Cleaning Supplies
Browse bike cleaning supplies for sale from riders across the UK. The category covers the three products a proper wash uses — bike wash for frame and finishing kit, degreaser for the drivetrain, and chain cleaners for the chain itself — along with the brushes and chain baths that apply them. It suits riders on salted winter roads or wet trails, where a drivetrain gathers grinding paste faster than it gathers miles.
What is the difference between bike wash, degreaser and chain cleaner?
Bike wash is a pH-neutral cleaner for the whole bike, mild enough for anodising, decals and matt lacquer. Degreaser is far more aggressive and is meant only for the chain, cassette, chainrings and jockey wheels. Chain cleaners are the narrow middle ground — a fluid plus a clip-on bath with rotating brushes, so the chain gets scrubbed on the bike without the solvent going anywhere near the hubs.
How often does a bike need cleaning?
In British winter conditions a chain wants degreasing and re-lubing roughly every 100 to 150 miles, and after any ride in road spray or salt regardless of distance. A dry summer road bike can go several times longer, needing little more than a wipe-through and a fresh drop of lube per roller. Leaving grit in the rollers is what drives a chain past 0.5% wear early, and a worn chain then takes the cassette with it.
Will cleaning products damage the bike?
They can, in specific ways. Degreaser that runs into a hub, bottom bracket or freehub thins the grease behind the seal; overspray onto disc pads contaminates them permanently, so the pads have to be replaced even though the rotor can be washed with isopropyl alcohol; and a pressure washer aimed at a bearing seal or a fork wiper pushes water straight past it. Keep solvent off suspension stanchions and matt finishes, and never let cleaner dry on paint in direct sun.
Cleaning or lubricating — which comes first?
Always cleaning, and the bike must be dry before anything from lubricants goes back on. Degreaser left in the rollers will thin the new lube and wash it straight out again, which is why a chain bath is normally followed by a rinse, a spin of the cranks and a wait. Wax-based lubes are least forgiving of all — they need a chain that has been stripped back to bare metal, not one that is merely clean-looking.
What is a fair price for cleaning supplies?
Compare on dilution rather than bottle size, since most concentrates go a long way. Brands including Muc-Off, Fenwick's, Weldtite Dirtwash, Peaty's and Green Oil all sell the same products as small trigger sprays and as 5-litre refills, and the refill is normally several times cheaper per wash. Sealed, unopened bottles are the ones worth buying second-hand; a part-used aerosol is a gamble on how much propellant is left.