Cleaning my singlespeed

I thought I saw something about a shop that was cleaning your bike for $25, but I can't seem to find it at the moment.

Anyone have tips/favorite places to clean your winter bike? I commute most days of the week and mine's absolutely filthy right now. I used to hose it outside and wipe dry/relube, but the pipe to our outside spigot burst in a cold snap this winter. My fiancée also has expressed his preference that my bike never, ever, ever, ever be permitted in the bathtub ever again. :) (Tried it once - took longer to clean the tub. Whoops!)

It need not be sparkling clean (it's a 70s miyata that has to park outside during the work day), but I want to at least get the grime and salt off to prolong the life of components and frame.

Hit me with your best ideas.
And if you've got some kind of magical garage-based, bike-washing bay, I'd pay you for the trouble of using it AND make you cupcakes.

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Permalink Reply by Julie Aberman (Hochstadter) on February 9, 2014 at 5:09pm
My bike was a filthy mess last week too. I could have used a bike shower.
Permalink Reply by Alex James on February 9, 2014 at 8:10pm

If you're a daily commuter, I highly implore you to check out the deal Rudy's Bikes on Irving Park near Central has going on right now; $100 for a complete bike cleaning and overhaul until the end of February. I brought my commuter in last year and they did a fantastic job, and even took $15 off because they didn't have to adjust any derailleurs on account of my steed being a single speed. 

Alternatively, Finish Line makes a pepto-bismol looking bike wash that works pretty well-place a towel under your bike, spray it on and wipe it off, no water required! You can pick it up at the REI on Halsted. 

Permalink Reply by Apie (11) on February 10, 2014 at 5:55am

Rudy's is my local shop, love those guys!

Permalink Reply by Michael A on February 10, 2014 at 6:23am

Turin Bikes on Damen is the one with the $25 cleaning special

Permalink Reply by Julie Aberman (Hochstadter) on February 10, 2014 at 7:00am

Why did I never think of that?

Michael B said:

Take it to a car wash. Seriously. I use a self wash bay when it is above freezing & a hand car wash if it's below. I've been to the We'll Clean on Irving. I just asked if they would do it & how much. Charged me $10. I tipped the guys well. They seemed amused by the novelty of it. Brought some lube with me & was good to go.

Permalink Reply by Skip Montanaro 0mi on February 10, 2014 at 7:27am

I would think you'd have to be careful with the high-ish pressure of the wands at a car wash.. Don't want to drive water and dissolved salt into your bearings.

Permalink Reply by The Grizz on February 10, 2014 at 7:32am
You want to be careful where you spray high pressure water. Don't want to break any seals &/or H2O getting in your bearings. Otherwise car wash is a great option if you ain't got no hose at home.
Permalink Reply by Kevin Mulcky on February 10, 2014 at 8:17am

Use three rags; one with dregreaser, one with water, one with lube. Go at it. Wax on / Wax off

Finish with Pledge (or similar waxy cleaner) on the paint. 

Permalink Reply by Julia 3.5/7.5 mi on February 10, 2014 at 10:38am

This pink stuff looks like magic! I'll pick up a bottle and see how it goes. This might be nice to have handy for little bits of grime here and there.

I think the car wash idea is the best. We frequent the Clybourn Express one near Fullerton, and I believe they just use regular hoses - nothing high pressure. They do everything by hand, so it shouldn't be too crazy to just rinse it off, then I can dry and relube it. Good call on the high-pressure hoses. I don't want to damage anything or have to repack bearings at this point in the season.


Alex James said:

Alternatively, Finish Line makes a pepto-bismol looking bike wash that works pretty well-place a towel under your bike, spray it on and wipe it off, no water required! You can pick it up at the REI on Halsted. 

Permalink Reply by Robert Underwood on February 10, 2014 at 11:51am

I thought you could put it in the shower and rinse it off with warm water and clean it there...  then clean your tub real quick.  I haven't tried it yet but I'm going to, my bike is caked with salt and dirty grease halfway up.  And its warmer in there than a car wash.

Permalink Reply by Barry on February 11, 2014 at 7:47am

Good advice here.

Also consider a bucket of suds and a soft toilet brush. Very fast + easy.

Clark-Devon hardware should have the brush for a few bucks.

Permalink Reply by Renee Patten on February 18, 2014 at 6:47pm
I use Orontas Bike cleaner, you can get it on Amazon or Orontas.com, gets everything off the easy spots with rags and old toothbrushes for harder spots. It's also a "green" product which I'm a sucker for.

Going to use the warmer weather to clean off the winter filth myself, will take a long time, but will be nice to spend the time outside in warmer weather. It's long overdue.

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