Cleaning and maintaining bikes is
an integral part of riding. Some folks see it as a chore, but doing so greatly
reduces the likelihood of problems developing mid-ride, possibly miles from
home. It’s also the time to check things like chain and brake pad wear, tyres
for shards of glass, cuts etc.
Did I mention cables, housings,
loose mounting bolts, sloppy bearings…Winter aside (where I will typically
rinse bikes with fresh cold water to dismiss road salt, grit and similarly
corrosive, or abrasive nasties, I default to a good quality car wash n’ wax
formula, since this will clean surfaces and leave a waxy, protective layer
behind.
During the warmer months, there
are waterless bike shampoos and washes that will remove light to moderate grime.
Some, including this Moto Verde Waterless Wax Motoverde
Waterless Wash & Wax | cycling-not-racing will leave a high quality wax
barrier behind. However, while they’re suitable for gloss surfaces-including
plated, polished, carbon and anodising, you’ll need to look elsewhere for
matts.
There’s still a place for bike
washes, although, outside of a testing context, I err toward the concentrates
since these can serve as degreasers when purging dirty drivetrains and diluted
“to taste” depending on whether I want something faster acting on really
heavily soiled gravel, cross, or mountain bikes. People seem to like visually
foamy formulas, seemingly of the belief they are doing more, whereas those that
cling to the surfaces are actually breaking down the grime.
Against this backdrop, I’ve
received this Stans Bio Based Bike wash 1litre. It’s a stock blend and like
many others, makes a point of saying its biodegradable.
Biodegradable is one of those
terms that’s a little vague and can just mean “it will eventually break down”.
By the same token, it’s also worth saying that because something is made from
natural ingredients, doesn’t mean to say its necessarily kind to user and
finishes alike. Citrus is very acidic and while an incredibly effective lube
stripper, requires careful deployment.
The Stans contains Lauryl Glucoside Citrate, an alcohol derived from coconut, or palm. It’s a surfactant, meaning it allows water to mix with oil and grime, breaking the latter down and ultimately, making the surface easier to clean. On the plus side, it’s very gentle on skin (hence its use in baby shampoos, body washes), breaks down very quickly in water and produces a very rich, stable foam that clings convincingly to the host surface, thus gobbling the grime more effectively.
However, these
can also have a high PH level, some people with particularly sensitive skins can
develop contact dermatitis. Like most products, avoid getting any in your eyes.
If you do, rinse your eyes in clean water for a while and seek medical
attention. In common with hair shampoos
and indeed, some other bike washes, its designed to be delivered over a wet
bike, worked into a lather and rinsed with fresh water.
I remain impressed by the NZero
Bike Degreaser NZero
Bike Degreaser | cycling-not-racing .
It’s not the fastest acting, or the most visually exciting, but very effective
and so long as you’re not too gung-ho a little goes surprisingly far. It can be
diluted and used as a bike wash, or even used neat on heavily soiled bikes-just
have buckets, brushes, sponges and similar cleaning implements handy and don’t
leave longer than 60 seconds before doing the scrubbing and rinsing thing.
There are other homely remedies for stripping drivetrains, from the highly
flammable and therefore potentially dangerous, to the passable in a pinch.
Some folks advocate dishwashers
but that to me has little benefit aside from damaging seals and other precious
components. I would generally avoid washing up liquids (dish detergents) since
these contain salts, which are corrosive and can dull lacquers and other finishes.
That said, it’s also very effective at stripping lubes and grime from
cassettes, chains and indeed, rings.
Talking of which, in my excitement
at finding a bargain, I discovered I’d bought a boost version of the Deore
crankset, designed for a 73mm bottom bracket shell, whereas Denise is a 68mm. This
wasn’t obvious, in the way it was with Ursula and the Zee but crept in over time,
when I noted some exposed axle on the non-drive side, two hundred mixed terrain
miles hence. Sorted now but note to self… All that glitters is not necessarily
the correct length. I’ll leave it here
with my review of the Park TW5 2.0 Ratcheting Click Type Torque wrench Park
Tool TW5 2.0 Torque Wrench | cycling-not-racing
