Cleaning Bike

Four of a kind

Are there any liquids(like washing up liquid) that I shouldn't/should use while given my bike a clean?

Want to give the chain and cassettes are bit of a clean as well, but I'm not sure of the way I should go about doing this. Any tips?

man.about.town

i use regular any kitchen cleaner and a sponge, you can use the green side lightly but most of dirt comes off with yellow side.

use de-greaser for frame around the chain

triggermortis

baby wipes are good for cleaning the frame

feck sake lads

car shampoo is reckoned to be best althoughi've using washing up liquid for years also when you degrease your chain try your best to keep the degreaser well away from bearings:eek: also wash your chain in hot soapy water dry it off then lube it with top quality lube such as pro gold or purple extream tri flo is the best oil on the planet for all moving parts chainreaction carry all that stuff .
happy washing.;)

07Lapierre

Fairy Liquid ( keeps you hands soft too )

gman2k

I stay away from washing up liquid as it contains high levels of salt - that's why you don't use it for your car either!
I use generic Tesco branded powerwasher cleaner/detergent, which comes in 5litre containers and is around €5-6.
It is the exact same as the rip-off pink stuff that bike shops sell, except it's not pink, and it's not €40.
Degreaser for chain is usually something like liquid CIF in hot water, 3 in 1 oil is fine for relubing the chain when dry and wipe off excess.
For the MTB chain, cleaning as above, but I often have to deep clean the chain in White Spirits, and then relube and drip dry in a homebrew mix of synthetic engine oil and white spirit.

JH_raheny

haven't had to clean the bicycle chain yet as I haven't had much chance of using it since I got it - but being a motorcyclist as well I'm familiar with regular chain cleaning and find that kerosene is the best degreaser for a gunked chain and very cheap to use as well

07Lapierre

gman2k wrote: »

I stay away from washing up liquid as it contains high levels of salt - that's why you don't use it for your car either!
I use generic Tesco branded powerwasher cleaner/detergent, which comes in 5litre containers and is around €5-6.
It is the exact same as the rip-off pink stuff that bike shops sell, except it's not pink, and it's not €40.
Degreaser for chain is usually something like liquid CIF in hot water, 3 in 1 oil is fine for relubing the chain when dry and wipe off excess.
For the MTB chain, cleaning as above, but I often have to deep clean the chain in White Spirits, and then relube and drip dry in a homebrew mix of synthetic engine oil and white spirit.

How much washing up liquid are u using? I put a few drops in a bucket (about 5 litres) of water. Any salt is well diluted. Also, salt will only corrode bare metal, not painted metal or carbon. The chain and cassette will rust if you don't rinse them and then re-lube (regardless of what cleaner you use)

Lawrence1895

I got one of those spray canisters in Lidl last year, they are handy to clean spokes and corners. Not the electric one, the pumping one, of course