General Cycling Discussion - Pressure washers....

I know, I know. "Don't use a pressure washer on a bike", however if you WERE to use one, how do you do it safely?

Living in a flat now without a garden so it is hard to get all the bits off my bike and clean them up, so I was considering one of those bike pressure washers so I could just take my bike outside, spray some degreaser on it, and then wash it off.

Would this be ok? At the moment, my bike isn't getting cleaned at all, so surely this is better than nothing?

Thanks

Daven

I pressure wash my chains. But degreaser + pressure washer does not come close to degreaser + brushes. I like Dawn + old towel to wash frame.

The only bits I take off the bike prior to washing are lights and bags.

The only time I use a pressure washer is when the bike is completely
taken down. And I mean COMPLETELY!

Flip it over on a old sheet or some plastic, take the wheels off, chain
if you have a power link, get some shop towel, spray cleaner, sit and
watch TV and clean your bike!

The BB and head set bearing are at great risk when you use a pressure
washer. Like a thousand times worse than ridding in the rain!

Yea I bet brushes are better, messier too!! How much worse is a pressure washer, is it so much worse that it isn't worth trying it, or is it just slightly worse?

The only time I use a pressure washer is when the bike is completely
taken down. And I mean COMPLETELY!

Flip it over on a old sheet or some plastic, take the wheels off, chain
if you have a power link, get some shop towel, spray cleaner, sit and
watch TV and clean your bike!

The BB and head set bearing are at great risk when you use a pressure
washer. Like a thousand times worse than ridding in the rain!

Yeah I guess the bike specific washers are quite good in that respect as you can reduce the power for the sensitive areas. Although I'd probably just spray the whole bike and then concentrate on the drivechain, just to keep wear down to a minimum.

Just never aim it at or near any bearings.

I keep my brushes (one for cassette & mechs, one for rims), towel and Dawn in an old kitty litter bucket. Squirt some Dawn in there, fill halfway with water. Go to town. I rinse with low pressure hose. I do like to pressure wash my chain, though.

Spraying on degreaser and pressure washing it off does very little unless you scrub in between the two steps.

I'll pressure wash it everwhere but at the headset and bottom bracket from a distance, but I'll hit the chain and derailleurs really well, and then I relube everything when I get home. Cables and control levers are the areas that I think people underlube the most.