My bike is a manky mess

dario28

As the title suggests my bike is manky , thinking of getting back on the road tomorrow and want to get her ship shape so what do I need and where in town around the green can I get it , or online would be cool ?

I have nothing at the moment apart from a sponge !

dolanator

muck off,thats all you need and a hose,the stuff is unreal,you can get it in cyclogical but its more than likely cheaper on the tinterweb

dario28

dolanator wrote: »

muck off,thats all you need and a hose,the stuff is unreal,you can get it in cyclogical but its more than likely cheaper on the tinterweb

Nice one and do i need to re-lube grease chain/cogs after ?

CheGuedara

ALSO FYI

http://wiki.boards.ie/wiki/Cleaning_a_bicycle

+1 on the Muc Off, esp the chain cleaner - I wouldn't use it with bare hands mind you.

Re. chain lube - Finish Line XC wet weather oil is ideal for Irish conditions

Morgan

Here's a pretty good guide to cleaning a bike:
http://worldwidecyclesblog.com/2007/06/11/tip-of-the-week-bike-washing/

Plenty of others online too.

You realise it's only going to get manky again when you head out tomorrow? Maybe you should just leave it?

blorg

dario28 wrote: »

Nice one and do i need to re-lube grease chain/cogs after ?

You need to relube the chain, don't worry about the cogs. Drip a wet chain lube like Finish Line wet onto each roller and then when done wipe off the excess with a cloth, holding the chain with the cloth rotate the pedals backwards until it's not dripping any more.

Apart from the Muc-Off I would suggest Fenwicks FS-1 or Shimano bike cleaner instead, same stuff but concentrated 10-1 so a fraction of the price.

Apart from that general cleaner you need to clean the chain. Park CG2 is the best, use XMAS to get another 10% off at checkout. That comes with Chainbrite citrus degreaser so use it first few times but TBH it is too expensive to replace, just use un-diluted FS-1 or Shimano bike cleaner in future. Diluted stuff like Muc-Off is not sufficient on the chain.

dolanator

dario28 wrote: »

Nice one and do i need to re-lube grease chain/cogs after ?

for sure always lube our chains after a wash boys

DirkVoodoo

I like pedros stuff too, I'm convinced it's because of the packaging. Bike lust is great for shining things up.

Beasty

Seems to me you have the perfect excuse to scrap it and buy a new one:)

davidsatelle100

Beasty wrote: »

Seems to me you have the perfect excuse to scrap it and buy a new one:)

dario28

Morgan wrote: »

Here's a pretty good guide to cleaning a bike:
http://worldwidecyclesblog.com/2007/06/11/tip-of-the-week-bike-washing/

Plenty of others online too.

You realise it's only going to get manky again when you head out tomorrow? Maybe you should just leave it?

Yeah you're dead right - just ordered blorgs recomendations on chain reactions so will have it nice and clean for the Nass duathlon Sunday week

Thanks for the tips

mockler007

dolanator wrote: »

muck off,thats all you need and a hose,the stuff is unreal,you can get it in cyclogical but its more than likely cheaper on the tinterweb

nanotech is with muck off, crc is so cheap for it by 10 euro last time i got it,
make sure you get lub and muck off brushes

blorg

Brushes make it a lot easier all right, I have a Finish Line set of 5, 1 for overall brush down and then different types for getting into different bits.

gman2k

I seen a good set of bike cleaning brushes in Tesco Maynooth (an Extra) for around 12 notes, included cog brush - so very good value.
I bought a 5l tub of Piranha cleaning agent (Muc-off clone) from Staggs recently, and me thinks that it and Muc-off are just the same as generic pressure washer detergent which can be bought for 1/3 of the price in B&Q. It's just detergent for loosening muck, no need for any of this nano marketing nonsense. Cool pink colour! - It all looks the same when washed down the drain!
The B&Q stuff is biodegradable also.
You still need a good brush to actually shift the dirt off the frame...and water....

thebouldwhacker

Lidl sell kitchen brushes of all shapes and sizes (big flat ones, narrow 'pipe cleaners' and everything in between) at €1 for 2, I have 6 (€3) that work a treat for everything from chain to frame...