I make this short. When washing my bike i must have gone stupid. I had never really cleaned my chain on the new bike i got this year, but i always kept the bike clean [ white bike ] and also havent done much riding that would gunk up my chain and sprockets. Anyway i noticed that there was a build up of the teflon chain lube on the components that i use it on [ chain and sprockets ]. No big deal. After washing my bike and scrubbing the chain etc, i decide to use wd 40 to clean the little gunk that i though was left on the chain etc. So i just spray the stuff and lots of it not looking to see the black resin running down all over my frame. I am dumm i guess. Anyway by the time i went to get a cloth it had dried on the bike. I tryed using more WD but it just made more of a mess. Anyway i used this stuff called goo gone that took most of it off. I also didnt know it it harms paint or not. I got almost all of it off, but some how i think the bike looks more dull than it did before. I also waxed it after with jet wax. I dont know why i am threading this but i guess dont use WD 40 on your bike. Anyone else have any suggestions?

My bike was so clean before i did this. I was pissed. Its white.

Later :mad: please excuse my typing

Next time go with Simple Green to clean up the greasy parts.

Spray paint your bike flat black.
Come over to the dark side.

WD 40 repels grease and water. Bad!

Simple Green has been linked to aluminum weakening in the aerospace industry. I would suspect that aluminum bicycle components don't get along too well with it either.

Just a friendly FYI in case your frame is aluminum (and has some bare spots or exposed metal).

Hmmm, first I have heard of this. If it is true I wonder to what degree it weakens the aluminum. Just about everybody I know of in the real world and on-line uses simple green to clean their bikes. This includes many professional wrenches.

I don't doubt what you are saying. I'm just thinking that a very, very minute amount of weakening would be a much bigger deal in the middle of space compared to on our bikes.

I use car wash soap and simple grren on the tires when they are extremely muddy. Car wash soap seems to work great on my bike. I also keep it waxed and makes a huge difference when cleaning after a messy ride.

- i don't really care for some the newer chain lube stuff... after removing and thoroughly cleaning my chain (those plastic 'scrubbers' look useless, IMO), i use WD40 for lubrication... of course, i keep my bikes super clean, and with special attention to components after a dirty ride...

- btw, i was told by an engineer that an oil composition analysis of WD40 revealed a mix of many different types of oils, along with traces of beeswax!?

- some discussion can be found here: http://yarchive.net/chem/wd40.html

linux - those plastic 'scrubbers' are awesome! I use a park chain scrubber (filled with simple green) on my chain every few rides. It is one of the best tools I have purchased so far. It only takes about 30 seconds to clean your chain using one.

Oh, as far as WD-40 keep it away from your chain unless you enjoy replacing your drivetrain and chains more often than necessary. Use an oil designed for the type of abuse we put our equipment thru. The WD-40 will not hold up to the water and mud that our bikes see during normal riding. Of course opinions will vary though.

I use Easy Off oven cleaner on my natural finish bike, just spray it on, wait ten minutes and wipe off! It should work just as good on a white bike, I would think. It really brings it back to looking new, check it out out. Very easy to use, and does a great job!

Try one of those orange cleaners for greasy parts... and, after you wash your bike frame off, spray it down with Clorox bathroom cleaner with Teflon - seriously! Not as much mud will stick to it.

You must have a big oven, I guess you remove all rubber parts so they don't melt.

Never thought of the bathroom cleaner. I have always went with Pam for the muddy rides. :)

BTW, off topic but how is your son? Someone mentioned he hurt his leg at the last race.

You guys wash and wax your bikes???? :eek:

I agree, it works well, and it is fast and easy.

As for keeping the bike clean, I do wash it when needed, but I am not anal about having a clean bike. I concentrate on having super clean and well lubed drive train components.

- looks like other folks feel the same way... guess i'll give one a shot (don't think they're that much, IIRC)...

- tks!

Unless my bike is filthy I generally only give the drivetrain a quick cleaning. Other than that I generally only clean it up before a race.

If I am wrong about this, please forgive me, but I'm afraid this could be a malicious post. I'm pretty sure lye is a major ingredient in oven cleaner, and also in paint stripper. It's not my intention to smear anybody, and if I'm wrong I'm sure I'll get called out, but I don't want anybody to go trying this and find out the hard way.

Simple Green (and many other citrus cleaners) contain caustic base (aka lye or sodium hydroxide, although other bases are used). Caustic base will dissolve aluminum quite handily and is the first step in making alum. Unless you are planning on making a lot of pickles, I'd avoid cleaners containing caustic bases around your expensive aluminum parts or bicycles.

Oven cleaner is definitely caustic. Keep it far away from aluminum parts!

My GOD yes.....please..for the love of (insert something important here) DON'T USE EASY OFF!!

Probably a joke post but...never know..lol

One good use of Easy Off is stripping gun stocks down to refinish them..

Jeez! This guy, Cheath (MTB Guru) is the same guy who installed both Disk and V-Brakes on his bike! And now he's using oven cleaner... then rides 50-100 miles a day on terrain you'd think was unpassable! :eek:

Easy Off? Stay away from that stuff. As other have said, it is caustic soda and not only it does strip paint (as a matter of fact I use it as a paint stripper. It is as strong as brake fluid.) but it does ETCH and even MELT metal.

Take care,

Ricardo

the teflon cleaner doesn't wipe off all over you like the PAM does... the boy's fine - realy smashed his ankle, but nothing broken. Nothing some of Dr Steve's acupuncture & hydrotherapy didn't fix right up!