Washing my bike

No, it doesn't happen very often, but having pedalled the road bike through
some knee-deep floods on tuesday I've the feeling it needs a clean before I
head out tomorrow morning.

So, without spending cash on fancy made-for-bikes cleaner, which would be
better - fairy liquid, Triplewax car shampoo or something else I might
already have lying about the house?

Ta

Paul

"Stan Cox" wrote in message
...
So, without spending cash on fancy made-for-bikes cleaner, which would
be
better - fairy liquid, Triplewax car shampoo or something else I might
already have lying about the house?



I got caught in an hour long downpour today and had to clean the bike
when I got in. A bit of fairy liquid does the job for me. I just need to
thoroughly dry, clean & relube the chain & I'll be ready to get soaked
again tomorrow


AIUI, washing up liquids tend to have salt in them to thicken them, which is
why it's supposed to be better to wash a car with car-shampoo rather than
the stuff you do the dishes with. Salt and water tending to have a
corrosive effect... I think I'd go with the car shampoo...

Rich

On Fri, 20 Aug 2004 18:12:20 GMT, Stan Cox
wrote:

Paul D wrote:
No, it doesn't happen very often, but having pedalled the road bike through
some knee-deep floods on tuesday I've the feeling it needs a clean before I
head out tomorrow morning.

So, without spending cash on fancy made-for-bikes cleaner, which would be
better - fairy liquid, Triplewax car shampoo or something else I might
already have lying about the house?


I got caught in an hour long downpour today and had to clean the bike
when I got in. A bit of fairy liquid does the job for me. I just need to
thoroughly dry, clean & relube the chain &
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I'll be ready to get soaked
again tomorrow

That's what I like Stan, a real dedicated cyclist, good on yer mate!!

Paul D wrote:
No, it doesn't happen very often, but having pedalled the road bike through
some knee-deep floods on tuesday I've the feeling it needs a clean before I
head out tomorrow morning.

So, without spending cash on fancy made-for-bikes cleaner, which would be
better - fairy liquid, Triplewax car shampoo or something else I might
already have lying about the house?

Ta

Paul


I got caught in an hour long downpour today and had to clean the bike
when I got in. A bit of fairy liquid does the job for me. I just need to
thoroughly dry, clean & relube the chain & I'll be ready to get soaked
again tomorrow


Stan Cox

So, without spending cash on fancy made-for-bikes cleaner, which would be
better - fairy liquid, Triplewax car shampoo or something else I might
already have lying about the house?


I'm not answering your question because I intend to suggest that you spend
money on a cleaner.

I use muc-off. I pay £15.50 for 5 litre of it (Nelsons Abergavenny). Spray
the bike with water, bounce it on its tyres to get rid of excess droplets
and then paint the bike with about 20 ml of muc-off using a 1" brush - rub a
bit harder on very dirty bits. Wait a minute or two, hose it off. The bike
gleams like a new pin; I estimate the cost of 20 ml of my fancy cleaner as
6.2p.

I need about 40 ml for one of my motorbikes. I sometimes use an extra 10 ml
on a particularly dirty MTB after 2 or 3 mucky rides.

Don't buy it in Halfords because they charge about twice as much.

John

Paul D Wrote:
So, without spending cash on fancy made-for-bikes cleaner, which woul
be
better - fairy liquid, Triplewax car shampoo or something else I might
already have lying about the house?

Paul

It doesn't really matter what cleaner you use but:

* Rinse it off thoroughly
* Dry it fully. Don't leave moisture inside parts that will corrode
* Parts that have been soaked will need to be re-lubricated
especially bearings - don't soak unless you are prepared to stri
and lube

Also muc-off will attack your paintwork if you leave it on for mor
than about a minute. Better to use one of the milde
cleaners/degreasers

Ia

--
wheelsgoround

"Richard Goodman" wrote in message
...

AIUI, washing up liquids tend to have salt in them to thicken them, which
is
why it's supposed to be better to wash a car with car-shampoo rather than
the stuff you do the dishes with. Salt and water tending to have a
corrosive effect... I think I'd go with the car shampoo...

Seconded (To save me typing the same).

Rgds,
Pete

On Fri, 20 Aug 2004 18:08:26 +0100, "Paul D"
wrote in message
:

No, it doesn't happen very often, but having pedalled the road bike through
some knee-deep floods on tuesday I've the feeling it needs a clean before I
head out tomorrow morning.

Didn't you hear about the rabbit who washed his thing and couldn't do
a hare with it?

IGMC...

Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at Washington University

in message , Paul D
') wrote:

No, it doesn't happen very often, but having pedalled the road bike
through some knee-deep floods on tuesday I've the feeling it needs a
clean before I head out tomorrow morning.

So, without spending cash on fancy made-for-bikes cleaner, which would
be better - fairy liquid, Triplewax car shampoo or something else I
might already have lying about the house?

Car shampoo is excellent. Washing up liquid allegedly contains enough
salt to accelerate corrosion. Having said that I used to use washing up
liquid and did not personally notice any problems...

--
(Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

Do not sail on uphill water.
- Bill Lee

Simon Brooke writes:

Car shampoo is excellent. Washing up liquid allegedly contains enough
salt to accelerate corrosion. Having said that I used to use washing up
liquid and did not personally notice any problems...

I have washed my hair with dishwashing liquid and it came out a fair
bit dryer (in a wet sort of way than with shampoo. Haven't tried car
shampoo though.

Roos