Cleaning your cycle, how far do you go?

[sevenfourate]

I use Dog shampoo...its more expensive for a reason

The reason being the same as products proceeded with words such as; Wedding, Yacht, Golf etc. Because they know they can inflate a products perceived value / luxury to that market and still sell it……

 

[Binky]

As I said and actually did yesterday, this time of year it's a quick hose down and that's it. Come better weather I'll wash bike properly and I use car shampoo and about once a year I'll put car wax on frame to make it shiny and repel water.

In saying that, my bike is now 9 years old so I'm a lot less fussy than when it was new. I'm planning on a new bike this spring so that will be kept gleaming until novelty inevitably wears off.
I do though always ensure drive train/brakes in good condition regardless.

 

[mickle]

For my shiny bikes I'll break out the car shampoo and brush when they get too grotty. My utility bikes i largely ignore from one season to the next. With the exception of the transmission. Theres something appealing about a crappy looking, dirty commuter - with an immaculately clean chain. I will wipe skank off the rims from time to time to minimise erosion.

 

[Webbo2]

Then don't ride through 6 inches of water and slurry.

View attachment 798849

That would mean not going out for a ride at the moment. Oh hang it’s 4 degrees and drizzling maybe that’s a good thing.😉

 

[Dadam]

This in spades. I'll clean my bike after a wet commute - it doesn't take long. I just use car shampoo - I buy big 20l drums which last me and age and work out very cheap. Just decant into 2.5l tub as and when I need it.

20L!!

I have a 500ml bottle of concentrated car shampoo I bought in the late 2000s and still has some in. To do our 2 cars it needs a couple of squirts in a bucket of water, and a squirt is more than enough to do a few bikes. Last few years I only wash the cars 2/3 times a year but early on I was doing it every fortnight or so. It was decent stuff and not cheap but has been good value. Maybe super concentrated, I don't know

 

[Gwylan]

NHS England » National standards of healthcare cleanliness 2025 https://share.google/giWdCTwuqkEa0Ir9U

In case you feel cycling needs a draft set of directions for standards of bike cleaning.

 

[fossyant]

20L!!

I have a 500ml bottle of concentrated car shampoo I bought in the late 2000s and still has some in.

Are you a Yorkshireman ? Mine is super concentrated Turtle Wax Professional. 20l lasts a long time, but it's about £25. Compare a 2.5l tub in Halfords and that's £10 at least.

But, I wash two cars every week, and one is a van.

I was thinking of getting a sticker on the back 'Dear Police, if this van is dirty, please stop it, it's been stolen'.

 

[Dadam]

Are you a Yorkshireman ?

😁 Found the receipt in my emails, it was Feb 2006 (!) although I did order 2 bottles not one. And it's good stuff too. Poorboy's Super Slick and Suds from a specialist car detailing site. Clearly good shelf life too! Though as I say, my wash frequency for the cars has declined somewhat in recent years.

 

[AlBaker]

I don't ride in inclement weather so I just have to wipe the dust off with a soft rag. One bike is all black and that really shows the dust. The other bike is light blue and still shows the dust but not as bad. I do pay attention to the wheel rims and spokes each time I clean and lube the chain every 100 miles (160 km). Occasionally I use a spray wax, just spray it on and wipe it off. Both bikes look new.

 

[Binky]

I don't ride in inclement weather so I just have to wipe the dust off with a soft rag. One bike is all black and that really shows the dust. The other bike is light blue and still shows the dust but not as bad. I do pay attention to the wheel rims and spokes each time I clean and lube the chain every 100 miles (160 km). Occasionally I use a spray wax, just spray it on and wipe it off. Both bikes look new.

So you only ride when roads are bone dry, no mud or crap on them? If I only cycled in say Mallorca I'd manage that but as an unashamed fair weather cyclist I do go if not actualy raining but at this time of year in UK it's almost inevitable roads be stinking. Yesterday an example, lovely day and dry but roads a right state and bike came back filthy.

 

[AlBaker]

So you only ride when roads are bone dry, no mud or crap on them? If I only cycled in say Mallorca I'd manage that but as an unashamed fair weather cyclist I do go if not actualy raining but at this time of year in UK it's almost inevitable roads be stinking. Yesterday an example, lovely day and dry but roads a right state and bike came back filthy.

Yes, only on dry, local roads. I don't ride far, no further than about 20 miles. I don't go mudding or riding in the rain.

When it came to motorcycling, that was a whole different matter. I have ridden in snow and torrential rain at night. It rained so heavily, one time, I had to remove my sunglasses and shield my eyes. My wife took her sunglasses off because the water literally filled up between them and her face. I've ridden in frosty ball runs in winter, riding 70 miles just to get to the start of the run. One morning, two of us decided to hit the road when it was 11 F ( - 11 C) but the bikes wouldn't start. I took the battery out, put it over a heat vent, put a charger on it and it was 13 F (- 10C) when we got on the road. We were out most of the day, with a high of 16F (- 9C). Plenty of other situations, too. I was not a fair weather rider. Now at almost 80 years of age, and living in Florida, I don't ride a motorcycle and I don't care to ride in mucky conditions, not that we have any. The roads are clean.

 

[Binky]

and living in Florida

Ah the key phrase. I rather suspect your opportunites to ride on dry roads are somewhat more than here in UK.

 

[AlBaker]

Ah the key phrase. I rather suspect your opportunites to ride on dry roads are somewhat more than here in UK.

That's what I understand. I like to keep up with the UK news. Occasionally, I strip down to swim trunks and go riding in the rain, but it's not mucky. It's very refreshing.

 

[Dogtrousers]

It depends. Bike gets hosed down when returning from filthy ride while mud ist still soft. Chain/drivetrain normally gets a clean/relube later. The rest is as much inspection and checking as cleaning. All depends how dirty it is whether it actually gets cleaned. Brakes given the once over. Headset and BB wobbled to see if the bearings are ok. That kind of thing. Looking for general problems.

I use warm water plus a random cleaning product. Normally Flash or similar.

 

[Ian H]

Car shampoo and rinse. Wipe chain and relube sparingly. Mostly it's a chance to check the bike over and find any potential problems. Every so often I'll do a thorough clean,! with white spirit and stuff.