We've got an old Bianchi "Forza" with a combination of the classic light green, and a sort of opalescent white for the downtube and stays. It's not a collectors item, but has been in commuting service for some time, and has a lot of that black gunk that comes off the brakes and rims. That stuff seems intractable. I've tried a number of different things to remove it from another bike of similar age, no go. I don't want to try anything that will attack the paint.

I hope this is appropriate to ask here. Is there a way to clean up this bike? It deserves to be a pretty bike.

Depending on how dirty the frame is I will start with either a bucket of warm soapy water and Park tool cleaning brushes, which I then rinse with a spray bottle and then wipe down with an old towel or I will use Armor all wipes if its just dusty. Once clean I like to use the process If you are overhauling its easier to clean and wax when its down to the frame

I typically use an orange/citrus degreaser for general cleaning on my commuter bike, followed by a wipe down with a wet cloth. The citrus degreaser is especially helpful for removing the black crud that accumulates on rims.