Anyone tried Elbow Grease?
Yes, honestly.
I'm always a bit wary of using hosepipes around my bikes; it's too easy to blast the bearings and force water in. I do use one occasionally when I've been out in the winter, from the hot tap, but make sure it's a very weak flow.
I much prefer a sponge and hot water; gets you close up and you can inspect the bike at the same time.
It's an old roadie thing, making sure everything is clean and working before putting the bike away.
I've a mate who uses a little pressure washing thing; his drive train is the third new one, mine is original and 3 years old, we bought our bikes at the same time...
What about shower shine pre ride? 😐
Personally I dry mine off with an air compressor.
damo2576 - Member
Oh and try putting washing up liquid in your dishwasher then tonight.
Ah, now I have done that .... should have seen the look on the wife's face 😮
I tried bleach in the washing machine(to get rid of the smell) it was like a foam party in Ibiza, cleaned the floor a treat. 
Anyone tried Elbow Grease?
I'd like to know where to get this.
On the same shelf as the glass hammer, long weight and left-handed screwdriver I believe.
Following the previous discussion I decided to repeat some of my tests, not vs competitor products but vs substitute products, i.e. washing up liquid and tfr as suggested here.
[url= http://dirtwork.posterous.com/washing-up-liquid-and-traffic-film-remover ]http://dirtwork.posterous.com/washing-up-liquid-and-traffic-film-remover[/url]
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I would be careful with the drying off with an air compressor. You could end up forcing the water in behind seals etc.
[i]1. How much salt is in washing up liquid?[/i]
5%
[i]2. What amount of salt is used in a standard bike washing dose?[/i]
Some grams (enough)
[i]3. What concentration of salt is in the standard soapy water in bucket that people use?[/i]
Some grams (enough)
[i]4. What concentration of salt remains after a cursory rinse?[/i]
Enough to rust headset bearings solid in a matter of days and cost £50 or more to replace.
[i]5. What concentration of salt remains after a through rinse?[/i]
Enough to rust headset bearings solid in a matter of days and cost £50 or more to replace (once the saline soloution is in the bearings, it is hard to get out, especially if you don't know it is there!).
[i]6. How do the above concentrations compare with the salt concentration found on the bike after a winter road ride on gritted roads?[/i]
About the same, but that isn't poured / scooshed / scrubbed onto the frame in the same way, and especially not down into the headset or in quantity onto the brakes.
[i]7. What is the salt concentration of mud?[/i]
From 0.00001% to 100%, what mud?
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Whatever way you look at it, my experience is that using washing up liquid has messed up my headset and my brakes (organic pads). If your experience is it works fine, then great, please be my guest and continue to use Fairy on your bike. There is room for both experiences.
I can only warn others regarding my experience.
You could end up forcing the water in behind seals etc
Probably not as bad as forcing remnants of strong degreaser behind seals though.
I rode to the garage this afternoon to pick up my car after a service, getting the bike and myself covered in mud in the process; while I waited for the bill the garage offered to jetwash my bike and then dried it with an air line so I didn't get the car dirty when I put it in the boot. After this abuse and all my years of using generic cleaning products I'm expecting to open the garage tomorrow to find a small pile of metallic oxides and some semi-dissolved plastic where my bike used to be.
Then again, it could still be ok. 😉
If I'm out of watered down mucoff (usually) I use watered down kitchen or bathroom surface cleaner spray, it seems to have greater similarites to muc off than fairy liquid and it's in a handy squirty bottle. Lifts the dirt off nicely, no obvious side effects.
If I'm out of watered down mucoff (usually) I use watered down kitchen or bathroom surface cleaner spray, it seems to have greater similarites to muc off than fairy liquid and it's in a handy squirty bottle. Lifts the dirt off nicely, no obvious side effects.
In all seriousness I really wouldn't used bathroom sprays if they contain sodium hypochlorite (check the label), its a chlorine donor (bleach) and is highly corrosive. Sames for QACs which some contain.
In that case washing up liquid would certainly be the better choice.
what about kitchen surface cleaner then - it's supposed to be safe enough for babies to eat...
to eat off... not eat!
[i]Enough to rust headset bearings solid in a matter of days and cost £50 or more to replace.[/i]
Hmmmm.
Call me Mr Cynical, call me Doubting Thomas, call me Dennis don't believe it, but I suspect a certain amount of user error may have occurred here...
muck on is an alternative to muc off,
leave it caked on, stops the salt fairy attacking your bike . . .
try searching on line for products containing d-limonene ,it is from lemons and oranges and is a very good natural cleaner degreaser ,you will need to dilute it but if you are using pedros etc on the label it will tell you the concentration on the label. if i remember 5lts from rs/arco etc was around 10 - 20 and you will dilute it down so would last for years ,but you must remember to lube after use as it degreases.
link. http://www.arco.co.uk/products/3449005
[quote=7hz]Enough to rust headset bearings solid in a matter of days and cost £50 or more to replace.
[quote=crikey]Hmmmm.
Call me Mr Cynical, call me Doubting Thomas, call me Dennis don't believe it, but I suspect a certain amount of user error may have occurred here...
Jesus what the f are you like?
YES THERE WAS USER ERROR, I WASHED MY F**G BIKE WITH F**G WASHING UP LIQUID!
Here is how it went.
A couple of years ago, my headset stuck solid on a 2 year old Cannondale. I sent it to the bike shop, and got a new one put in. I couldn't figure out what had gone wrong. I got the old bearings back from the shop, the top one was badly rusted.
Now, 2 months ago, the same things happens to the same bike. And you know what, that was right after I had run out of bike cleaner, and [b]used washing up liquid for the 1st time in 2 years[/b].
2 plus 2 = 4
If it works for you, f**g fantastic, I am f**g over the f**g moon, but it f*d up my f**g bike costing me over a hundred f**g pounds. I f**g know because it f*****g happened to me, so get the **** of my f**g case and awa boil yer f**g head ya wassock.
🙂
(all meant in good humour)
😀
Ooooh, sweary mary!
I'm not that sure that one episode of using washing up liquid should get all the blame.
However, in the light of your heartfelt protestation, I would offer the following advice;
[u]Don't [b]you[/b] wash [b]your[/b] bike with that stuff again.[/u]
Everyone else will probably be ok.
I use Wilkinson's (Wilko) window cleaner in the spray applicator oh, and a brush from a dust pan and brush set. Works a treat! 😀
Towel down & relube, all is well. (Ooo matron!) 😉
Washing up liquid is great for cleaning bikes, has no undesirable effect on bearings or brakes, and has been proven by myself and others for DECADES FFS!!!!!
All this talk about corrosive properties is fine in theory but in practice is absolute nonsense.
I have a couple of old trials bikes which have numerous bare alloy parts all over them (not laquered) and the fairy liquid has had no ill effect after literally hundreds of washes over 20 years.
Now lets stop the "deadly salt myth" Jeez!
After reading all this thread I went into the cupboards at work and dug out a bottle of NAOH pellets.
I spent the evening throwing them at my bike and so far it hasn't dissolved.
Tomorrow I will borrow a shot blaster and see if that is any good for the job
I used Muc-off for a couple of years and found it made my Black King hubs go purple and Fox red anodized knobs pink..... will your Magic Potion do the same Damo??
Now use Fairy liquid which has had no negative effect on my bikes parts
All this talk about corrosive properties is fine in theory but in practice is absolute nonsense.
Mr. Vanderspek, meet 7hz who may beg to differ.
Please, somebody poke [b]7hz[/b] again! 😀
In fact I'm going to break out the hydrofluric for cleaning this weekend. Might as well go the whole hog and really test it out.
In fact I'm going to break out the hydrofluric for cleaning this weekend. Might as well go the whole hog and really test it out.
😀 Don't forget your Marigolds.
To bring this topic back on topic, I've used:
Muc Off, the best.
Hope Sh1t Shifter, not bad at all.
Fenwicks at 10 to 1, not as good as Muc Off
Fenwicks at 7 to one, as good as Muc Off & still a lot cheaper.
Weldtite - erm, using this at present as it's what the lbs had. Similar to 10/1 Fenwicks.
Will be going back to Fenwicks when this runs out.
The trouble with muc off etc is that they are wetting agents. They break down the meniscus on water and allow it to penetrate much further. i.e into bearings. Which then pit and rust. Since I stopped using it I'm getting proper expected lifetimes out of my BBs and hubs etc instead of 3 months. I just rinse with a hose and brush now, if necessary. If the drivetrain needs a proper cleaning I take it off and use something stronger. So in answer to the OP yes, but no.
I think that is a good point devs - water gets mud off just the same as any fancy stuff, and is by far the safest (and cheapest) option. An oily rag will shine a frame and stop mud sticking as much.
Why exactly are we throwing all these chemicals at our bikes?
Cleaning the drivetrain is a different matter, and something is needed to get that grease / oil / muck off.
The trouble with muc off etc is that they are wetting agents. They break down the meniscus on water and allow it to penetrate much further. i.e into bearings.
I thought that wetting agents make the water [i]less[/i] likely to get into bearings? Surfactant -> lower surface tension -> less capillary action -> can't squeeze through seals into bearings.
Have I got that right, chemists?