How to give your bike a quick clean before heading home

Jonesy101

Was wondering peoples thoughts are on this when giving a quick clean before putting in the car or on the bike rack. Ive seen a portable water washers with a 5-10litre reservoir seem good. Or is an air compressor a better option, in golf courses they have air ones that blast away dirt from shoes and clubs really well so should surely do just as good a job at tyres and brakes etc.

Do you have to be really really super careful when going near brakes and cables etc?

seamus

https://www.lenehans.ie/greenblade-pressure-sprayer-5-litre.html

With electric power washers you should be careful near any bearings, or other greased surfaces. The pressure in those washes can force water into the bearings. It's not such a big deal with cars.

If you wash it with the wand at least 30cm away from the bike at all times though, you shouldn't run into any problems.

The hand pumped washer above won't be able to create enough pressure to damage your bearings.

Alkers

I have a hand pumped "power" washer l that I bring with me and use in the car park before heading home. It was only 25e or so and it's fairly cheaply made but it works well. I think it's about 8l and you'd be able to give at least two bikes a decent rinse before it's empty.

This is what I have :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MI8Ppybj5Es&ab_channel=TechItOut

https://www.eurocarparts.com/en_ie/p/streetwize-portawasher-portable-power-8l-sprayer-with-xtra-wash-brush-551770561?gclid=CjwKCAjw5p_8BRBUEiwAPpJO65RBRg0vxaMcYSD594jm8RsA9QOIP8zajpaN5cYs3ghho27NsdHuSBoCHqMQAvD_BwE

Can't go wrong at that price

Lemming

I use a Karcher OC3. It was designed for bikes & pets as it gives a spray rather than a jet blast of water, although I still avoid bearing parts as much as possible. Small, compact, and tucks away nicely in the boot of the car. If you're just spraying down bikes to shift as much crap as possible with the intention of giving them an actual cleaning later, a single reservoir will do a few bikes easily, depending on just how much crap is needing cleared off. If you're doing a proper cleaning job on a bike, it might take a refill again depending on how dirty the bike is and how much attention you are giving it, but I would expect someone doing a proper cleaning job to be somewhere where they have access to running water, cleaning products, and the like so that should not really be an issue.

nak

Lemming wrote: »

I use a Karcher OC3.

Same - have had mine for a few years, can get 2 bikes done on 1 charge. Got the accessories kit too - brush is great for cleaning tyres and shoes. Usually take extra water and have a foldable stand for the bike.

fatbhoy

I use a DirtWorker that plugs into your cigarette lighter socket. I spray most of the dirt off first, then spray a couple of squirts of MucOff onto a bigish brush, use that all over, then spray rinse. Then when I get home and the chain is dry, I dry-lube again.

You can't get those DirtWorkers anymore, but you can get equivalents. It's the best bike-related thing I've ever bought.

mad turnip

Got one of these a year back. Best bike purchase after the bike itself.
https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/ie/en/mobi-v-15-portable-bike-pressure-washer/rp-prod34761

Plugs into the cigarette lighter socket, washes 2 bikes that are very muddy or 3 bikes that are standard Irish muddy.
Pressure is exactly what your looking for. Not too high to get past the seals but high enough to take all the mud off.

Peter T

I bought a normal garden sprayer in lidl or aldi and used to use that. It was fine to rinse off light muck from hardpack trails like coilte and the like but not good enough for proper mud or wet loamy rides. I've seen all suggestions above used and people are happy with them. I've seen someone using one they've built themselves buying bits and pieces off amazon that plugs into the cigarette lighter and used a normal gallon drum for the water. Kinda looked like this https://www.ebay.ie/itm/Portable-12-Volt-Car-Hi-Pressure-Washer-Water-Pump-Set-Jet-Wash-Cleaner-Hose-Van/383672727031?hash=item5954ad35f7:g:hesAAOSwb~VfMmjS

Stark

mad turnip wrote: »

Got one of these a year back. Best bike purchase after the bike itself.
https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/ie/en/mobi-v-15-portable-bike-pressure-washer/rp-prod34761

Plugs into the cigarette lighter socket, washes 2 bikes that are very muddy or 3 bikes that are standard Irish muddy.
Pressure is exactly what your looking for. Not too high to get past the seals but high enough to take all the mud off.

I have the Mobi as well and can recommend. Nice to get some of the muck off my legs before I get back in the car as well

comete

Another mobi owner here, they are awesome bits of kit!

saccades

?

A cover for the boot of the car.

Job jobbed.

Stark

Well the bike will need to be cleaned after a spin regardless. Might as well get most of it done before packing it into the car rather than having to face it when you get home.

Jonesy101

saccades wrote: »

?

A cover for the boot of the car.

Job jobbed.

lol

saccades

I do sometime brush the bike down before going back out again.



Think 3 years was the longest between washes.

prunudo

saccades wrote: »

I do sometime brush the bike down before going back out again.



Think 3 years was the longest between washes.

You sound like one of the lads that i go out with. I wash the bike after every spin, he rarely does and guess which one of us has more mechanicals, me :pac:

bogmanfan

Yes, you may get a little more time out of a cassette/chain if you clean the bike. But you'll never get back the hours you spend actually cleaning it. If I'm at the Gap or Ticknock I'll give it a quick wash before leaving. Otherwise mine gets a quick wipe at the front door before I bring it into the house. Haven't cleaned a chain in years, and the last one was good for 2 years. Life's too short for scrubbing something that's only going to get filthy again!

saccades wrote: »

I do sometime brush the bike down before going back out again.



Think 3 years was the longest between washes.

Wanderer78

bogmanfan wrote:

Yes, you may get a little more time out of a cassette/chain if you clean the bike. But you'll never get back the hours you spend actually cleaning it. If I'm at the Gap or Ticknock I'll give it a quick wash before leaving. Otherwise mine gets a quick wipe at the front door before I bring it into the house. Haven't cleaned a chain in years, and the last one was good for 2 years. Life's too short for scrubbing something that's only going to get filthy again!

I love cleaning mine, I get to know my bike more, learn more about how to maintain it, become more confident in doing so, and I just love cleaning stuff, I'm the same with me car, but each to their own

Stark

I'd be firmly in the hate cleaning it camp too tbh. I'ts one of those things along with mechanicals that put me off mountain biking for years.

mad turnip

https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/ie/en/mobi-v-15-portable-bike-pressure-washer/rp-prod34761

washer is on sale if anyone wants one.

Wanderer78

mad turnip wrote:

washer is on sale if anyone wants one.

Use to pressure wash an older hard tail, wouldn't recommend it though, could do damage, nothing wrong with a bog standard hose, bucket, brush and elbow grease

xxyyzz

The muc-off x3 chain cleaner makes chain cleaning a doddle. Just clip it on, turn the cranks backwards for 2 minutes and hose off the degreaser. It's worth doing every few weeks.

Wanderer78

xxyyzz wrote: »

The muc-off x3 chain cleaner makes chain cleaning a doddle. Just clip it on, turn the cranks backwards for 2 minutes and hose off the degreaser. It's worth doing every few weeks.

ive a cheap ould lidl one, does the job

covey123

Wanderer78 wrote: »

ive a cheap ould lidl one, does the job

Have been using one of those for years, really only takes a minute or so and does a great job at cleaning the chain, very little degreaser needed too when using a chain cleaner

fatbhoy

mad turnip wrote: »

https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/ie/en/mobi-v-15-portable-bike-pressure-washer/rp-prod34761

washer is on sale if anyone wants one.

That's an absolute bargain.

Tenzor07

mad turnip wrote: »

https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/ie/en/mobi-v-15-portable-bike-pressure-washer/rp-prod34761

washer is on sale if anyone wants one.

These are essential bits of kit for any MTB'er....

Jonesy101

mad turnip wrote: »

https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/ie/en/mobi-v-15-portable-bike-pressure-washer/rp-prod34761

washer is on sale if anyone wants one.

wow thanks! getting one now. cant bring a hose and tap with me to the trail head unfortunately so a portable washer is the way to go.

CantGetNoSleep

That Karcher OC3 linked above is an amazing piece of kit. I'm also not a big fan of cleaning bikes but as my bikes have gotten more expensive I've tried to keep them clean.

I live in an apartment with a small balcony and no possibility to clean the bike on the street outside so the Karcher does the job on the balcony with an extra 5l bottle of water to refill it. Together with the muc-off chain cleaner, makes cleaning bikes an overall much quicker experience.

So I'd recommend both highly, particularly for anyone putting the bike in the car or living in an apartment. I had one of those garden sprayer hand-pumped things before and you can get it to work but very frustrating, the Karcher is worth the relatively small cost to just press a button and works every time (once you've remembered to charge it)