Snow foam, bikey no likey.

[Silver Fox]

A mate of mine told me his son had taken to cleaning his bike with Snow Foam. He'd use the foam then rinse off with water however the residual chemicals in the foam had seized the pedal threads, QR bolts and badly damaged other parts on the bike.

I can't vouch for how well the lads bike was maintained but MucOff, water and elbow grease seem the best bike cleaning combination.

 

[CanucksTraveller]

Whenever I hear of stuff like snow foam, I often wonder what's wrong with a drop of fairy washing up liquid in warm water... it works so well, why find solutions where there's no problems?
I do use a degreaser on the chain and sprockets but general road / path dirt only ever needs mild soapy water.

 

[raleighnut]

Even better is the 'Add Wax' car shampoo, I use the 'Simoniz' stuff and it's excellent however I then use 'Fairy Liquid' on the rims.

 

[Bonefish Blues]

B

Whenever I hear of stuff like snow foam, I often wonder what's wrong with a drop of fairy washing up liquid in warm water... it works so well, why find solutions where there's no problems?
I do use a degreaser on the chain and sprockets but general road / path dirt only ever needs mild soapy water.

Because it's actually quite paintwork-unfriendly, IIRC a strong alkali. Much better to use a proprietory wash n wax as suggested.

 

[Pale Rider]

Even better is the 'Add Wax' car shampoo, I use the 'Simoniz' stuff and it's excellent however I then use 'Fairy Liquid' on the rims.

I also use car shampoo.

Does a decent job if done regularly, and leaves a tiny bit of shine on the bike which means dirt doesn't stick so hard the next time.

Rims on a rim brake bike can need something stronger such as washing up liquid or a kitchen cleaning spray.

 

[CanucksTraveller]

B

Because it's actually quite paintwork-unfriendly, IIRC a strong alkali.

Really? I'm surprised. I've been washing bikes for nearly 3 decades with it, I've not noticed any ill effect.

 

[ufkacbln]

Really? I'm surprised. I've been washing bikes for nearly 3 decades with it, I've not noticed any ill effect.

It also has a high salt content

I suspect that it depends how effectively you rinse

 

[Drago]

I use wax car shampoo, and shine the paint with alloy wheel wax/sealer, which stops the crud sticking and keeps it shiny.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

Really? I'm surprised. I've been washing bikes for nearly 3 decades with it, I've not noticed any ill effect.

And I have.

 

[T.M.H.N.E.T]

Ehh some snow foams aren't ph neutral. Harsher blends would be used in winter with where theres much more salty traffic film and road grime about.

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

Hot water with fairy liquid here. Stubborn stuff gets the muc off treatment. All rinsed off after. No paint fade, no seizing, all good.

 

[oldfatfool]

Fairy liquid is good for stripping all protection from paintwork if you are wanting to start from scratch, clay, polish, glaze, wax etc.

 

[DCLane]

Baby wipes and GT85 plus lube. There's no fairy involved.

 

[cyberknight]

Baby wipes and GT85 plus lube. There's no fairy involved.

Ihave seen the pictures of your weekend clothes im saying nowt

 

[Salty seadog]

B

Because it's actually quite paintwork-unfriendly, IIRC a strong alkali. Much better to use a proprietory wash n wax as suggested.

It also has a high salt content

I suspect that it depends how effectively you rinse

I'm yet to hear of anyone who's bike has suffered from using washing up liquid to clean it. In a bucket of hot water it it's so diluted you'd get more salt exposure riding near the coast.
Exposure is only for a couple of minutes whilst scrubbing then it is rinsed off.

Used it all my life.

Of course Muc Off will sell you some scientifically researched nano tech pink liquid for about 20 times the price and will be gone in 3/4 washes against dozens and dozens from an 80p bottle of fairy.