Wax On, Wax Off? Should I Wax My Bike Frame?



grecinos

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Sep 28, 2015
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Hey guys,

Real quick question. I like to keep my road bike clean, Is it worth waxing the frame? If so, which wax should i use and how often?

Cheers,

grecinos
 
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I use S 100 motorcycle cleaner and then either S-100 wax N Shine or Hog Snot Wax. I use it on my motorcycle and since it works so good there I tried it on my bicycles and I like the performance of it. Easy to use and fantastic results.

I suppose any type of car wax would be good for the frame. Be careful with the brakes (rims or disks).

Regards,
Cranky
 
I'm quite cautious of wax to be honest. I don't know why, I just am.

When I clean my steed I tend to just give her a good going over with some car cleaning stuff and when done rub it all down with an old towel. The effect is still the same - a bright shiny bike that I'm dead proud of.
 
Apparently Hair Conditioner can also be used to put a Shine on the frame. :D
 
BobCochran said:
Wax? What wax? Time spent waxing can be spent riding. I ride. :)

Bob
I'm the same, and while I do like to look after my bike and keep it in good condition, I draw the line at waxing the frame down, I think that's probably going a bit to far.

I don't even wax my car, so I'm definitely not going to wax my bike down after every ride!
 
I use a car wax, something like Finish 2000. Maybe once every 3 months figuring it helps to keep the bike clean.

I wipe it down with a wet rag fairly often, maybe once every week. I just can't stand a dirty bike.

I have a friend who sweats and drips more than a leaky water faucet. He really screwed up the top tube of his expensive bike. Looks downright ugly IMO. :D
 
I've never waxed any of the bikes that I've owned, but like Mr. Beanz, I might start doing it every other month or so. After upgrading the components on my road bike, it looks nice and pristine. I now have the opportunity to keep it that way. I'd feel guilty if I didn't. I read somewhere about waxing and I was curious about it. It's interesting to hear your guy's opinions :D.

Cheers!
 
Lance was wrong.

It IS about the bike.

Cleaning and waxing is the way to Valhalla.

We are roadies. We have rules.
 
Volnix said:
Apparently Hair Conditioner can also be used to put a Shine on the frame. :D
So that's the reason for my bald friend having a suspiciously ample supply of hair conditioner :lol:

Seriously though, that sounds a lot like one of them old wives tales, but whatever works I suppose :D
 
Susimi said:
So that's the reason for my bald friend having a suspiciously ample supply of hair conditioner :lol:

Seriously though, that sounds a lot like one of them old wives tales, but whatever works I suppose :D

Google it Brosef! :D :

"DIY car wax" :D
 
I've run across a couple cyclist who used Pledge (furniture spray polish) on their bikes. Very shiny! :eek:
 
what kind of bike frame material are you waxing? Anything painted should be waxed if you want the paint to last and look new. I have a few classic cars and I don't buy fancy waxes because they're all hype. I use mostly Meguiars, but Mothers is good too on my cars; I use a lot of the Meguiars NXT Generation Tech wax because it has no abrasives, on my black car I use Meguiars Black Wax it seems to make the black more brilliant. So whatever I use on my cars I use on my bikes, plain and simple.

On nude or matte finish carbon fiber do not use any wax, this will ruin the look of the matte finish. Simply clean it with a automotive dedicated car wash with no abrasives and water; or you can try getting the car wash hot first if the matte CF is dirty and you can't get it clean by the cold method.
 
I tend to occasionally wax the frame. Maybe two times a year. It is afterwards easier to wash the dirt off and in addition prevents rusting if you have a steel frame or corrosion if have an aluminum one.
 
On my carbon fibre bike I occasionally use a bit of Meguiar's Carnauba liquid wax on the frame to keep her looking smart. Somehow it feels better to be riding a really clean bike, in my opinion.
 
Most automotive waxes have a fair amount of petrochemicals in them. Apply to your uber expensive carbon frame at your own risk ;)
 
So I shouldn't use ​automotive waxes on my fiberglass, carbon fiber and plastic car panels, bumper covers, trim, head and tail light lenses because they are made from petrochemicals also?

Let's see...I've used Meguiar's Ultimate polymer wax (yeah...yeah...more a sealer than wax), Meguiars's NXT polymer wax, Meguiar's Gold Carnauba, DuPont Teflon wax, Turtle waxes (various), Simoniz Nu Shine, paste and Vista liquid wax, 3M Quick Wax, Zymol Titanium (over-priced and over-hyped, but decent stuff), Mothers California Gold and those are just the ones I can remember off the top of my head. There's some purple stuff in the garage...I forget the name, but despite the unnatural color and unknown chemistry has worked fine on my cars, tractors, motorcycles and bicycle frames.

Somehow, through good fortune or common sense, I've manage NOT to wreck any polymer pieces parts right up to and including the plastic bicycle frame that took me off a 44 MPH descent yesterday...as it gleamed in the 65° Ohio sunshine of a spectacular Fall day.

We are roadies. We have rules.

Keep your bike spotless and waxed to perfection. Let the masses look upon you and your bike with envy.
 
swampy1970 said:
Most automotive waxes have a fair amount of petrochemicals in them. Apply to your uber expensive carbon frame at your own risk ;)
There is a slim possibility that this can happen but only if you use a cleaner wax, if you're using a protection synthetic wax without cleaning agents you are fine, which is why I said you must use a non abrasive synthetic wax, cleaning waxes are abrasive. Another reason for non abrasive, or non cleaning waxes, is the fact that bicycle paint jobs are a lot thinner then paint used on cars and you could in a few years give the paint on your bike a faded look. If you're getting color of the bikes paint on you waxing pad STOP and get a different wax. Most spray on waxes are not cleaning waxes, but read the bottle closely to make sure.

Speaking of waxes, natural wax like Carnauba is completely wasted on a modern clear coat and or synthetic paints. Natural wax has been around a very long time and was made with the original intentions of older natural paints that were required to breathe, but being natural it required almost constant rewaxing because they don't hold up well to the elements. Modern synthetic paint does not require to breathe which is why clear coats are used on top of the paint, and thus synthetic wax is the best to use on modern paints, and they hold up against the elements far better.

By the way natural wax will NOT hurt synthetic paint, it just won't last long and offers no UV protection which in long run could make the paint fade faster but we're talking 20 years or so depending on sun exposure of course.