cikal

I want to clean an old bike. All of the parts (the kickstand, brake levers, cranks, cassette, spokes, rims, headset, etc.) are covered in dirt and/or grease. How would I go about taking care of this? Can I just soak everything in degreaser, then water, then dry them? Or should I simply just use some clean rags? Would I be able to soak everything in oxalic acid? If so, for how long? And what should I do to them after they've soaked in there? Maybe dip them in a water bath, then hit them with some compressed air?

I'm also looking to clean the inside of a frame - from rust, dirt, grease, etc. In addition, I want to preclude the inside from rusting - is there some sort of spray solution that accomplishes this? Is this even necessary? Maybe an OA bath would be appropriate here?

Thank you in advance for your help and suggestions.


cikal

chadwebster

wash with soad and water, NO water pressure at all, just barely spraying. after you wash it, spray wd40 o someother degreser on rag and rub down the greasy parts, dont spray wd40 in bearings or anything because it will strip all the grease out(not good), use car meguires paint cleaner, and then their wax for th paint, removing the pedals makes cleaning the pedals easier btw, clean chain with a rag with some kind of degreaser via running the chain backwords.

humblechoice

I use JP Weigle frame saver to stop rust inside the frame,I have used it in my shop for quite a while ,one can has enough for three to five frames. your lbs can order it United bicycle supply.

SilenceSeeker

To what extent are you going to disassemble the bike? If you're going to take it apart completely, then you can clean components like chain, cassette, derailleurs, chainrings and crank arms with a toothbrush in a tub with degreaser. In fact, everything that doesn't have a bearing can go in the tub. Just find out if you're degreaser is safe to use on rubber seals or not.
If you're gonna clean the bike when it's still in one piece, then your best friend will be a soft-bristled brush; you know, the kind you would use with a pan to sweep up dirt. I use two of these brushes: One for degreaser and one for car shampoo. I wet the bike, then scrub the derailleurs and drivetrain with the degreaser. I use the brush with the car shampoo on the brakes, seatpost clamp, bottle cages, bottom bracket area, brake and gear levers and all the other hard-to-reach places. The brush also makes cleaning rims very easy.

dennyd

Bike Washing -

I use a 2Gal plastic bucket, fill 1/2 with warm water an use some liquid dishwashing detergent. I use a largish bristle brush to clean everything, dipping into the bucket. To rinse, I have a 2Gallon pump-up sprayer with clean water - the kind sold for spraying bug spray, etc.

WHATEVER YOU DO, DO NOT PUT YOUR BIKE IN THE BATHTUB OR SHOWER to wash it!!!! I did that once, and it took me six months to get the black grease and grime out of the tile grout.

hope this helps,
dennyd

mkane77g

I use de greaser and a high pressure washer, if, the bike is comming completely apart, down to the nitty gritty

BikeMech

The grease on the tile is nothing compared to your wife/girlfriend finding out that you washed your bike in the bathtub....... I'm surprised i'm still alive. Personally i like to take an old toothbrush and some degreaser and scrub the chainrings and deraileurs then rinse them off with clean water and re-lubricate once they dry. As for my wheels i remove them and scrub the rim (Especially sidewalls) with degreaser and also the cassette and side of tire. Rinse with water and dry. Same thing can be done with the chain although if it's really messy like mine is right now (Century ride and got caught in tons of rain...) i prefer to take it off since it's much easier to clean and scrub with degreaser and rinse off (Repeat as many time as needed) then let it dry completely and re-lube it to prevent any rust from forming. To clean the frame you can use degreaser and a old washcloth but it will leave a slight film on the frame which can be seen in certain light. If your frame is dirty enough to where you need degreaser,by all means use it then rinse and wipe down with windex. Otherwise just clean it with windex.

Not the most professional bike cleaning method by any means but i use this method on my own bike and it works perfectly fine. Gotta use what you have y'know?