Ok so I've been wanting to clean my bike for awhile now, but I am little short on cash so I really haven't gone out to get specific bike-cleaning tools, soaps or cloths. I know I can use standard detergent around the house to wash down most of my bike but what I'm really stuck on is the chain and the gearset. It seems i have to get a degreaser and lube to clean it up. But I don't have the cash to do so, and i've heard that people use kerosene or thinner as a degreaser and Singer oil to lube it up, sounds like a bad idea?
And also a few nuts and bolts have rusted slightly because i forgot to wipe them down after being caught in the rain, any idea how to fix that? I'm not really handy with this kind of stuff but i love cycling do help?
Well, IMO if you are really short on cash for this, thinner is fine to clean the drivetrain with; I just did that on the used parts that I built up my bike with. Careful with anything that is flammable like kerosene; definitely do not use gasoline. For lube, again anything that lubes will be better than nothing, and I would venture to say that sewing machine oil will not hurt your drivetrain. It's a little light and may not last long. A homemade lube that was popular a few years back on another forum was oderless mineral spirits mixed at a low ratio with synthetic motor oil (OMS:Oil = 10:1 or something like that). Apply liberally and often. Of course if you have to buy both of things, you could go to a bike shop and buy lube (albeit a much smaller quantity). My point being that you don't need to be too fussy; but when you get a few bucks, try to get a chain cleaning tool (Park, etc), some environmentally-safe degreaser, and some chain lube. (And don't do anything extreme like put sewing machine oil in a bearing that needs grease--that will damage it.) Hope this helps and let the comments begin. Steve
The great thing about ProLink is that it cleans and lubes at the same time. This saves you from having to spend another $20 - $30 on a chain cleaning tool plus whatever solvent they specify in addition to a chain lube. And it saves you time since you only have to apply the ProLink and then wipe off the excess. It is best applied a day or two before riding so that it has a chance to soak into the chain and dry a little. It will work OK even it applied right before a ride but it picks up a little extra dust.
Well, IMO if you are really short on cash for this, thinner is fine to clean the drivetrain with; I just did that on the used parts that I built up my bike with. Careful with anything that is flammable like kerosene; definitely do not use gasoline.
Paint thinner is also quite flammable. Flammable materials are fine to use--IF THEY ARE USED IN AN OPEN AREA, LIKE OUTSIDE! You just have to take appropriate precautions to not have sparks around. But I agree on not using gasoline--it has too many additives and impurities that can leave a varnish behind.
Simple Green works well for cleaning most of the bike (don't spray it into the bottom bracket or headset area--spray on a rag and wipe), then wipe down the chain and gears with paper towels or rags and re-lube with a good synthetic lube. Putting a degreaser on the chain isn't necessary and can actually be detrimental to the chain (it gets into the rivets/bushings, then causes the new lube to sling off prematurely).
