Cleaning

Products

The variety of cleaning products available for bikes (and in general) is wide to say the least. We have found that amongst all of these products Muc-Off is, hands-down, the best. It is great at getting rid of dirt and any oil based materials. Other than this soapy water is usually more than satisfactory.

For a comprehensive list of bike cleaning products and detergents look here.

Method

We'll assume that your bike has been taken out on the muddiest day ever and is caked in the stuff. We find the best way to start is with a brush, give the thickly layerd dirt a going over. If it isn't dried on it should come off pretty easily. Some people use a hose to do this although most would advise against it as the water can force it's way in to your suspensions forks, bearings etc. causing them to rust and reduing the functionality of any lubricating agents that may be present.

N.B. NEVER use a presure wash to clean your bike - it is much easier for it to force it's way past seals and in to sensitive areas of your bike and if you get to up-close and personal with it some models are even powerful to strip the paintwork from the frame.

Once you've got rid of most of the mud, you might want to use a cloth or rag to get rid of other persistent dirt and after this grab you Muc-Off and get spraying anything else that that is still not coming off. Don't leave Muc-Off on your paint-work for too long it is pretty powerful stuff and can damage the paint. Spray it on your front and rear cogs and chain too and get a brush (I find an old tooth brush works fine and is free) to work the detergent in to these areas before washing it all off with some clean water (not soapy).

Once this is done you can leave it to dry and get on with applying lubricant to your mechs and chain - I prefer to dry my chain with some old rag though and oil it immediately as leaving it to dry can allow it to rust a little, even in that short time, it's surprising. Our preferred lubricant is Bike Stuff (previously X-lube) and is the sister product to Muc-Off. We have been recommended to try Purple Extreme whn we begin touring however due to it's lasting power - we'll get back to you on how it performs in the next few weeks.

For a selection of oils and lubricants for your bike try here.