how do you clean your bike?
 

I went out and it was raining earlier today and my bike got a little dirty. How do you guys clean your bikes off, do you do any polishing with any compounds similar to what you would do on a car?

car wash Soap and water on a sponge for the frame.. rinse with garden pump sprayer. Add a coat of Bike Lust if i'm at the gf's house

I don't think bike paint is as tough as car paint so i would not mess with rubbing compounds. just wash it

About once a year or so.

I don't. My wife does it for me.













Just kidding. I wipe it down once and a while. And I use Pledge as well.

I use Windex and a rag. After I wipe down the frame with Windex, I use 303 protectant on the frame because I nude carbon bike which makes the bike shine. Then I am good for a few more months.

So its ok to use Windex on carbon parts?

I ride ti....spray with diluted Simple Green, let stand for a minute, rinse off with water from a flower sprinkler can, wipe dry. Every two weeks or so I'll take off the wheels and wash them with Blue Coral car wash soap and rinse with the sprinkler can.

I wash it in Oct./Nov when I put the roadie away for the winter. I wash it in my bathtub and just use soap. drivetrain gets a decent cleaning every 2 weeks

I just use dish detergent and water. Seems to work fine for me.

I usually use 409, since it's not as messy. I clean it rarely, though.

hose it off. dry it. baby wipes.

does water getting into a carbon frame do damage?

Yes, I have been cleaning my carbon fiber frame with Windex for more than a year and have never had any problems. I think Windex is mainly alcohol. I read that someone else uses 409 and think it would work about the same as Windex or any glass cleaner. I like Windex because it doesn't streak or leave any residue.

Water will not hurt the carbon fiber but water isn't good for the bearings in the bottom bracket or in the cassette. I use to use the hose to wash my bike and now only wipe it down with a rag and Windex or glass cleaner.

I take sterile cloths that would otherwise get thrown away at work and use them wet to wipe all the grit and grime off my bike. They also work well removing brake dust from my cars wheels.

EDIT: The cloths are unused.

+1

But keep high pressure water away from bearings. I just rinse w/ a water bottle of clean water.

Damp rag or baby wipes.

It's not really high pressure.. probably less pressure than out of a garden house using your thumb to create the spray. i do try to avoid the BB and hubs the most they get is dripping from everything else.

If it was in the rain/through puddles from trying to grow concrete curbs/sidewalks and asphalt, I'll let it dry and take a nail scrubbing brush to it.

Last time I hosed it off was the same time I screwed up the rear hub....won't be making that mistake again. :D

If I've been in the rain or it's particularly sloppy out, I rinse it off with a pitcher or flower watering can BEFORE I put it away. That takes care of a lot of the grit and road grime.

Otherwise I spray it down with some quick detailing spray from Meguiar's (or whatever else I have around) and give it a coat of my favorite spray quick wax, Duragloss Aquawax. Makes it nice and slippery and stuff doesn't stick so easily.

Ride it through the car wash.

Lately I have been using S100. Cleaner and wax in 1. ( I had been using it for the Harley and figured why not?)
LINK

Illustrated:
http://sprinterdellacasa.blogspot.co...your-bike.html

Not illustrated but with tangents:
http://sprinterdellacasa.blogspot.co...your-bike.html

cdr

I use car soap every other week or two and wax once or twice a year. The wax makes everything come off incredibly easy.

a certain level of grime makes my bike feel loved. Wipe off the chain and relube periodically. Also, don't lean against the couch. EVER.