Bike Cleaners Review

Keeping your bike clean is essential part of your bike repair and maintanence if you want a long and happy life together. Nothing grinds a bike down than being caked in dirt, especially in the moving parts. That’s why keeping it clean is important, not just to keep it looking good, but also to keep it in working order. The market is full of decent bike cleaners and neat bike cleaning tools to do the job, so there really is no excuse.

As with most things, there is a right way and a wrong way to clean a bike. Using power hoses, degreasers and strong solvent cleaners are great ways to shorten the life of the bike, so don’t use them. Power hoses might be tempting, especially if the bike is caked in dirt. However, they shoot water into the sealed parts of the bike and blast lubricant such as White Lightning lube out the other side. Suspension bushes, the headset, bottom bracket, rear shock and suspension forks all contain bushings to keep them lubricated and working efficiently. Blasting water into these areas will have them squeaking and grinding quicker than anything, so don’t use them. 

A garden hose on the other hand is ideal. It doesn’t have the pressure to get through bushings, but has enough to get all but the most stubborn dirt off the bike. Start at the top and work down while not pointing the water directly at those bushings. Let the water cascade over them from above and clean them.

Wash thoroughly, then use your bike cleaner of choice to get it shining which may be the popular Simple Green cleaner. Start with the cleanest areas and leave the dirtiest until last. That way you don’t have to change the water so much. Use the right tools for the job, a chain brush is ideal if you have one, a toothbrush will do if not. Then a clean sponge and a chamois, or cloth or kitchen towel if not. You may also want to lookn into a more detailed cleaner like a Park Tool chain scrubber.

Once the bike is looking cleaner, it’s time for a rinse. Even “kind” cleaners like a Finish Line cleaner can still be hazardous to paintwork, decals and rubber bits, so a thorough rinse is essential. Then give the bike a wipe down with kitchen towel or a cloth to remove excess water. You don’t have to polish it, just remove pools of moisture from anywhere it accumulates. You can use Finish Line bike wash and finish it with a coat of Finish Line wax.

Once dry, apply lubricant to where it needs to go and you’re almost done. If you want the maximum protection for the bike, spray a light lube over it to prevent corrosion and make it easier to clean next time. Make sure it is a light coating though, you don’t want it pooling in the lower areas.

Keeping the bike clean is probably the worst part of owning and enjoying a bike but it’s just as important as any other maintenance you do on it. It doesn’t just make the bike lovely to behold, it prevents excessive wear on moving parts and makes sure the bike can cope with whatever you put it through.

Models

Pricing

There is a dizzying array of cleaning tools to be found. It’s good to have a chain cleaning brush, which would set you back around $6. Cleaning formulas range from $6.50 for a can of Finish Line right up to $99 for Pedros Super Pit Kit.