Bikes are disgustingly filthy, outside tap is bound to be frozen. Kinda like the idea of washing bikes in the warm.

Does anyone do this? Any tips?

I was about to start a similar thread as my hose is frozen and the thought of being outside in sub zero temps getting wet doesn’t appeal but necessary

Don’t let your SO catch you –

and keep your clothes on. 🙂

Have to take the wheels off
Makes a horrible mess
Likely to scratch or damage something.

I’m a singleton so bikes in the house is nothing new!

Edit: there must be something I can use to keep it upright and stable?

-don’t use a waxy detergent or GT85 after as bath gets slippy.

I just lean it against the wall?

Fit a strainer to the plug hole! Also, put an old towel in the bottom of the bath to reduce scratching.

cinnamon_girl – Member
I’m a singleton so bikes in the house is nothing new!
Edit: there must be something I can use to keep it upright and stable?

CG I thought you’d never ask!! 😉

My girlfriend has done this in her flat, the blocked drain and brake dust/grime stained bath is still evident over 6 months later!

So i won’t recommend it

Dave

I like your thinking CG, I go for the let the mud dry off and just relube the chain.

It’s fine, just once the wash is done get the bath cleaner out and give it a good clean down.

I do…but I don’t go as far as rubbing the bike down with my fresh white towels.

Just make sure you clean any greasy drips asap 🙂

right here is what I do…
wheels off into shower / bath rinse mud off, then use a brush to get the rest off rinse down and wheels done. Now extend seat post to full extension, grad a couple of old tea towels and pace them either side of bath, grab the frame turn it upside down resting grips on the strategically placed tea towels and the saddle on the base of bath gives you thee points of contact and fairly sturdy.

Now this is the most important part swimwear is a must and photographic evidence for all of us is required 😆 jump in and clean as normal….

Now the first time I did this world war 3 broke out as I managed to get mud all over the bathroom so you can expect to spend as long again cleaning the bathroom 😯

Sounds like a good way to block your shower/bath u-bend 🙂

do bikes need cleaning when its soooo cold,no mud to wash off,just ice

Yes but don’t use degreaser/cleaner on it – warm water and low pressure and give it a good clean – in a bath is best – with front wheel off and forks on a towel (so the bike stands up) – you get to wash it all off and give it a good clean…once the bike is dried/removed, get some bleach and give the bath a good clean out as well.

My wife thought I was a domestic god when we first moved in as each week the bathroom was cleaned twice – I did manage to forget to flush the toilet once and when she came in she clocked what I was doing – brushing all the vegetation off the bike and throwing it down the toilet – flushing (and cleaning) the toilet then doing the bike.

Needless to say that soon stopped!

As long as you don’t try any bike cleaning products the bath/shower should remain fine…try to get as much mud/dirt/vegetation off before you wash it otherwise you run a large risk of blocking the plug/pipes.

Works fine and means the bath gets a clean too, the only problem is that in getting the bike to the bathroom, it usually drops mud all over the stairs, marks the walls etc.

It’s too much hassle for me, I just clean the bikes in the kitchen. I’m assuming it’s usual to have a mix of plates, cups, chainsets and cassettes in the drying rack? Open my cutlery drawer and you’re just as likely to find a set of allen keys as you are to get a knife and fork… 😉

Kitchen floor is immaculate though, that gets swept and mopped every time!

Ive done it in the past, never again. Cleaning the bath after washing the bike is a pita.

So many replies – thank you. 🙂

The good point made about degreaser has me worried. Even if I used some Muc-Off wipes, there will still be a residue when it’s rinsed off. Hmmmm …

OK, another question. If I was riding away from home, packed the Dirt Worker and returned a few hours later, would the Dirt Worker actually work in sub-zero temperatures?

So what do others do, or just MTFU?

Thanks again. 🙂

Hot water in the Dirtworker? Might still be ‘warm’ when you return?

If you are doing the bath thing, get rid of all the mud/dirt before bringing it into the house – I never had any problems with dirt in the bathroom apart from what fell off the bike into the bath whilst washing it…not sure what the others were doing to wash the bike but it shouldn’t need to get very messy (start at top and work down, use little pressure and just wash it with a sponge)…

The bike cleaning stuff is great on the bike but probably not great on bathroom ceramics…never tried it myself but I’d guess they could do some damage somehow (not idea what but I doubt the bath would dissolve).

OK, another question. If I was riding away from home, packed the Dirt Worker and returned a few hours later, would the Dirt Worker actually work in sub-zero temperatures?

Put some antifreeze or alcohol in the water. Alcohol as in pure ethanol rather than a nice bottle of red obviously…
Vodka would work too but might make it quite an expensive way of washing the bike.

I do this now and then. I use a bin-liner to avoid scratching the bath. Dried mud gets brushed off then swept/hoovered up in the kitchen first. I spray bathroom cleaner on the bike, give it a scrub/sponge down, use an old toothbrush on the fiddly bits, then use the shower head to rinse it all down. Easy.

Removing the chain and cleaning that separately with a biodegradable solvent cleaner can make things a little easier.

a word of warning if doing this in shared accommodation – ice cold frame + hot water makes things pretty steamy. So steamy in fact it set off the smoke alarm in the accommodation block and bought the local fire brigade around. Very very very embarrassing (and expensive I was told). Maybe I should have opened the window instead of the door to the hallway….