Cycling UK Forum

Man I've been busy on the bikes of the household these past few weeks. I've stripped, degreased and lubed a great deal. I'm now out of degreaser, so can anyone recommend a degreaser which is available in bulk - such as 5l containers? I would only really consider green/eco types. I've been using Weldtite Citrus of late, however this is nearly a tenner a litre. Many thanks and enjoy your day. Robert.

cheap stuff from screwfix; dunno if it meets the eco-credentials though.

If all you want is a mildly caustic solution and some detergent action, you can probably brew your own.

If you are doing a lot of degreasing work, using white spirit or paraffin makes some sense; it is re-usable, and you ultimately don't end up putting so much toxic crud down the drain.

cheers

This stuff is great and I've been using it for years

https://www.citrus-cleaning-supplies.co ... LIEALw_wcB

A definite +1 for White Spirit and it's reusability I must have used the same WS for chain cleaning 20 time or more by now with very little loss but what was left on the chain after fishing out of the jar after cleaning.
Cassettes and chainrings need no more than paint brush dipped in WS to clean them,although if really mucky I use Astonish degreaser(I bought 12 x 500ml squirty bottle some years ago direct from the manutfacturer off Ebay for I think £15) in a squirty bottle which is rinsed off with water,cleaned with WS parts don't need rinsing just a wipe over with a rag and left for any remaining WS to evaporate off for 10 minutes or so.

Brucey wrote:cheap stuff from screwfix; dunno if it meets the eco-credentials though.

This is the stuff.
https://www.screwfix.com/p/no-nonsense- ... /88668#_=p

I like it.
It gets my vote.

I ended up using diesel for things like chains.

Some of the aerosol stuff is hideously expensive and runs out in no time.

This is the cheapest evaporating aerosol one I could find:


Last time I bought this, I only bought one can and despite it saying "Free delivery for orders over £15" it was free delivery, which surprised me since an item like this must cost well over £1 to deliver it.

Bike shops selling this stuff and and bike specific stuff, is always a scam.

Manc33 wrote:This is the cheapest evaporating aerosol one I could find:

It's also probably the fastest evaporating as well. By the time you put the can down and get ready with the brush or rag, it will have literally disappeared. Ideal for cleaning brake calipers and carbs, but worse than useless for anything else.

Most clutch and brake cleaners contain acetone. It's far too nasty and not needed for many cleaning tasks.

Jonathan

Screwfix No Nonsense heavy duty degreaser.
It's cheap and the best degreaser I've tried. 5 litres lasts for years.

Manc33 wrote:I ended up using diesel for things like chains.

A little story from a couple of days ago about diesel.

Tesco Pay at Pump.
Filled up our Yaris Hybrid with unleaded having put in the card and pin etc etc.
Pressed the button for a receipt, didn't look at it, shoved it in my wallet and drove away.

We always reconcile bank accounts and keep records.
I fished out the receipt to find it said ...............

£96.00 for 86odd litres of diesel.

1. It was unleaded
2. The diesel nozzle won't go in
3. You can't put 86ltrs of anything into a Yaris!

The bill was actually £19.60 and that is what's recorded on the bank statement.

Sorry.
Off topic, but I found it funny!