Cleaning your cycle, how far do you go?

[TC99]

I ride a Brompton and like to keep it very clean indeed. Mainly as I have had it from new and also as I don't like getting grime on my trousers and hands and so on. I am just starting with the whole hot waxed chain thing. What I don't get are all these really expensive cleaning sprays. What happened to hot water and car shampoo?
How deep do you go?

 

[Binky]

Given the utter crap weather when I return from a ride on road bike, quick hose down of worst of it, dry chain, apply wax to chain and that's it as I know next ride it'll be covered in crap again even with mudguards. Seems a bit futile to get it gleaming only to be ruined again within 15 mins of riding. As and when it dries up I'll apply a bit more TLC.

 

[Sea of vapours]

I mostly rinse my bike with a hose for about a minute after winter rides. Since I've previously used ceramic sprays on it, and since the chain is waxed, that makes it very clean with just cold water. Every few rides I wash it with dedicated Silca bike wash as I've bought into the idea that such things are better, long term, than either washing up liquid or car cleaners.

Depending on your nerd quotient, you may find this informative on the subject of using 'normal' soap products, especially on waxed drivetrains.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZH2Fe1m1QM

 

[Binky]

Forgive my cynicism but a Silca guy saying dont use soap use our products makes me consider marketing.

 

[Dadam]

I just use warm (not hot) water and car shampoo, then rinse with a hose (sprinkling, not a jet).
And life's too short to wax chains. Oil and rag does me.

 

[ianrauk]

Another here who says life is too short to wax a chain. @mickle method is all you need to keep a chain nice, clean and working well.

I like to keep all my bikes nice and clean as a matter of course. Not only do they run/ride better. When you are cleaning bikes regularly you do become a little more aware of any impending problems or issues.

 

[Binky]

I use Squirt wax so super easy.

 

[cyberknight]

Put it this way last week a did a full clean on the commuter so it was pristine and after one day the chain was so caked in muddy water that the lube had been stripped from the chain , the joys of country lane commuting.

 

[FrankCrank]

I've around a dozen bikes, and if they get a yearly wipe over with a manky rag they're lucky.
Maybe that's why they don't like me.

 

[Sea of vapours]

And life's too short to wax chains. Oil and rag does me.

Another here who says life is too short to wax a chain. @mickle method is all you need to keep a chain nice, clean and working well.

I used the oil/rag method for years and it's fine. Regarding life being too short, however, I'd reverse those statements.
- Actually waxing the chain (immersive wax) takes me about three minutes 'work' which is less than the oil/rag method used to take me.
- Additionally, I save an awful lot of time in overall bike cleaning since there's no oil-based lubricant anywhere, so all the dirt just rinses off.
- Again, I'm sure ceramic coating helps considerably with the effectiveness of cold water rinsing, hence cleaning agents which don't remove that coating are a good choice.

 

[Sharky]

I have summer bikes and winter bikes. The summer bikes, don't really get dirty, so just an occasional clean.

The winter bikes do get dirty. I always keep an eye on the transmission and keep it reasonably clean. The rest of the bike, just wipe off the excess mud occasionally.

For your Brompton, if you are taking it on the train, or into the office, you want to carry on keeping it as clean as possible. You don't want mud getting on to your clothes or in the office.

 

[Drago]

Brillo pad, wire brush, a wipe over, and my Y fronts are then clean enough to give the bike a wipe down.

 

[kynikos]

Natural products only and no chemicals so rainwater only for me.

When it's raining.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

I am on my bike 5-6 days a week. All weathers. I keep the drive train running smoothly. I have mudguards on year round. Washing the wheel rims and frame etc can wait till the lanes are not full of skog. Anything cleaned will just end up skogged again the next day. Mudguards do keep the worst off though.

When I do wash the frame and rims just good old hot water, brushes and cloths etc.

 

[Binky]

Just come back from a spin around the local roads which inevitably were wet and muddy. I got back and a quick rinse with hosepipe. That's it. Before and after rinse pics.