Been told that jet washing can push dirt into bearing races etc.. Is this true?

It can wreck them for sure, probably more by getting water/degreaser in there, not sure if the precise cause has been determined.

It is not recommended to jetwash no. it is said to do that as well as wash away the lubricants in there. I got a new chainset yesterday and in the info with it it said “do not wash the bottom bracket with high-pressure jets of water”

Just stand back a bit more. There´s no need to try blast the paint off.

Despite all the advice to the contrary I’ve recently been jetwashing my bike at petrol stations after muddy rides. I only did it cause my neighbouring units complained about the dirt I was bringing though the common areas. It gets it so amazingly clean. I used to not clean it at all during winter and hardly ever anyway.
Its so good to have a bike that shifts smoothly now.
I’m going to be doing it regularly now.
Seals my bollocks – the bike runs so much better now.

Apparently your bike will vapourise if you say the words jet wash.

You would have to be a bit ham fisted to knacker your bike with one. Or maybe some bikes are made of cheese these days.

Jet washing will kill bearing and forks e.t.c. Your bike may run better now but in the long run jet washing will make than maintenance bill more expesive. Don’t ask me how I know.

I’ve had nothing but trouble after jet washing bikes. The last time the BB totally seized and I won’t be doing it again.

Bucket of hot soapy water from now on.

You would have to be a bit ham fisted to knacker your bike with one. Or maybe some bikes are made of cheese these days.

I bet you never go hungry with a fist made of ham and a bike made of cheese.

No im fine, as have my bikes for the past 20 years of using a jet wash to clean them. I guess some people just cant be left alone with hi tech equipment.

I clean my bike, not after every muddy ride, but when I do its done properly with a care, a bucket, brushes and a garden hose at most. I find that you tend to find stuff before it goes wrong, like loose spokes, bolts and tight or grumbly bearings. I treat it as a service inspection.
People I know who just tend to blast the dirt off and chuck the bike in the shed until next time tend to have more failures on the trails, holding every other bugger up or cutting the ride short.

Clean your bike properly and give a nice cuddle once in a while and it will love you back. 🙂

Obviously you dont go right up to the fork seals and blast them but gears, shifters perform much better.
My BB get completely immersed in mud regularly so I find it hard to believe that a bit of fresh water will kill it.
Even if it does its still probably cost effective for the amount of damage jetwashing saves my cassettes and mechs.

It’s all about the pressure ! You can use a jet wash if you are stood back so the bike is not blasted. As a guide a garden hose with your finger partially over the end is sufficient pressure. The best way to get dirt off is with a brush / sponge don’t substitute water pressure for that.

FWIW I have a pressure washer but never use it in bike or indeed cars, it’s too “aggressive”

The Don’t use a jet wash moniker is a nice catch all to stop blithering idiots without a vestige of mechanical sense ballsing things up and making hard to refute compensation claims.

My weapon of choice now is a snow foam lance attachment (for the jet wash) bought for cleaning the car but amazing for bikes. It turns everything in front of it into a winter wonderland; leave it to stand for 5mins and then wash off and its mint. I now roll all the bikes out whenever I do the car and do the lot in about 10mins.

I cant see what the issue would be

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I66rsg2DaHw[/video]

Had an old Karcher jetwash we used for cleaning patios and the white painted house.

It had a nozzle that rotated in the end. Turned up to max power it would rip the tarmac up off the driveway! And not small chunks either. Scary powerful!

Jet washing is okay as long as you stand back and only give it a quick going over to remove the big chunks. Don’t do any fine work with it as it will destroy sealed bearings.

jambalaya – Member

FWIW I have a pressure washer but never use it in bike or indeed cars, it’s too “aggressive”

FFS now you cant even use a JetWash on a car. seriously you couldnt make this up!!

Far out. Now I understand what Tom Cruise was talking about with his jetwash experience. Poor Goose hey.
While I was returning my jet washer to the holster I brushed past my foot. It completely ripped all my toes off …. I thought my 510’s would have protected them! Unbelievable.

After one nasty ride I had no choice but jetwash the bike, it could not go in the car that thing was caked with thick heavy mud clinging to everything. At one point I could barely move it. The jet wash got rid of the mud but afterwrds the BB and the front caliper were goosed. If I clean my bike I normally do it with a bucket and brush.

Just twiddle the nozzle to something less extreme, stand back a bit and only point it at right angles to the various seals.

A bit of common sense and it’ll be fine. 🙂

Common sense? Now you’re just being silly

not a fan of jetwashing (i’m not a fan of using any kind of water washing of my bikes) but if you’re going to do it a few things; as above don’t get to close and keep the jet clear of bearings (specially unprotected ones). But more importantly dry the bike off after, IMHO the residual water can do more damage to bearings with corrosion, especially at the bottom bracket where the water tends to collect and the plastic top hats have the habit of trapping the water close to the bb bearings. Alternatively if you leaving it to dry, leave it upside down.

FWIW I have a pressure washer but never use it in bike or indeed cars, it’s too “aggressive”

If your pressure washer is “too aggressive” to use on your car, I would suggest that next time you spend more on your car, than you do on your pressure washer.

Never had an issue with using jet washers on MTBs motorbikes, cars or anything else for that matter and I’ve been using them for at least 30 years

and get this ………. I also use Fairy liquid to clean bikes with, how **** close to the edge am I living here?

@stevewhyte & @neilglover – I use standard garden hose plus a bucket warm water and sponge for the cars and the bikes. I’m happy with that and would recommend others do the same which is what I’m doing in response to the OP. What you do with your stuff is up to you.

Jambalaya, I’m a professional Valeter/Detailer, and I wouldn’t put a sponge anywhere near any car.

They are grit magnets, you will be putting scratches all over your paintwork

As for pressure washers, you couldn’t damage car paint with one unless it was already cracked.

jambalaya – Member

@stevewhyte & @neilglover – I use standard garden hose plus a bucket warm water and sponge for the cars and the bikes. I’m happy with that and would recommend others do the same which is what I’m doing in response to the OP. What you do with your stuff is up to you.

Do you want a badge or something?

don’t let water get anywhere near my bikes when cleaning then, let alone pressure washers!

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crgujRcyhhE[/video]

less pressure the better imo.

I’ve seen what a decent pressure washer does microscopically to polymer coatings (ie paint). Don’t hold it too close to your car paintwork and don’t stay on one place or the water jet cutting is exactly what is going on but with less intensity. And it doesnt matter how much you spend on your car, the damage is still being done to the lacquer. We use pressure washers to crudely simulate rain droplets in flight as they do a lot of damage.

Ps I won’t use one on my bike. If I did it would be on the frame, tyres, wheels etc but from a distance and with a lot of care. But the small 12V ones might be a great deal gentler.

Ta for the feeback.. Think i’ll use the garden hose.. less kit to put away afterwards!! 8)

Just don’t bother washing your bike.

The short answer is your mileage may vary.

The long answer?

Well, like hugor I’ve been using a local garage’s pay and spray jetwash for years on my Enduro. I’m sensible – as in there is a gentle setting for cleaning alloy wheels which I use when spraying anything near the frame, forks or wheel bearings and I use the strong setting only for the tyres. I also use the foam brush all over the bike to help lift the dirt. I also never aim the spray in once place.

My six year old Pike Airs are just fine, with no anodizing wear or stanction damage. The bike’s bearings have needed replacement just once (although the horst pivot bearings need replacing again, not bad for an eight year old frame). I get a year out of a BB, despite using the bike about three times a week so I guess that I’m doing okay there.

One other point though, the foam brush will purge oil from your chainset, mechs and the insides of your cables with ruthless efficiency, so make sure you relube carefully as it’s easy to kill your cables in next to no time.