Bike washing – what do you use?

For what it’s worth, generally, the cheaper the washing up liquid the less salt it has in it.

It’s pretty sad that I know that.

got a 5L pump Presure bottle (like used for insectisides in the garden) just give the bike a spray over to get the worst off at the trail then muck off and rince at home if needed

I’m finding old baby clothes (the ones that are too ruined to pass on) are amazing for cleaning dirty chains. Guess they’re just very absorbent pure cotton. Grab chain with cloth, spin cranks. Drip oil, spin cranks. Grab chain with clean bit of cloth, spin cranks. Sorted!

The Fenwicks motor home cleaner concentrate others have mentioned. As good as muc off and makes ten litres for £11 or so.

Buy the cheapest APC you can as there more or less all the same, just paying for the name. Get 5L if you can aswell as some of these can make 200L.

Would never put TFR on a bike tho as its more or less acid.

Your bike will suffer more corrosion from being ridden on winter roads than a quick bath with fairy liquid during cleaning, especially as you knock off the detergent during the rinse.

I’ve never found Muc-Off (a.ka. Truck Wash) to be very effective at cleaning, but with repeated use it certainly changed the black colour of some anodized components on my mountain bikes, and turned them a coppery colour!

I recently spoke to an industrial chemist who has worked for some of the largest chemical companies, he’s recently retired and is now a consultant for an up and coming new UK lube company that has been getting rave reviews for their products.

He was asked to come up with the “perfect” bike washing product, and after much experimentation created something that was essentially dish washing detergent 😉

Remove excess mud by hand, let it dry out then vacuum the rest off

Never wash it really, but garden hose on a light spray when it’s really bad to take the worst off and then add some chainwax and lube after every ride to forks, shock, dropper and chain. My bearings and drivetrain seems to last an awfully long time with this method. When I build it up or maintain it everything moving gets packed with grease which probably helps.

Spray with Fenwicks (the concentrate stuff), rinse, get the last of the muck off with warm water and car shampoo, rince again, chain cleaned with a degreaser (and cleaner tool), rinse, try, lube. Good to go.

My bike is kept pretty clean as I’m sad / anal about it.

and after much experimentation created something that was essentially dish washing detergent

You mean a well know washing-up liquid that has in it’s title tiny magical creatures with wings, and tends to be green and not strong?

Brush the worst off when I get back to the pub after a ride and sling it on the roof. Clean/lube chain with Rock n Roll when I get home.

It needs to be proper filthy before I consider getting a bucket out, I reckon twice a year at best.

If you lightly spray the chain after each wash with fs365 or ubs you won’t have to ever take it off to get it gleaming. Really useful stuff. You can add a drop of chain oil after spraying on the stuff if you like.

I’ve tried their UBS, which I think is pretty much the same as fs365, and not been that convinced by it on the mtb in the wet. Takes time to build up too.

Full clean: Little pressure washer (yeah not straight into bearings) and a drying towel.

Part clean: garden spray bottle with diluted Fairy and a drying towel.

+1 on the old babyclothes (or any other old clothes rags) for chain wipeage.

Turtle Wax car shampoo, sponge, soft brush and hose.
It’s worked for me for the past 20 years and I doubt that any hugely overpriced “bike specific” wash will work any better.

One bike I keep clean almost after every ride (the posh bike), I got a big box of Fenwicks gear when it was going cheap at Merlin.

Generally spray concentrated cleaner on the drive train and diluted stuff on the rest of the bike. Agitate the mud with the sponge provided and give it all a wash off. In the Fenwicks kit I got a chain sponge and foam cleaner that I find works really well. Then once dry it gets lubed up (ooer) and then fork juice sprayed on forks/shock/dropper. I try add to the layers of chain lubricant over time too and wipe off any excess.

The other bike, the one I use most in winter, I don’t really care about and gets some water thrown over it every so often.
I do try to make sure the forks/shock/dropper are clean and it gets treated to a drop of lube every once in a while, though last night the drive train had a layer of rust on it. I do treat this bike to the above wash sometimes too.

I suspect the components on one bike will far outlast the other, but, I really cba giving it a thorough clean when, like last night, I came in absolutely drenched and freezing. No way am I standing there washing the bike in the howling wing and rain. In the shed you go.

Turtle Wax car shampoo, sponge, soft brush and hose.

Thanks Dibbs that saved me typing that out, exactly the same for me. Apart from every third or so ride I will do the drive train with some Muc-off (not sprayed all over the place, but sprayed into the bristles of a 3″ brush and brushed into the transmission parts, keeps it from going to places I don’t really want)
A clean bike is a happy bike 🙂

Garden hose, Car shampoo, hot water and an alloy wheels brush does for me.

If its fresh and loose I won’t bother with the car shampoo.

Didn’t think I was in the minority…

I pressure wash both of mine. Use muc off too.
No bearing life issues (Run all Chrisking/Banta Cruz/Shimano/ Sram high end chains)
Nomad hasn’t even done a set yet and it gets rode everyday and washed a few times a week.

I found car shampoo left some sort of residue on the brakes leading to poorer brake performance afterwards.

A bucket of warm water and a sponge seems to be my preferred option. Washing straight away makes life easier. A soft cloth to wipe away anything which is on the stanchions, then a quick spray of a water displacer on the drivetrain and a little lube.

I find a big sponge really helps, it takes a lot longer with a little one. Also I use a kitchen washing up brush to clean my drivetrain, I got one with some extra stiff bristles on the back which make short work of anything trapped in the cassette.

same as many of the above, Muc off and hose/brush. I have a set of Muc Off or similar brushes – the big soft one does most of the bike, then the cassette specific one.

In winter/wet conditions when using wet lube I’ll run the chain through a ParkTool chain cleaner with some neat Muc off, otherwise, if using Squirt chain lube I don’t.

Dry off, some GT85 on mechs, relube, job done.

My one golden rule however is I never wash a dry bike, so if the mud/mank has dried in by time i get home, it gets brushed off dry – no point in getting bearings and seals wet in that case.

Ducksmart wash and an Airace washer, seems to get the job done, it works best if you get to it before it all dries on, otherwise the muc-off wash seems better.

anyone watch those GMBN videos? they are a bit ‘Top ten tips for wiping your own arse’ patronising at times, but i saw one where they use a garden sprayer for washing bikes down if youre away from home, trail centre carpark or wherever. I nicked that idea!! still use a bit of MucOff tho. i always get tons of it every birthday and xmas tbf.

Hose, brush/sponge.

Muc-off if it’s the winter road bike as it seems to help get rid of salty road film.

Rock n roll on the chain every couple of washes or after a big outing.

Undiluted water.

Washing my bike? Only when I’m really bored in the summer. In winter there’s barely enough daylight to ride the thing let alone wash it afterwards.

If for some reason it needs a clean (something broke):
Rinse loose mud off with hose
Spray with “no more dirty bike” (£1 shop muck off)
Make cup of tea
Attack with hose and a toilet brush.

Chain lubed in putoline so no need to clean or re-lube it on any signifiacnt frequency.

Undiluted water.

You need the diluted stuff, works much better #homeopathyrocks

In order of care:
Cross bike: I pressure wash (I know! OMG!), washing up liquid and hot water, degrease all transmission, re-oil all transmission, Teflon spray on mud collecting areas
Road bike: really cheap baby wipes
Mountain bike: oil the dirt.

Hose down
Bucket of hot water with washing up liquid and a sponge
Hose down again
Lube

Job done and no corrosion from washing up liquid, it’s just a scare tactic so you buy stupidly expensive stuff you don’t need

Reckon it’s quicker to change bearings once in a while than wash the bike carefully.

This is my policy, the time and effort taken to wash the bike carefully (compared to a 10 minute blast with the Mobi) to make the bearings last a little bit longer isn’t worth the time and effort.

Halfords conc advanced car wash.
Gentle and doesn’t strip the wax in the paint.
Plus a capful to half a bucket of water and sponge.
Old toothbrush, washing up brush with very soft bristles so no scratches.
Don’t use a pressure washer or washing up liquid.
Chain cleaner device is useful and gt85 is a good cassette cleaner.
Chain lube and grease where needed when dry.
Cold water to hand splash suds of bike.

Lots of YouTube videos out there.

I spray GT 85 on my frame to allow it to dry so mud comes off easier.

Don’t let mud dry as its a pain to wash off dried mud.

I noticed that Wilko sell their own brand bike cleaner – has anyone tried it?

They also sell sponges for 30 pence so they can be binned after one use

Wash…bike…

I’m in the Turtle wax, bucket of hot water and a sloppy brush team here. Have been for years and a 5ltr lasts for a couple of years. Not had any issues with this and actually need a new car wash 5ltr as running low, so will buy the same. Not had any issues with brakes and pads and a little goes a long way. Tried fewicks and Muc Off and cant say I was finding it did any better for a lot more money.