Salt on roads

[Jason.T]

My very first frosty ride yesterday after picking up the winter gear from aldi, never tried any other winter grear before so can't compare but I was very impressed and very warm

Anyway should I be rinsing my bike down after a ride due to the salt on the road, my bike is full carbon but obviously the components could rust, is a good rinse with a hose good enough or should I really be giving it a good wash down with hot soapy water

 

[User6179]

If you don't have mudguards I would get them then you don't have to worry so much about what comes off the road onto your bike , personally would not wash my bike with a degreaser such as washing up liquid as I believe they contain salts and have seen them dull down paint on cars ( older cars) plus they degrease everything , I just hose of any crap and dry with a cloth , pay special attention to braking surface and brake pads.

 

[Jason.T]

If you don't have mudguards I would get them then you don't have to worry so much about what comes off the road onto your bike , personally would not wash my bike with a degreaser such as washing up liquid as I believe they contain salts and have seen them dull down paint on cars ( older cars) plus they degrease everything , I just hose of any crap and dry with a cloth , pay special attention to braking surface and brake pads.

Cheers mate, I gave it a good hose down last night when I got back, i then brought the bike into the house to dry off before I put it in the shed

 

[ianrauk]

Don't worry about the scare stories of washing up liquid. As long as you rinse off it will be fine. It has served me very well over many winters without doing any harm to the components of my bikes what so ever. And as regards to my car, well the paint works looks just as new as when it was bought in 2008 after many washes with washing up liquid.

Just keep your bike cleaned and lubed, nothing overly special and it will be fine.

 

[User6179]

Don't worry about the scare stories of washing up liquid. As long as you rinse off it will be fine. It has served me very well over many winters without doing any harm to the components of my bikes what so ever. And as regards to my car, well the paint works looks just as new as when it was bought in 2008 after many washes with washing up liquid.

Just keep your bike cleaned and lubed, nothing overly special and it will be fine.

Most cars have a lacquered finish nowadays and will be fine but years ago when you could t-cut a car washing up liquid turned paint jobs dull , the point of not using washing up liquid is because it degreases everything , fine if you then oil everything afterwards but not great if you miss a bit.

 

[Deleted member 23692]

Washing up liquid, being a degreaser, strips the protective waxes off and out of the paint on cars which then leaves it open to oxidisation... ergo dull paint. As a cleaner it's very good

 

[jowwy]

Washing up liquid, being a degreaser, strips the protective waxes off and out of the paint on cars which then leaves it open to oxidisation... ergo dull paint. As a cleaner it's very good

but he's not cleaning his car - i spray mine with muc off, drink coffee, hose down to remove muc off and crap - dry with cloth, then relube before carefully placing the bike bike on its stand in the shed, but then my bike won't rust, oxidise or become dull through cleaning

 

[PhilDawson8270]

ACF50 is very good, but used as protection not for cleaning.

 

[steveindenmark]

This sounds daft but my 84 motorbike mad father in law taught me how to clean bikes and motorbikes many years ago.

If the bike is really dirty never use tap water but use a bucket of rainwater. I have no idea what the difference is but there is a difference. We have never had rust on bikes or motorbikes.

If the bikes are only slightly dirty, or you are storing the bike for winter, use a rag and car wax and wipe the whole bike down including cables,,wheels and metal parts and then polish it off.

It works on my bikes, even my 1956 Moto Guzzi



Steve

 

[screenman]

Well as somebody who works with car bodywork and paints 6 days a week, guess what I use? Yep! Washing up liquid and worse TFR and a jet wash. No dull bikes or cars here either.