For a real good end of winter cleaning:

I like to clean my rims in the bathtub with the showerhead running warm, a small scrub brush, and dish detergent. Concentrate on the rims only. Then I use a metal cleaner (not polish!) to shine the rims up (and sometimes spokes) and get road film off. This really helps braking too, especially if you clean the surface of your brake pads at the same time with alcohol and roughen the face with sandpaper.

I use a dry rag and toothbrush to remove the dried, rough dirt from the frame. Then I wash the frame with hot, soapy water and a slightly wrung-out rag to get the grease off. After drying I apply car wax. By this time, it's usually time to go to bed. :-)

I'm presently rebuilding every component on my bike, with the ultimate aim of having a beautiful shiny old bike that sails along with nary a touch from me on the pedals! The bike should be happy to be a bike. :-)