on the Pledge

Baby butt wipes. Propylene glycol and surfactant. Works well and if it is mild enough for a baby's rear then it is ok on a carbon frame. Also works well to take the black brake gunk off wheels.

+1 on the car wax.
You're just polishing the clear coat anyway.

If there is any grit or dirt on the frame when you try to clean with Pledge, you will end up rubbing the grit against the finish. Furniture polish is only made to deal with some soft household dust. I suppose it would be okay if one is sure that the frame is immaculately clean before polishing.

+1 on the pledge

+2

Many years ago- I used to be a fibre glass laminator building boats. Occasionally we used to send one of the boats- anything from a 30footer to 80 ft to shows. We used to polish them and guess who used to get the job of the 80 foot beastie. Took a full day and no machine tools here. All done by hand- just like the boats were made.

Those boats gleamed and for the couple of weeks they were at the show- they never needed another polish- just a wipe over to get rid of the potential owners grimy paw prints. That magic polish was and still is exceptional- but I no longer have it in my arsenal of cleaning products. That polish was Brylcreem.

Now use the furniture polish as I can borrow that from the cleaning cupboard.

That polish was Brylcreem.

Now use the furniture polish as I can borrow that from the cleaning cupboard.[/QUOTE]

Was that the men's hair product? A little dab'll do ya, or something else.
Think I will try both the pledge and the bike lust and compare.

That polish was Brylcreem.

Now use the furniture polish as I can borrow that from the cleaning cupboard.

Was that the men's hair product? A little dab'll do ya, or something else.
Think I will try both the pledge and the bike lust and compare.[/QUOTE]

Brylcreem- the product for those have not done enough living to lose their hair. And it is Pledge that I use on the bike aswell. Just didn't know if you had it.

Think I will try both the pledge and the bike lust and compare.

Just spray in segments and then wipe off with a clean towel. For the hard to reach parts, spray a dab onto a towel and then wipe it with a clean one. And as a side note, if you get a little bit on your chain, it's not a big deal and not even worth wiping off.

The LBS guys say clean with Windex.



Ammonia is a great stripper. Clean some Lexan or some Plexiglass with windex. It will soon fog up.
Windex does have an automotive glass cleaner it may be safe. But why risk it?
If you spend all the money on a CF bike, why take a chance? Spend the extra dollar or two and use something that you know is safe.
Who knows what these strange chemicals would do to your carbon.

So all the people who suggest Pledge and Windex, is that what you use on your car's finish?

Perhaps they Turtle Wax their coffee tables? :p

Wet cloth, maybe a bit of mild soap. Then finish off by wiping down with Pledge Wipes.

I found how to NOT clean my bike. Feeling a bit confident one day I told my wife I needed to run some errands and would ride later that afternoon. While going out the door for the errands I mentioned it would be nice if she would clean my bike while I was gone.

Upon my return I found my bike out front with a "For Sale" sign attached. I now use warm water, a cloth and a small amount of Dawn. Works much better.

So all the people who suggest Pledge and Windex, is that what you use on your car's finish?

Nope, but then again, my bike doesn't sit outside 24 hours a day regardless of the weather. (I actually think it's the intense sun that does the most damage.) It doesn't get bird dropping or sap from trees, or any number of other things on it. Come to think of it, my bikes lead a pretty pampered life compared to the car. The car itself gets nothing more than what the automatic car wash in my neighborhood sprays on it at the end of the wash cycle. Seems to work just fine.

Come to think of it, my bikes lead a pretty pampered life compared to the car.

Pretty pathetic, huh? Don't feel bad, though, I'm in the same boat..

Ammonia is a great stripper. Clean some Lexan or some Plexiglass with windex. It will soon fog up.
Windex does have an automotive glass cleaner it may be safe. But why risk it?
If you spend all the money on a CF bike, why take a chance? Spend the extra dollar or two and use something that you know is safe.
Who knows what these strange chemicals would do to your carbon.

To be honest I thought the LBS recommendations were a bit weird, so I just use Bike Lust. It seems to work just fine.

Spray on rain-x

My 2 cents.

3 parts water 1 part Simple Green. Environmentally friendly and no harsh chemicals. Gentle misting bottle and microfiber rag. Dry completely. When you feel like it, a good car wax does wonders and will not harm paint.