What is your cleaning setup ? - Page 2

Almost as bad as washing it with a power washer. Don't do it anymore so that you aren't contaminating your bearings with water and forcing water into places that it should not be in.

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One life, one chance. Don't waste it!

good to know, thank you! I have only had my bike for a couple months so hopefully I havnt already done some damage.

I personally, because I'm in an apartament, would not use water. Just some sprays and very good detail cleaners. That Pedro's stuff looks good. I also looked at some Park Tool kits for the chains, and some good detailing brushes that get in deep.

Skip the plastic chain cleaners. If you want to clean your chain, remove it (might require seperating it with a chain tool), put some mineral spirits in a 2 L bottle with the chain, shake thoroughly and dry. If you really must, you can let it soak. I don't clean my chain much at all. Instead about every 100-150 miles I wipe it down, then put a drop of ProLink chain lube on each roller. After spinning up and down the cassette, I wipe the chain down, again, to remove excess. On the exceedingly rare occasion that I do "clean" my chain, it's easily removed since I use a KMC removable link. You can get removable links for other chains, too.

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Pain is Fun
I cut my fingers off
One by one

Anything compressed/pressurised should be kept away from seals. Your bike isn't going to 'suffer' too much about a bit of clean water.

kerosene, deisel Oil, Wd40, commercial/storebought degreaser, hairspray, acetone, alcohol, paint and lacquer thinner, orange oil and cleaner,Pledge,gun cleaning spray can, finish line degreser for a chain cleaning "machine", brush set, pledge, rubbing compound, metal polish, car wax and lots of rags and shop towels- both paper and cloth
The Non-Obvious stuff-
ACETONE
for getting grease etc. off parts that need to be COMPLETELY CLEAN ie: BB Spindle flats (is solvent for epoxy as well)
WD40
for getting water out of hard to reach places, de-greasing- AND IS A LOUSY LUBRICANT
HAIRSPRAY
for cleaning braking surfaces ( rim and pads) and removing road grime and is great as an aid sliding on grips etc, as it dries it holds them in place
ALCOHOL
for giving tires more "grip" hairspray works too
KEROSENE-
is great solvent BUT,- DO NOT USE on bearing surfaces ( races cones etc ) as it WILL damage them as will other "harsh solvents"
DEISEL OIL
Good all round solvent- is highly recommened for bearing related use ( see above) as it also a good lubricant and "leaves" a thin film

Hairspray? That's a new one, but a good idea I guess. I'll have to borrow some and try it. I don't think I will be getting into Kerosene or Deisel Oil as there are too many safer solvents and lubes out there that work nearly as well. I haven't got anything on my bikes that require a "harsh solvent". Maybe if I neglected maintenance for a few years I would need it, but most gunk that I remove either wipes right off or comes off easily with a little help from Simple Green.

__________________
One life, one chance. Don't waste it!

Ive never "dumped" the deisel or Kerosene, I recycle them myself by letting the dirty stuff settle in a glass jar and re-using. The "dregs" go to the local waste facility, neither one are flammable,(I've even tried lighting them with a match). I learned to use deisel from a 7-11 mechanic, (who worked the Giro) I use 'em most on bikes that belong to "knotheads" that don't keep thiers clean

people don't use petroleum derivatives any more around here, while years ago they were the preferred cleaning agents. It has to do with corrosion of your bike i guess.

anyway im a bit lazy for my maintenace, i have to catch up with you guys

That's quite a list of cleaning products. But why would kerosene be "damaging" to bearing surfaces while diesel is OK? Thought these two consisted of virtually the same kinds of petroleum distillates.

Yeah, I question that, too.

For the record Diesel and Kerosine are both flammable; they are not, however, very volatile.

__________________
Sex is horrid
Pain is Fun
I cut my fingers off
One by one

Yeah, safer than using gasoline as a solvent. But as we know, really none of the stuff is great for the environment from a VOC standpoint vs "citrus" cleaners....or using an old rag or toothbrush. Confess that I keep a jar of used paint thinner (mineral spirits) around, and have tossed cassette cogs in that for cleaning when the cassette is off. Cleaning like that is really a waste of time IMO, but it does add that all-important bling on the Saturday club ride

Thanks, fellas, for late warning on the air compressor drying. No wonder my bikes fell apart yesterday...I'd been using the air compressor too much and all the bearings went kaput in only 2 years time...who knew???

Okay, okay, enough of the jesting - Gman, as long as you're not pointing the nozzle directly at, and/or in extremely close proximity to, sensitive sealed areas, you'll be just fine drying your bike with some compressed air. Turn the pressure down (30-40psi is satisfactory) and "git 'er dun"...

Preferred cleaner is 'Super Clean'. Will dis-color painted surfaces though...

For the drivetrain; Brake Klean, a towel and pipe cleaners.

For almost everything else; Windex and a towel

For the wheels brake surface; Simple Green and a Scotch cloth.

bk

For drivetrain, any citrus degreaser works well. Nothing $fancy$ though. Generic Home Depot stuff will do (sorry Pedro's).

For the rest? Liquid dish soap. Dawn will run you about $0.89/bottle.
I think the actual "Bike Wash" stuff from the big brands is about $12? <-- Of course, that one does come with a picture of a bicycle on the label.