What is your cleaning setup ?

[CyclingMaven]

Hey everyone,

Just wondering what some of you have in your cleaning arsenal ?

Carbon cleaner (or any frame) : ?
Degreaser : ?
Polisher: ?
Lubricant: ?

I heard Pledge for wood furniture works well .

Thanks,
-Greg

Hey Greg,

A little trick for degreasing, you may try this.

Cut an old water bottle in half, so it can be used as a container that fits neatly in the bidon cage. (the cage on the seat down tube)

Half fill it with diesel fuel and get hold of a small paint brush. Use diesel because it's cheap and not too harsh on the bike.

Dip your brush in the container and use the brush to remove the grease from your running gear (chain etc). Like you're painting.

Then wash off with a low pressure hose. Low pressure so you don't get water past your seals.

Then use the soapy water and a rag. Dry off after.

Repeat this process depending on how greasy the chain is.

Also, a lot of people have joiner links on their chain for purposes of cleaning. I think its a little over the top, taking your bike apart.

Just give it a once over so that everything runs well and it FEELS clean. You'll ride/race faster on a clean bike.

Mark

 

[alienator]

Hey Greg,

A little trick for degreasing, you may try this.

Cut an old water bottle in half, so it can be used as a container that fits neatly in the bidon cage. (the cage on the seat down tube)

Half fill it with diesel fuel and get hold of a small paint brush. Use diesel because it's cheap and not too harsh on the bike.

Dip your brush in the container and use the brush to remove the grease from your running gear (chain etc). Like you're painting.

Then wash off with a low pressure hose. Low pressure so you don't get water past your seals.

Then use the soapy water and a rag. Dry off after.

Repeat this process depending on how greasy the chain is.

Also, a lot of people have joiner links on their chain for purposes of cleaning. I think its a little over the top, taking your bike apart.

Just give it a once over so that everything runs well and it FEELS clean. You'll ride/race faster on a clean bike.

Mark

So where do the diesel and dissolved grease and other dissolved petroleum distillates go when you wash them off with the water?

 

[CyclingMaven]

So where do the diesel and dissolved grease and other dissolved petroleum distillates go when you wash them off with the water?

Although there is a great need for sarcasm font, I'm sensing environmental sarcasm in your question or am I wrong?

You may legitimately like to know a good place to clean your bike?

Probably not in the bath, but your local car wash can be a good start. Thats where I do mine.

Environmentally, it scores low - but by the mere fact that I actually ride a bicycle - as opposed to driving some gas guzzling SUV everywhere I go, allows me the small pleasure of washing grease from my bike.

I think if we were to specifically look at the environmental impact of washing your bike and compare it to many other non-envirnmentally friendly activities - you'd find it has minimal impact.

 

[alienator]

Thank the gods, because as we all know, minimal impact is never cumulative. Besides, making a minimal impact is a lot better and easier than actually making an effort to not make an impact.

That minimal thing works great for all kinds of excuses. In terms of the entire population of the US, the Love Canal thing made a minimal impact. In terms of the world population, the crackdown on Iranian protesters is causing minimal impact. Hey, when it comes right down to it, one car or even one SUV really makes a minimal impact on the environment. Heck, what a single person does really only makes a minimal impact on the environment, so any single person shouldn't worry about what their impact is 'cuz, well, it's minimal.......and there's no way that minimal impact could add up with others, could it?

 

[CyclingMaven]

Yep. I see where you're going.

So then teach me. What do you do with the grease buildup on your chain?

Maybe you have method that we can all learn from? Be specific if you can, I'm always open to learning new things.

 

[alienator]

Yep. I see where you're going.

So then teach me. What do you do with the grease buildup on your chain?

Maybe you have method that we can all learn from? Be specific if you can, I'm always open to learning new things.

You missed the point completely. Everyone can do something better or cleaner. Said another, we all contribute one way or another to pollution or some other problem. The big problem, though, is in the line of thought that says that one person's impact is "minimal". All you have to do is get a bunch of "one persons" minimal contributions together, and before you know it, you've got something that isn't so minimal anymore.

The better tack is to not rationalize any particular thing a person does as "minimal" but instead realize that individual actions do have an impact. After all, it's not that hard to own up to responsibility for one's actions, is it? After all, it just takes minimal effort to at least think about doing something a bit better or more responsibly.

FWIW, I don't have a grease build up on my chain, as I don't put grease on my chain. When my chain is cleaned, the waste is collected and disposed of properly. It's not just chucked down the neighborhood drain.

 

[reemasams]

Every week I wash my cycle with soaps and water on Sunday. Perform some normal lubrication works in chain, axle, crank and padels. Check and tighten all nuts if they are not in their positions.