Bike cleaning products

I’ve never really bothered with any of these bike cleaning sprays. Does anyone here actually use them? Just wondered if they are actually better than a bit of warm soapy water and elbow grease. I was looking at Muc Off but it’s bloomin’ expensive.

No. Nothing wrong with a bit of water/ cheap car shampoo, elbow grease and a rinse off after.

I just use a caravan cleaning hose brush and water. Fenwicks FS1 works well but it’s not needed really and muc off has been know to cause damage. I’d rather just use water than wash grease and lube out with a chemical cleaner

Yeah, that’s what I thought. They all make claims about protective properties but i’m a bit dubious about if they actually cause damage to some materials. I found the hard way that MRP chain guides don’t like GT85 very much.

Saying that, anyone tried – http://ride.io/reviews/ducksmart-cleaning-products-review/

I blast off any clumps with hose then spray over with mucoff
then go and get a bowl of warm water and give it a once over with a sponge. bit of lube on the seals and job done. comes up a right treat.

Does anyone here actually use them?

Yes but no the bike specific ones cos they a too dear.

I use http://www.screwfix.com/p/swarfega-oil-grease-remover-5ltr/20817

Check out the dilution ratio… 8)

This seems to work as well anything else.

But

Yak – Member

No. Nothing wrong with a bit of water/ cheap car shampoo, elbow grease and a rinse off after.
Probably 🙂

Makes it easier and less messy though. Seem to spend less time on the drivetrain after a quick spray with one of these, so I’m more likely to do it properly.

Similar to jaffejoffer, but give it a wash with a little car shampoo in warm water after the Muc Off. Dry it off,lube the forks shock and dropper with Fork Juice. Leave it by the radiator in the kitchen to dry then clean and lube the chain. No damage to any of my previous bikes, been using it for years, sometimes three times a week.

….. and so’s your paint!

fenwicks concentrate for cleaning chains (shake the chain in a bottle)
water and a brush for the bike normally, occasionally use dilute fenwicks if I want to get it properly clean

edit but I think I may be swapping to swarfega thanks patriotpro

Got given some muck muncher to try…..really rather jolly good. Certainly as good a the pink mucc off and the sh1t shifter

Yes but no the bike specific ones cos they are too dear.
I use http://www.screwfix.com/p/swarfega-oil-grease-remover-5ltr/20817
Check out the dilution ratio…

Wow, 1:50… Homeopathic bike wash?

(I don’t doubt it, I use swarfega handwash, great stuff)

I use golden ale or something similar

after a bottle or two the bike looks clean enough 🙂

I use Hope Sh1t shifter when the bike really needs it with just warm water and a sponge in between.

Our bikes get stripped and lubed regularly so I get chance to clean them up as I go.

patriot, does that swarfega stuff work well on chain etc and what ratio do you use?
One of the reviews says it was no good at removing the grease even when used neat.

It’s ok if your bike cleaning/maintenance is regular but then I use a proper degreaser for the chain.

The swarfega stuff stuck in an old fenwicks bottle at the recommended dilution is sound for cosmetic cleaning.

I’m a tart so car shampoo / polish on the Inbred – regularly.

I’m nervous about chemicals on carbon so just water.

I use Park Tools lemon degreaser for the chainset.

Awesome stuff, and a quid a bottle.

Car shampoo and warm water normally for me, but I do use Fenwicks too (especially away from home). Always use a proper degreaser and chain cleaner for the drivetrain.

I’ve got to admit that I give it a wipe down with Bike Spray afterwards. The bike is also bought in the house afterwards to try and dry out any water sitting in places that it shouldn’t.

Hope Sh%t Shifter works well. One bottle at a fiver lasts a year.

Don’t see the point fannying about trying to save £2.50 a year on a multi thousand pound bike by covering it in cheaper stuff that may or may not be suitable.

For the MTB, I hose it off when I get back so the mud doesn’t dry. Then dry off the chain and lube so it doesn’t rust. Every few weeks I will give the chain a decent clean and lube. Other that that, it generally gets neglected.

Road bike seems to get an oily film on it, I put some chain degreaser on a rag and give the worst bits of the frame a wipe before hosing it off. Chain gets a quick dry/lube.

Neither bikes look showroom but generally all the bits work silently which is all I want.

Let the dirt dry then vacuum it off

Big fan of FS1 neat for cleaning chain & cassette and it watered down to FS10 for the rest of the bike.

Having used Muc Off & Sh!tShifter as well, along with car cleaners & even Fairy liquid I’d say Fenwicks is by far the superior cleaner. Juar wet the bike, spray it on, come back a minute later and hose it off again.

Bike comes up gleaming for very little effort.

I have gone full circle

Car shampoo -> Muc off -> Fenwicks -> car shampoo

Muc off and Fenwicks work, spray on, agitate with brush rinse off. If I had to choose I would say the Fenwicks gave better results.

However a bucket of warm soapy water and a sponge does just as well. I spent a rainy afternoon washing my bikes, cleaning every bit of mud an grease off them before treating the frames with Armourall Shield Wax. It works on the car so thought it might help with the bikes. You can treat a whole bike frame with a thimble full. Now after every ride a quick rinse with the hose has the mud falling of and the water rolling off nicely. Then once a month a wash with car shampoo, a sponge and a bucket of warm water. When away from home one of those hand pump pressure washer things does a decent job rinsing the mud off.

The Fenwicks FS1 does a great job on the chain

I remember some in MBUK yeeears ago about bike cleaners. Started off saying “You may think fairy liquid is just the job, but ingredients can damage your paint and other components. Here we look at some specialist bike products… Make sure you don’t leave the Muc-Off on too long, or it can damage you paint and other components…”

M’kay.

hose down and leave for a bit so the mud gets mobile, couple of caps of Flash in mop bucket and have at it with a dustpan-and-brush brush.

Best bike cleany tip I got from here was baby wipes for the drivetrain, quick and easy to use, check your progress by the colour of the wipe. I’ve also started using them as a final wipe of the paint after cleaning. It’s alwasys disappointing to do the final rinse and have it gleaming, look back when it’s dry and there’s a dull coat of fine swirly muck on the paint.

Makes me sound anal on cleaning. I hardly ever do more than a quick hose off and a wipe of the drivey bits. If there’s a perfect storm of perceived need of a proper clean, nice weather and sufficient enthusiasm, I do like to get into it, man, properly dig the process.

baby wipes on your bike? ffs 😆

don’t forget to moisturise it too

Baby wipes are awesome. You can literally clean anything off with them, and they work out much cheaper than any other types of cleaning wipes.

Used to use Muc Off but wasn’t convinced it was very effective, so now use the hose to remove the big stuff, warm water and a little Auto Glym Car shampoo , rinse and leather dry. I’ve been using dry lubes for the last 18 months so chain degreasing is very rare nowadays but when required the old jar of petrol and a rag works a treat.

Under £20 for 1000 litres (once diluted to correct level)

http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/110657541799

(You can buy smaller quantities obviously.)

Basically what MucOff/Fenwicks is but for 1% of the price.

Hope Sh%t Shifter works well. One bottle at a fiver lasts a year.

How often are you washing your bike?

Don’t see the point fannying about trying to save £2.50 a year on a multi thousand pound bike by covering it in cheaper stuff that may or may not be suitable.

£2.50 a year?

rocketman – Member
Let the dirt dry then vacuum it off

For the really stubborn bits, you can use a hammer n chisel too 😆

How often are you washing your bike?

About once a week.

£2.50 a year?

1 bottle of Hope = about a fiver.

1 bottle of whatever car / hair shampoo you think will save you money, may be about two fifty.

It’s just approximate mind.

About once a week.

On a turbo-trainer?

1 bottle of whatever car / hair shampoo you think will save you money, may be about two fifty.

The Swarfega stuff is £8.09 for 5 litres with a dilution rate of 1:50…

PS – tempted to give stardrops a go for retro-value alone 8)

On a turbo-trainer?

No, outside 5 days a week, was 200 miles last week, mostly off road. Drivechain gets wipe down and lube every day. Bike gets washed once a week.

I just use car soap and hot water with a brush.

Zip Wax FTW, 5l bottle from Halfords has been doing me for years.

Stardrops here as well, and Morgan blue on the chain every now and then

Everyone should have a snow foam lance in their lives. Awesome on the car and great on the bike too. I try to combine doing them at the same time. It reduces the actual manual cleaning to a minimum reducing dragging around dirty and scratching the finish of painted surfaces (more car specific I guess).

I’m not longer a fan of the complete dunking degrease of the chain if at all possible – just strips too much out of the internals. Best thing for the keeping the drivetrain clean is to take care what you put on it in the first place.

Rhino goo. Wouldn’t use anything else.

I stopped using car shampoo. I found there was a suspicious drop in braking performance, and increase in brake squeal after using it.

I’m interested to know how washing up liquid is bad for paint. I always wash my bike with washing up liquid… 😕

Warm water in a bucket and a brush. No hose / pressure. ie not a lot different to what happens when riding. Citrus degreaser on the chain/cassette if it really needs it in winter to get rid of oil clag.
Anything that’s designed to clean faster and penetrate under dirt that contains degreasers, salt or whatever is in those spray-ons can also wash into the edges of seals, onto brakes etc isn’t so good imo. It’s no prob if used sparingly but bearings can wear fast enough as it is without adding that stuff to the mix. A bit grubby on top but mechanically 100% underneath seems to work for me.

Best thing for the keeping the drivetrain clean is to take care what you put on it in the first place.

Good advice.