Cleaning

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SWSteve

Guru
Location
Bristol...ish
Money,fair enough but if you have the space to turn your bike upside down you have space for a bike stand.
I flip it in the garden, where it is so easy to flip. I would struggle to do so in the house, and the idea of a stand would kill my mum.

People seem to believe that turning a bike upside down is an inversion of the natural world order, and worse, the pezzazz will dribble out of the bottom bracket to the saddle...washing your bike upside down will tend to make your saddle mucky...in other words, do what feels right to you.

It's a damned sight better for me, and I don't worry about a mucky saddle, I'll just sweat it off
 

Ste pt1

Well-Known Member
Cleaning wise am I ok to use my auto glym car polish on the bike don't want to damage the paint
 

Fab Foodie

hanging-on in quiet desperation ...
Location
Kirton, Devon.
Turning a bike upside down is plain wrong ! :evil:

Just wash with car shampoo, water and sponge. Let dry. Wipe chain with an oily rag - old cotton t-shirts are great for this. Wipe off dirt. Use a dropper bottle and put a drop of oil on each chain roller. Spin cranks. Then wipe chain again.

Cleaning chainrings and cassette, just run a folded edge of the oily rag between each sprocket. If very oily, just a quick squirt of WD40 on cassette teeth or the rag and wipe through to remove. You don't need any fancy chain cleaners. You also don't want to over oil. Gear mechs can be wiped down with same rag, and a little squirt of WD40 on the pivot points if the bike has been out in bad weather. You can also use baby wipes between sprockets too.

Quick polish - use Mr Sheen - it puts a silicone coating on the paintwork which makes cleaning a doddle - i.e. now't sticks. For a really good polish, use car polishes.

No rocket science, no silly magic formulas, a drop of oil, Mr Sheen, bucket of soapy water and an old t-shirt.

Just this ^^^^^^
Fossyant wins.
Bikes are for riding, a little dirt's not going to kill it and it won't dissolve in the rain. Lube is important.
btw, ianrauk rides the cleanest bike in the world.
 

Shut Up Legs

Down Under Member
btw, ianrauk rides the cleanest bike in the world.
Don't believe you :laugh:. He does as many miles as I do, and I can assure you my commuter bike gets absolutely filthy* between cleans. Since I typically clean it every week or two, that's 300-600km between cleans.

* depending on the weather.
 

Fab Foodie

hanging-on in quiet desperation ...
Location
Kirton, Devon.
Don't believe you :laugh:. He does as many miles as I do, and I can assure you my commuter bike gets absolutely filthy* between cleans. Since I typically clean it every week or two, that's 300-600km between cleans.

* depending on the weather.
ianrauk cleans his bike whilst ON the ride ... not just before or after..... we've got pictures.
 
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