Cleaning tips
 

I was wondering what or how can i clean my bike... chains and cranksets and stuff? What do you guys use to clean your chains and how often do you clean it?

chain - remove from bike (hope you used a master link!), sit in washbucket with some lestoil and water for awhile. scruff clean with a toothbrush and more lestoil. dry with towel, re-install.

for everything else it's just a matter of getting down and dirty with a cloth and some water/cleaner. the toothbrush helps.

I do a decent cleaning every two weeks, clean and re-lube my chain monthly, do a down-to-the-components tear-down, degrease, clean, regrease, rebuild every 2-3 months. I like working and taking apart my bike.

I've always cleaned my frame with furniture polish. The cheapo dollar store stuff. Makes it shine. Also adds a "protective" layer and makes it easier to clean next time. Smells like oranges too...

clean chain the same as above.

I use urine.

So do I but only when I clean other people's bikes :D

for your chain, get a bottle of lestoil. about one part lestoil to five parts water in a plastic tub w/ chain. shake it a bit, let it sit for twenty minutes. do this three times, rinse the chain in water, dry it as much as you can and let it air dry (in front of a fan if you're cautious).
lestoil works better than simple green or parks chain cleaner by leaps and bounds.

cool thanks for the responses guys!

And don't forget some of that abrasive paste stuff mechanics use to de-grease your hands.

that stuff is a thing of beauty.

Nothing like a clean bike.

It's also easier to clean of a little dirt often vs once in a great while when everything has built up/caked on.

Water and a brush for the frame. Orange cleaner for the cogs and chainrings if grease has built-up. Park chain cleaner contraption for the chain w/ orange cleaner if it's not too dirty.