Kalamae

I have a pretty nice road bike, and I don't want to wash it in any way that would harm the bike. Whats the safest and best way to wash your bike?

Thanks,

Michael

kster

I (sometimes) take off the wheels and then put the bike on a stand. Next step is to get some diluted Simple Green, and start wiping away.

For the chain and components, I use Park Tool's degreaser.

DXchulo

Just try to keep as much soap and water away from your hubs and your bottom bracket as you can and you should be ok.

TheKillerPenguin

I use Eagle One auto glass cleaner. Works wonders.

Guest

I have this microorganism mix that you activate with water that literally eats oil and grease. Add a toothbrush to the mix, and I've got a good scrubdown going and the bike is shiny clean with minimal mess. Afterwards, I get a baby wipe and some q-tips and wipe the bike down and do extra detailing as necessary.

Koffee

fmw

I wash my bikes with soap and water and a hose. No kidding. All you have to do is not use high pressure. I wash the bike with soapy water by hand and then rinse it with a nozzle free hose. Then I bounce it up and down a couple of times to shake out the water and let it dry. After it is dry, I wipe everything down with a soft cloth and apply Pedro's Bike Lust to the frame. I'm not sure it really helps but I like the name.

The concern is using high pressure water around the hubs. It is possible to get water into the bearings. So just rinse everything briefly without pressure and you will be fine. I've washed bikes like this for 40 years. I've never found the slightest problem when I repack hub bearings and I do that at the end of every riding season.

Portis

I watched some of Lance's mechanics washing his bikes with soap and water on some special on TV. I guess that makes it OK for me. That is what i do as well.

maalea

I just wipe it down with baby wipes.

StalkerZERO

I use a diaper of course.

serotta

I bought a cheap 4" paint brush at a home improvement store. I mix a bit of carwash soap in a bucket of water. I set the hose on fine spray and go to work. I use a dishwash soap degreaser for the chain with the big brush. Rinse, spin the crank backwards to fling off most of the water. Remove most of the water with a microfiber towel, then let the bike dry in the sun. Follow with a lub for the chain and jockey wheels. I've been doing this for 15 years and have yet to have problems.

feltrider

I use windex.

ZurichSeattle

I have one of those toilet cleaner brushes and use car washing soap. I remove the wheels first and make sure I really dry everything down properly then degrease the components and regrease/oil everything back up. Once a week. Clean your chain first before doing all of this.

I heard about a guy that waxes his bike, but I woudn't want to get that stuff in anywhere it shouldn't be so haven't gone that far yet.

Jakey

Pledge. I don't use degreaser on the chain....too big of a risk of it getting into places it shouldn't. I've seen what it will do to a free hub assembly, or the bearings in a rear hub. Run the chain through a rag....same fo the cassette...you can get all that crap off with a rag in a couple minutes..

biker7

I have to speak up because there is a lot of abuse going on to the road bikes on this board. A microorganism mix maybe safe and may not be. Many use biodegradeable Simple Green which is good for chains and chain rings but I would NEVER use it on any painted surfaces including anodized wheel coatings. Your best cleaning solution is PH balanced car wax detergent that is clear coat safe, highly dilluted in a bucket. Never take a toothbrush to a bicycle as it will scratch any component you take it to...and makes me cringe if you get it near the paint. Also NEVER take a hose to a road bike...will degrade hub and BB bearings in short order due to water ingress....not to mention cause water ingress into your wheelset and penetrate drain holes in a frame. Your best best is dipe the bike down with a damp microfiber cloth with mild car wash detergent (with carnuba wax ingredient) on it and then finish wipe with a dam cloth with only water. If you want to finish detail it...use a liquid detailer again with micro fiber cloth which is also clear coat safe and will protect the bike.
HTH,
George

oopfoo

So, you don't actually RIDE your bikes, right? Just detail them?

biker7

Wouldn't have to detail them if I didn't ride them. I spend very little time detailing them and a whole lot of time riding. Wipe...Wipe...every once in a while and they are clean.
You probably won't understand this but people detail their bikes like their cars...most have no idea what coatings are on the different surfaces and what chemicals and mechanical cleaning media...like the guy above who uses a toilet cleaning brush...lol... degrade the different surfaces...like using paper towel which is quite abrasive for example. All depends what you want...some consider a road bike an appliance...use it up, wash it with the hose...and throw it away. This may go over your head but...a show car detailing friend I have said most used cars when sold should have a detailing carfax to define what the buyer will inherit...bikes are no different. People ruin cars and bikes more than they wear out.
George

Guest

Point taken. But I'm cool with my stuff. I have no degrading of any paint surfaces or anything, and the bike looks brand new once I've used it. What you may have used (or heard of) may not be adequate for bikes, but what I use is perfectly adequate, and I'll continue to use it until someone tells me otherwise.

Koffee

RhumbRunner

Didn't somebody JUST tell you different?

DXchulo

LOL.....Is she calling him a nobody??

Guest

Someone told me different about some brand they know of, but not of what I use. I've been using my mix for a while now, and it's fine. Additionally, the toothbrush I use is so soft it is nearly unuseable, which is why I like to use it.

If someone wants to tell me about the mix I use specifically, then let me know. Otherwise, if you're referring to some brand that I don't use, why should I assume it's the same across the board for all of them?

My stuff is fine. I have no problems, and I have no complaints.

Koffee

Chucklehead

=\

i wonder if the micro organisms miss eachother after being together for so long only to be mixed with water and finally washed away. do they die once they've been used?

after a rain ride, i'll spray the bike down with a hose. no need for soap. for any other occasion, i just use auto prep.

RhumbRunner

I went to five places looking for Tri-Flow a couple weeks ago. In HD I asked for the spray lubes and was directed to the WD-40. When I explained (told) the salesman that WD was not a lubricant he said, "Sure it is, see, it says "stops squeaks, frees rusted parts" right on the label. I said, "See, it doesn't say "lubricant" on the label". His response was, "Well, I've been using it for 30 years on my fishing reels 'cause that's what my Grandaddy taught me and I'll use it "till somebody tells me "difernt".

Guest

Actually, it's activated once I mix it with water, then once I've rinsed the bike down, they are washed away.

I've heard of folks using diesel fuel. That has to be worse than an organic solution.

Koffee

RhumbRunner

Koffee, diesel "fuel" is no more than a light oil! It would be an excellent product to clean your chain and cassette. I preferr mineral spirits because it is several levels lighter and will evaporate without leaving a film...diesel will leave some film, but excess can be wiped off.

When you use water on a bike you ARE promoting rust! Maybe you won't find it on the frame or chain wheel. But, look at the ends of your cables or at the little springs inside your deraileurs.

I ride in SW Florida and trying to avoid "wet" is useless, but I will never exasperate the problem by adding water to my bike!

Lectron

Diesel fuel and lamp oil (liquid paraffin) works great.
And yes. It leaves a film, but a protective one that is.