(upbeat music)
- There are many amazing products out there
that make bike cleaning easier.
But was there anything wrong with the way
that we used to have to clean bikes
before specific cleaners existed?
Well, let's find out, shall we?
Old-school bike cleaning hacks,
do they work?
We go on about degreasers cleaning
your drive train and your chain,
but the original degreasers
were stuff like this.
Paraffin, also known as kerosene.
Or to be fair,
something like white spirit or even diesel
was actually used.
Now, the way to do it,
is you decant a small amount
into a little pot,
and then you paint it on your chain
and your drive train with a brush.
You then agitate it a little bit
and then rinse it off, really, really well.
Now a lot of people,
when they're using something like paraffin,
will actually take the chain off the bike entirely
and then soak it in a bath of that stuff.
Which is fine,
but just bear in mind
that SRAM recommend that you only use
their powerlinks once before binning them,
and Shimano also say that you need
to use a specific joining pin
before rejoining the chain.
So, does it work?
Yeah. Yeah, it pretty much works.
There was a little bit of concern
with paraffin that you can actually
wash too much grease and lubricant
out of the chain,
particularly if you bath it in the stuff,
so manufacturers will say
that you actually prematurely
wear the chain at that point.
But I will defer to Friction Facts,
the fount of all knowledge
on this kind of thing,
who has successfully proved that to be a myth.
So nothing to worry about there,
but all is not rosy
when it comes to paraffin.
I'm sure many of you out there are exclaiming,
"What about the environment?!"
And yeah, you'd be right.
This is pretty nasty stuff, look.
And so that would be my number one reason
why I wouldn't use this kind of product,
but go for a biodegradeable degreaser instead.
Next up we have the oily rag.
Now this one is on our list
because of our very own Mr. Stephens,
because there's an almost mythical oily rag
that actually lives in the boot of his car.
But it turns out,
it's not just one oily rag,
but several oily rags.
All in different states of oiliness.
Now, the dirtier they get,
the dirtier the next job
that they're required to do.
Until eventually the oiliest end up
cleaning filthy bikes.
So, question is, will it work?
(upbeat jazzy music)
So, has it worked?
Well, it successfully turned a not very dirty bike
into a slightly less dirty bike.
Presentable enough, perhaps,
to be featured in a GCN video.
But the important bits are inside the chain,
the chain rings, the set
and the jockey wheels.
They're all still crusted in dirt.
So they're all gonna be susceptible
to premature wear.
The conclusion then,
for the oily rag,
is that it's good for morale,
but it's not very good for your drive train life.
Next up we've got a hub cleaner.
Yes, a hub cleaner.
That is actually a thing, apparently.
It was popular many moons ago,
and it's still available to buy on the internet.
It's basically a piece of material
that attaches around your hub,
and then cleans it by gently spinning as you ride.
Does it work?
Well, apparently.
Yes, apparently it does work a little bit.
But forgive me, I can't quite understand
why you would want a clean hub
without cleaning the rest of your bike.
Yeah.
And also, actually, it only works
on polished silver hubs,
'cause otherwise it's gonna
gradually scuff up the finish
on your otherwise pristine hub.
So in conclusion,
most definitely not for me.
I'm tempted to say it's rubbish. Sorry.
Dirty bike?
Squirt it with water.
That should do it.
(water sprays)
Does it work?
Well, it successfully removed
large particles of dirt,
but on its own, no.
Completely rubbish.
Squirting your bike does not
constitute cleaning it,
no matter which decade you were born in.
Washing up liquid.
Not exactly old school,
as least I don't think so
'cause I use it all the time.
But it's definitely not bike specific.
Got a bucket of hot, soapy water.
Does it work?
(upbeat jazzy music)
Clearly it works.
Now perhaps it's not quite so good at getting rid
of heavy-duty grease and old lubricant
as a degreaser,
but the rest of the bike comes up
an absolute treat.
And in fact,
when used in conjunction with a degreaser,
it makes that more effective as well.
However there is a question mark for some people
over washing up up liquid being
used to clean to clean your bikes.
And that is that they feel
the salt concentration is high enough
that it actually will corrode the metal parts.
Basically cause it to rust.
Now, this confuses me because
I've successfully used washing up liquid
not only clean metal pans
but also my bikes for some years now.
And I've never had a problem.
So, did a bit of research,
and according to
The Institute of Corrosion,
which is actually a thing,
the type of salt used in washing up liquid
isn't the type of salt
that will accelerate corrosion of your bike.
So, you can rest easy.
Oh my word, out of the frying pan
and into the fire.
The controversy keeps getting worse.
Can WD-40 clean a bike chain?
(jazzy music)
Does it work?
Yeah, I'm sorry, but I really think that it does.
That chain has come up a treat.
Now admittedly, it will struggle
if the chain's really filthy, really gunked up.
But for moderate chain cleaning,
that's great.
Is it bad for metal parts?
I don't think so.
Nothing we can find out about it
suggests that is actually is bad for metal parts.
Is it bad for your bearings?
No worse than any other degreaser.
So, old school bike cleaning hacks,
do they work?
Well yeah, they seem to, to be honest.
Apart from hose pipes used on their own,
those are just rubbish,
and I also can't see the point of a hub cleaner.
But apart from that, yeah, fair enough.
Is there a reason then to use
a bike-specific cleaner?
Yes, absolutely, 100%.
A lot of these are really, really
not good for the environment.
So invest in a good quality bio-degreaser
and it's better for you
and it's better for the planet.
That, on its own,
is reason enough to invest in them.
And then of course,
there is a controversy surrounding
a couple of these things.
Now I personally am happy using them
but if you're not, then just don't use them.
You've gotta be 100% confident in what you do use,
that is super, super important.
Right, on that note,
I'm gonna invite you to get stuck in
in the comment section down below.
I should imagine there's gonna be
a healthy debate going on,
and also remind you to subscribe
to GCN if you don't already.
Now if you want to watch a couple more videos
on this subject, how 'bout
the classic 30 minute bike wash,
that one is just over there,
or to see how to get your chain
scrupulously clean, just over there.