Bike wash facilities?

dogmatix · 12-11-2008 9:20am #1

Would anyone know a place in Dublin where you can take your bike for a wash? I'm thinking of a commercial operation (like a car wash - but for bikes) or maybe a place with hot/cold running water where I can take my bike and wash it myself.

I live in an apartment and it's just not an option to wash the bike in it and the car park has no running water. And It's not really feasible to go running up and down 4 flights of stairs with buckets of water to clean a bike that will have to be chained to a bike rack with 2 sets of locks etc.

Caroline_ie · 12-11-2008 9:24am

... what about the bath tub?

Bluefoam · 12-11-2008 9:25am

http://www.dirtworker.co.uk/

I think Chain Reactions are selling these now. But the guy on the UK site will send them to Ireland too...

I know apartment dwellers who use them...

kenmc · 12-11-2008 9:32am

Or you could get one of those garden weed sprayer things - something like this:
5010646048798_001c_v001_zp?&$230x230_generic$

- Fill it full of hot water and away you go.

Chips Lovell · 12-11-2008 9:35am

I wash mine on the balcony, although lately I've taken to just bringing it, a workstand and a bucket of water down to the carpark as the light is better.

I'd be careful about using jet washers. Most of them are so powerful that they'll get water in behind the bearing seals on your bike. That one TinyExplosions linked to looks OK though.

plugs into your car cigarette lighter

Wouldn't mind getting one of these, but don't have a car.

TinyExplosions · 12-11-2008 9:52am

el tonto wrote: »

I wash mine on the balcony, although lately I've taken to just bringing it, a workstand and a bucket of water down to the carpark as the light is better.

I'd be careful about using jet washers. Most of them are so powerful that they'll get water in behind the bearing seals on your bike. That one TinyExplosions linked to looks OK though.

Wouldn't mind getting one of these, but don't have a car.

I linked to nothing sir... you need your eyes checked! (I'm not responsible for every mad-cap idea on this forum... just most of em :P )

I second Caroline's bathtub idea... it's what I use, but then I'm single, and live alone.... with my bikes... (maybe that's why she left!)

Chips Lovell · 12-11-2008 9:59am

Hmmm, degreaser + drive train gunk = terrifying black liquid of death all over the bath. The upshot is you have to clean your bike and then the bath.

TinyExplosions · 12-11-2008 10:02am

el tonto wrote: »

Hmmm, degreaser + drive train gunk = terrifying black liquid of death all over the bath. The upshot is you have to clean your bike and then the bath.

Exactly.... and that's why living alone helps -the gunk is nasty to get off!

scottreynolds · 12-11-2008 12:51pm

TinyExplosions wrote: »

I second Caroline's bathtub

Will Caroline actually clean it for us ?

Ghost Rider · 12-11-2008 1:00pm

Last Saturday, in the lashings of rain, I took my bike outside to see if I could wash it. I waited til the bike was fairly well soaked with rain, then sprayed it liberally with Muc Off. Then I went inside for a few minutes and waited.

When I came back, the bike was - no kidding - more or less shining! I didn't want to take any chances, so I gave some parts of it a quick rub with a soft brush and used a single basin of water to lightly rinse off any excess Muc Off. It worked a treat.

Lesson 1: if it's raining heavily, you can actually use the rain to help clean your bike.

Lesson 2: it does make you like a mentaller.

Caroline_ie · 12-11-2008 1:26pm

scottreynolds wrote: »

Will Caroline actually clean it for us ?

Eerrrr No ...

TinyExplosions · 12-11-2008 1:32pm

Caroline_ie wrote: »

Eerrrr No ...

Ahhhh g'wan....

Caroline_ie · 12-11-2008 1:34pm

DirkVoodoo · 12-11-2008 1:48pm

Sellotape a whole load of cats onto the frame and send it to one of those dog grooming parlours for a wash, job sorted.

What about baby wipes? Might be a bit expensive but u cud get a lot of dirt off the frame that way.

Ghost Rider · 12-11-2008 2:03pm

Now you're talking my language!

DirkVoodoo wrote: »

Sellotape a whole load of cats onto the frame and send it to one of those dog grooming parlours for a wash, job sorted.

Gavin · 12-11-2008 2:25pm

+

Seriously, this is a handy way. You can get old fire extinguishers which are refillable. Screw the top off, fill with water, around 9 litres. Screw top back on. Attach the pump to a schrader valve on the extinguisher, pump to around 130 psi and bingo. Portable bike washer.

I got a free extinguisher off a nice chap on the emergency services forum.

Ghost Rider · 12-11-2008 3:41pm

Nice idea.

Verb wrote: »

+ +

Seriously, this is a handy way. You can get old fire extinguishers which are refillable. Screw the top off, fill with water, around 9 litres. Screw top back on. Attach the pump to a schrader valve on the extinguisher, pump to around 130 psi and bingo. Portable bike washer.

I got a free extinguisher off a nice chap on the emergency services forum.

Chips Lovell · 12-11-2008 4:03pm

Yes, very interesting idea. I never knew that fire extinguishers had a schrader valve. Now to find an extinguisher...

niceonetom · 12-11-2008 4:11pm

great. next time a building is burnt to the ground cyclists will get the blame... ah well, sure everyone hates us anyway.

Chips Lovell · 12-11-2008 4:13pm

niceonetom wrote: »

great. next time a building is burnt to the ground cyclists will get the blame... ah well, sure everyone hates us anyway.

And next time a car gets snarled up in a few low-viz traffic cones...

TinyExplosions · 12-11-2008 4:23pm

el tonto wrote: »

And next time a car gets snarled up in a few low-viz traffic cones...

Kitty got claws!

dogmatix · 13-11-2008 9:05am

Ghost Rider wrote: »

Last Saturday, in the lashings of rain, I took my bike outside to see if I could wash it. I waited til the bike was fairly well soaked with rain, then sprayed it liberally with Muc Off. Then I went inside for a few minutes and waited.

When I came back, the bike was - no kidding - more or less shining! I didn't want to take any chances, so I gave some parts of it a quick rub with a soft brush and used a single basin of water to lightly rinse off any excess Muc Off. It worked a treat.

Lesson 1: if it's raining heavily, you can actually use the rain to help clean your bike.

Lesson 2: it does make you like a mentaller.

Nah - would'nt work. 'Cause if I left my bike in the rain to soak or rinse for a few minutes while I went inside for a cuppa it would be gone by the time I came back outside. Then I'd have to spend 100 euros buying it back from some chop shop up one of those dark lanes in the city centre and i'll bet the little sods wouldn't have bothered to clean the thing either. So i'd be 110 quid down and still have to get the damn thing cleaned.

I do like the pussy cat strapped to a bike thingy. Could you substitute bunnys for moggys? We have a lot of wild bunny rabbits running around park west.

Otherwise the bathtub sounds the biz - which is a dead giveaway that I don't have a missus.