Cycling UK Forum

Ayesha wrote:Jet washers, including mine, don’t flush out grease, lube or the silicone coating off the chain.
I promise. Unless you are totally stupid and push the nozzle hard up against the chain...

ChrisButch wrote:

Ayesha wrote:Jet washers, including mine, don’t flush out grease, lube or the silicone coating off the chain.
I promise. Unless you are totally stupid and push the nozzle hard up against the chain...

Maybe, but while they're not flushing lubricants out of the chain they're making a pretty good job of flushing them out of any adjacent bearings instead.

As for gloves .....Marigold washing-up gloves last for ages and are fine for anything except fiddly jobs for which you really need tight-fitting disposables, preferably nitrile.

Ayesha wrote:Jet washers, including mine, don’t flush out grease, lube or the silicone coating off the chain.
I promise. Unless you are totally stupid and push the nozzle hard up against the chain... 6" the absolute closest.

From Sheldon’s site,,,,
“Factory Lube
New chains come pre-lubricated with a grease-type lubricant which has been installed at the factory. This is an excellent lubricant, and has been made to permeate all of the internal interstices in the chain.
This factory lube is superior to any lube that you can apply after the fact.
Some people make the bad mistake of deliberately removing this superior lubricant. Don't do this!
The factory lubricant all by itself is usually good for several hundred miles of service if the bike is not ridden in wet or dusty conditions. It is best not to apply any sort of lube to a new chain until it is clearly needed, because any wet lube you can apply will dilute the factory lube.”

With a Karcher K2, a can of Mr Sheen and a ‘dib-dib’ oil can, you don’t need to touch the chain with any part of your person, including your fingers.. You only need to handle one pedal as you roll the cranks round.
Excess spray is removed by rolling the chain through a folded rag.

Ayesha wrote:I applaud your grammar, but not your trust in a fellow cyclist.

"They'll make short work of chain oil." meaning 'They will make short work of chain oil." with all the implication you 'assume' they will, maybe without going and seeing if they DO, or in reality, DON'T.

Ayesha wrote:I snipped out the OE hubs and stripped them to inspect them for maybe re-use at a later date. The OE factory grease was still in the cheapo hubs safe and sound after five years of me jetwashing the bike.

I sit confident.

willcee wrote:Been following the contris and I'm amazed how anyone with any experience could even suggest taking a pressure washer within 12 feet of a bicycle , never mind 8 inches,...that is.. one they have any regard for.. despite the last contri where the grease was still in the cheapo hubs after several years i'd bet it was luck rather than great seals. as someone who works a lot of bikes , many of them hi end machines i see the results of pressure washing, and of our inclement British weather, which in itself nackers hub bearings and HT2 bearings.. at no pressure other than the speed of your ride..i also understand that many guys haven't the 2 or3 hours that it takes to clean a well used bike every week, so resort to the Karchers.. recent memorable results of this were a carbon machine bought in Jan this year maybe had 1000miles by july. when i replaced totally shot rear sealed bearings and BB30 bearings, and the chain... owner couldn't fathom why.. wet winter riding on a top line carbon , with deep carbon rims and wait for it ..its weekly Karcherized..it was still filthy..I put ceramics in.. haven't heard back.. will

db8000 wrote:Can anyone recommend to me gloves for cycle maintenance AND jet-washing?

Graham wrote:My old dark green gloves, for chain-cleaning, are about 15 years old and are beginning to split.

I vaguely remember that these are made from "nitrile".
They have been resistant to whitespirit, petrol and paraffin and various other nasties.
Crucially they are thin enough to give a reasonable "feel" when picking up small objects and doing other sensitive work.

Before I get some replacements from Screwfix, I wondered whether anyone had thoughts or recommendations.

. . . . and another thing . . .

I have recently started to wear thin latex disposible gloves for most of my bike maint. work, because my skin seems rather more sensitive to oily dirt as I get older.

The ones I use tend to split quite often and have little resistance to organic liquids.
Is there anything better for general bike maint ???

ukdodger wrote:

willcee wrote:Been following the contris and I'm amazed how anyone with any experience could even suggest taking a pressure washer within 12 feet of a bicycle , never mind 8 inches,...that is.. one they have any regard for.. despite the last contri where the grease was still in the cheapo hubs after several years i'd bet it was luck rather than great seals. as someone who works a lot of bikes , many of them hi end machines i see the results of pressure washing, and of our inclement British weather, which in itself nackers hub bearings and HT2 bearings.. at no pressure other than the speed of your ride..i also understand that many guys haven't the 2 or3 hours that it takes to clean a well used bike every week, so resort to the Karchers.. recent memorable results of this were a carbon machine bought in Jan this year maybe had 1000miles by july. when i replaced totally shot rear sealed bearings and BB30 bearings, and the chain... owner couldn't fathom why.. wet winter riding on a top line carbon , with deep carbon rims and wait for it ..its weekly Karcherized..it was still filthy..I put ceramics in.. haven't heard back.. will

Exactly. Also firing high pressure water at dirt turns the dirt into sandpaper scratching the paintwork of the bike.