I found a bottle lying around at a festival a few months back and it worked surprisingly well…. Wet the bike. Squirt on blue stuff. Leave for 10 and rinse. Bike came up clean. Can’t remember the name of it. Was eco friendly, too.

So what can /would you recommend?

Minimum effort, maximum clean.

I just use fake muc-off stuff from the the pound shop. Proper bike cleaner too.

A hot water outside tap, a hose, and a decent brush.

A hot water outside tap, a hose, and a decent brush.

Sounds really labour intensive….

from the the pound shop

Severely lacking in Munich….

Does the MUC off stuff work? I’ll just add that to my crc basket.

If your bike can be cleaned by just spraying something on and then rinsing it off, it seems to me that your bike wasn’t that dirty in the first place.

Halfords one is cheaper and better IMO. But if you douse your bike in it it costs a fortune. I spray it on a sponge, wipe all over, then rise off – you use about a tenth as much. For the chain it’s douse that in cleaner, scrub with brush then rise, directing the hose into the chain links.

I use the guy Martin stuff , works pretty well .

Same here, seems sensible not to be shipping water about.
General Cleaner by Guy Martin: Refill pouch, making 1.5 litres of Bike Cleaner!

Bucket of water and sponge/brush to get lumps off.

Then a sprinkle hose attachment and sponge down to finish it off.

I dilute this in an old muc off bottle. Last for ages…

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F272138446555

https://www.wiggle.co.uk/fenwicks-concentrated-bike-cleaner/
£7.99 to make up 11 litres, I use an old mucoff bottle, great stuff if you dilute to about 8 litres, can also be used neat as a degreaser.

This stuff is excellent :

https://www.evanscycles.com/muc-off-urban-chain-and-gears-degreaser-EV148124

Aldi do it in their cheapy cycle range

Having tried mucoff and weldtite / halfirds I was always sceptical about bike cleaner over instead a a bucket of warm water a car shampoo but I got some Fenwicks cheap and it’s amazing and with the concentrated refills it works out a fraction of the price of mucoff.

I’m a big fan of the Uberbike concentrate cleaner. Excellent value, foams up upon spraying and is also blue

Are the sprays not just scented traffic film remover in a pump spray bottle?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TFR-CAUSTIC-TRAFFIC-FILM-REMOVER-25-LITRE-100-1-DE-GREASER-CLEANER-FREE-POST/272782328667

Fenwicks concentrate here.

Diluted Fairy liquid in a MucOff bottle. A bit of a rub with a brush and then a hose down.

I’m a sucker for marketing – I just use mucoff and find it works pretty well 😂

Another here for Fenwick concentrate.

Fenwick concentrate is 1/3 off at Wiggle at mo..

Are the sprays not just scented traffic film remover in a pump spray bottle?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TFR-CAUSTIC-TRAFFIC-FILM-REMOVER-25-LITRE-100-1-DE-GREASER-CLEANER-FREE-POST/272782328667

Basically yes, but the stuff in your link is caustic TFR so not ideal, non-caustic TFR is less harsh, and is basically Muc-Off at 5p/litre.

+1 , you don’t really want anything caustic near aluminium!

Are the sprays not just scented traffic film remover in a pump spray bottle?

I think they are (now) specially formulated for bikes however the effect is probably pretty similar.

Duck Smart dirt mover

Rinse off bike, spray on Duck smart, it becomes really foamy, then using a very soft brush i get in all the nook and crannies and go over all of the bike, rinse off and the bike drys to a nice shine

https://www.evanscycles.com/duck-smart-earth-mover-bike-cleaner-EV347189?wiz_medium=cpc&wiz_source=google&wiz_campaign=UK_Shopping_PR_Accessories_Bike%20Lubes%20&%20Cleaners&wiz_content=NISO_Bike%20Lubes%20&%20Cleaners_Duck%20Smart_No%20Year_Normal%20esvg_1410516&wiz_keyword=&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIrNvUotXo4wIVSLTtCh0BswlFEAQYASABEgJ-MPD_BwE

Let mud dry, brush it off with an old tea towel

Much better for bearings

Let mud dry, brush it off with an old tea towel

Much better for bearings

This is mostly my approach, but more because I don’t get much time to ride bikes let alone clean them! I tend to rub off the dry mud and degrease the drivetrain. If I’m going to spend time ‘cleaning’ I’d rather be servicing forks or something functional rather than just making things look shiny.

So this instead?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Traffic-Film-Remover-TFR-2-1-Non-Caustic-25-Litre-Drum-Car-Truck-Vehicle/112411892277?

After years with muc off and Fenwicks etc I just now use washing up liquid in a bucket with hot water. And a hose/hydroshot.

Towel dry with those fluffy car towels.

Sometimes use a paintbrush with a bit of Fenwicks on to pre-treat it.

Never have a problem with bearings.

My bikes look very tidy after years and it doesn’t take me that long to do.

After Muc-Off turned my Black Chris King hubs purple I no longer use these squirty type cleaners. Back to bucket, water and brushes. Currently using Crankalicious Mud Honey for foam making duties.

Soapy water and hose here after trying a zillion different types of cleaner. Tend to get bike from filthy to OK in about 5 mins.

I do brush some neat degreaser on the drivetrain (particularly on the roadbike) but I’ve had the same bottle of degreaser since 2015.

Diluted traffic film remover.

Wilcos bike wash