Detailing a bicycle?

cleanmycorolla

cleanmycorolla

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So I have a friend who is a tri-athlete, he just finished a competition and his bike is muddy to all hell. Seat, wheels, gears, etc.....its filthy. So he slipped me $50 to detail it and get it looking right again.

My question(s), so safe to assume I can use same stuff wed use on our cars, when dealing with the paint on his bike? Obviously no buffing w/ my griots, I was going to foam it down with CG Citrus, clean it rinse it, then maybe some UWW+ follwed by some Opt. Spray Wax, clean his seat with some APC. I'm stuck on how to handle the gears, but I can figure it out I suppose.

Anyone ever detail a professional $1,000+ bicycle before, share some advice? hahahah, I start tomorrow morning and any advice is appreciated.

Happy Saturday all
 
Hi,
gentle care is key.
Paint is very similar.

I lightly clean wheel rims that also serve as braking surfaces with a 3M scotchpad and water
or dawn/water if they have black brake pad residue.

Wheel brushes work on cassette (cluster of gears) and a Dawn type cleaner. No high pressure water spray ona bike.

Chain takes special treatment as washing/getting gunk off usually also partially degreaes/de-lubes chain. I use a "dry" type chain lube where carriers evaporate. The other type is "wet" which leaves more on chain BUT that attracts dirt. You want the inside of chain nicely lubed
with as little as possible external where it attracts/holds dirt.
 
Don't get a pressure washer anywhere near a bike, otherwise you will have to disassemble the bike completely (and I mean completely, to the core parts) to remove all the water from bearings and threads..

Spray on, let it sit for a bit and wipe it off. Foam guns don't belong in the bike world (I'm a DH biker).

The drive train can easily be cleaned with a basic degreaser like Simple Green, but if you remove the gears and chain, make sure you have the proper tools to put it back on (not available at your local hardware shop)

On Carbon components, don't spray any APC or degreaser, just water and soap, giving it a good rinse when you're done.

Don't let water sit in the pedals mechanism (whether it's SPD or Road type)


Also, professional bikes don't cost $1k... More like $7k +
 
You can''t necessarily assume that the decals have clear coat over them so be extra careful.

Otherwise good advice above. If you're not sure what you're doing don't wing it.
 
Thanks for the advice guys, much appreciated. @BMWGalore thanks so much! I read your post great stuff. I'll follow it! Yeah honestly I dont know how much these bikes cost, I fig'd it looked over a $1,000 so that was my guess. I'm going to be as gentle with it, so I feel good about it, but much thanks for your advice. No foam gun, I promise!

He was most concerned about the dirt and mud that had accumulated on the body of the bike, his seat, and he has some weird white powder on his handle bars that chalky, think he uses it for his grip? I don't know, he's a good friend, so I am glad I asked you all, I wouldn't want to trash his bicycle!
 
I detail mine every once in a while. Mine is anodized so its a bit different. When I spray some of the surfaces I use a mister like this

20120523111934749.JPG


Also use that to get most mud off. Then I use my CG Eco Wash to do the rest. I apply jetseal by hand and it helps keep everything stay spiffy. I do this every so often and after I wash my bike every time I re-lube all my cables and pulleys and such. As mentioned above stay away from high pressure anywhere near components as well as compressed air. Sometimes I use my CG air blower on low speed to dry around the hub and sprockets.
 
You might be shocked but most racing bikes have parts on them that can cost over a grand. Its nothing unusual to have a couple of grand in a set of triathlon wheels. So be CAREFUL. I've wrenched at a shop and have raced a bunch. Here is how most pro teams wash their bikes. Put bike in a stand(bike stand) Do not grab by tubes because they are really thin. Pretty much two bucket method because lots of teams wash bikes in parking lots of hotels. Use some GOOD wash product. Teams use a soft sponge(I've watched them do this countless times) Do not get too much water on bearings. They can take some water(riders race in the rain and bikes are carried on the roof in the rain) Use a good biodegradable degreaser on the chain and cogs. Scrub chain with a soft brush. Use compressed air on wet chain to blow water out. Oil chain with chain lube(ask you rider what he uses-l like Pro Link Gold. If you dont have any Synthetic motor oil is good in a pinch. Some mix up oil,Marvel Mystery Oil and STP for rain races. Do not get anything oily on wheels or brakes. Higher end bikes have stainless cables no worries there. Lesser $$ bikes a little touch of oil on cable ends. Modern bikes have a pretty thin paint coat on them. Treat frame like a car. Same products work here. Most mechanics carry a small bottle of instant detail in there box. A slick bike feels faster. Dont put anything on tires unless a mountain bike(You dont want anything sticking to tires) If it has carbon wheels spray detailer on rag and wipe wheels(do NOT get any on braking surface) Make sure braking surface is clean when scrubing.Just like a car thats where a lot of brake dust will wind up. Rescrub wheels if not clean. Oh yea most bikes have alot of carbon fiber on them now. They have a heavy clear coat on them Do not use a caustic soap on carbon fiber.Post some pictures when done.
 
I used to race for a factory mountain bike team the only thing we had to be careful of was disc breaks the pads soak up soaps and degreasers other then that we uses apc purple power and soap/ water
 
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