Using Muc Off drive chain cleaner & a Muc off chain doc cleaner.

[T4tomo]

True dat.

Anything which claims to be a cleaner will be aggressive to at least some of the things you want to preserve on your bike.

My weekly cleaning routine used to be a bucket of hot fairy liquid saturated water and a dustpan brush. I was chatting to a plant engineer a few weeks ago and he said "No!! Never ever put detergents anywhere near moving parts. If you're worried about dirt, blast it off with compressed air or water".

What he said seemed to make sense so I've been using the Karcher ever since.

did he warn you that the pressure washer could quite easily force water into your sealed bearings?

 

[T.M.H.N.E.T]

This again

 

[Ajax Bay]

@T.M.H.N.E.T
Maybe @Lovacott hasn't got any 'sealed bearings' to get high pressured water into? Therefore not an issue, then, "again".
Are you trying to deprive them of 'a bit of fun' with their Karcher?

 

[T.M.H.N.E.T]

@T.M.H.N.E.T
Maybe @Lovacott hasn't got any 'sealed bearings' to get high pressured water into? Therefore not an issue, then, "again".
Are you trying to deprive them of 'a bit of fun' with their Karcher?

Quite the opposite. Pressure washers are harmless when used right ie: don't concentrate the jet at bearings from an inch away

View: https://youtu.be/zVgfpw99vRI

 

[Midsrider]

@mickle has shared his cleaning routine. Think the 'salt in washing up liquid' thing is massively overdone, since you'll be rinsing off: the residual concentration is minute.
But since the OP comes here asking for advice, I think you need to be working on sonny Jim, on two points.
* Have you influenced this 'brand recognition means it must be good' syndrome your son has caught? Whether you have or not, I'd counsel trying to influence him to be rational and think for himself as opposed to gobbling what advertisers offer and 'wanting' only that product range. Who's paying? In what way does muc-off "give off an image" please?
* Bit concerned that you may be washing his bike for him. You will do him a service if you can encourage him (aged 13) to do this himself, and make self-sufficiency a life habit. Who cleans his football boots? Who oils his chain?
[Yes, I have a teenage son!]

Not sure what is going on here Ajax bay!!!!! ........but this post seems a little direct. I came here looking for simple advice on a few questions on the products and yes got offered some alternative advice - which is greatly appreciated. I have washed my bikes for years with car turtle wax wash, used a cheap de-greaser for the chain and an all round lube for the chain/drive chain.

Also sorry that I am concerning you, I don't mean to make you concerned....i do apologies.
He washes his bike actually, he takes a lot of pride as he bought this bike from his own money..........but even if I did.........

The muc off interest came as he had some when he had his old bike 2 years ago and he loves it, and yes it does work - money isn't the issue here really, but the products do work - but seeing what some have said the pink stuff does damage some bikes, so that has been noted too.

The yellow bottle for the drive chain, he will buy one of them and we will give that a go. We will leave the chain cleaning device for a bit as I am still in the habit of using a good brush on the chain.

Oh sorry forgot, he doe's not have football boots......and last few times, he oiled my chain too!

 

[Lovacott]

did he warn you that the pressure washer could quite easily force water into your sealed bearings?

I don't run the jet wash near the bearings. I aim the jet down on the chain and rotate the cranks backwards. It's only a little domestic Karcher but it makes cleaning the bike a breeze compared to mucking about with detergents and brushes. My wheels are cup and cone anyway with only the BB set being a cartridge.

 

[mickle]

It doesn't matter whether sealed/cartridge bearings or boring old cup 'n' cone - a high pressure spray will push past the seals and wreck them.

 

[Drago]

Even a hosepipe at moderate pressure is sufficient to infiltrate bearings, never mind a jetwasher.

Hell, having a bike on the roof of the car and driving in the rain is enough to drive water into bearings. Seriously. The pressure required to cause problems is very low.

 

[Ajax Bay]

We will leave the chain cleaning device for a bit as I am still in the habit of using a good brush on the chain.

Great. You have him well trained, obviously.
The trouble I found with one of those chain cleaning devices (received as a present) is that they do a reasonable job, but then cleaning the b****y 'device' afterwards is a pain in the proverbial.

 

[Lovacott]

It doesn't matter whether sealed/cartridge bearings or boring old cup 'n' cone - a high pressure spray will push past the seals and wreck them.

It depends on how you use the pressure washer. Being a small domestic washer, it's a pretty narrow jet so I can concentrate it where it is needed. I don't go near the bearings.

Meanwhile, someone spraying their bike with a detergent is bound to get some of that in places where they wouldn't want a detergent?

Having tried a few different cleaning methods, the pressure washer is by the far the best (for me) because it gets all of the grit off my chain in seconds and makes the job very simple and quick. Because it is so quick, I can do it after every muddy ride.

 

[Lovacott]

Even a hosepipe at moderate pressure is sufficient to infiltrate bearings, never mind a jetwasher.

Hell, having a bike on the roof of the car and driving in the rain is enough to drive water into bearings. Seriously. The pressure required to cause problems is very low.

So spraying a bike with detergent and then washing it down with a brush and water is going to do the same then?

 

[Lovacott]

It doesn't matter whether sealed/cartridge bearings or boring old cup 'n' cone - a high pressure spray will push past the seals and wreck them.

Cup and cone are easy to re-grease and cheap to replace (less than the cost of a single bottle of Muc Off).

 

[Tripster]

Muc Off bike cleaner left a mark on the Matt black finish on one off the seat stays on my Marin, horrible stuff, I just use car shampoo now, it’s dirt cheap, also on the bikes with a glossy finish I’ll go ott and use some car wax on the paint to keep the gloss up twice a year.

Are the matt black finishes on push irons not the same as the matt black motorbikes ? A Triumph dealer chatting to me once and said they just rinse with water, no polish, no cleaners as it shines the areas you clean up and leaves marks. Great for people who don't like cleaning routines.

 

[Tripster]

Never had a problem with Muc-Off. Its always on offer some place cheap. Also use Turtle Wax shampoo.
My sons 10 and washes his bike, will be today, and uses the little Muc Off pressure washer with bicycle nozzle. It makes it more fun so more inclined to use it than if I make him sponge it all. I don't make him do the chain as he would end up covered in oil/grease as would most of driveway
I use the mickle method for chains

 

[BurningLegs]

Good point about always being on offer somewhere @Tripster - premium products usually “do the rounds” between retailers wilt promotions.

I don’t use it for Muc-Off but the website HotUKDeals.co.uk is great for spotting offers and alerting for “hot” deals on products.