Bike maintenance products: cleaner, degreaser

Which products for maintaining a bike?

Regular maintenance boils down to three actions: wash, degrease, protect. The cleaner removes mud and dust from the frame, wheels, and components. The degreaser tackles what the cleaner doesn’t dissolve, the mix of lubricant and dirt that blackens the drivetrain. Finally, the protector leaves a film that revives the colours and limits the mud's ability to stick on the next outing. Around these products, brushes of different shapes, sponges, and complete cleaning kits make the job quicker, and maintenance kits allow you to go further, even into the suspensions.

Bike cleaner: wash without damage

A bike cleaner is sprayed on a wet bike, works for a few minutes, then rinsed off after using a brush. Start from the top and finish with the wheels and drivetrain, the dirtiest parts. Rinse with clear water, from a hose or a bucket: a pressure washer used up close pushes water into the wheel, headset, and bottom bracket bearings, washing away their grease. Then dry it all, including the chain, before it rusts.

For an electric bike, follow the manufacturer's manual: battery removed or contacts protected depending on the model, no jet directed at the motor, screen, and connectors, and wipe the contacts before putting the battery back. Some products on this page are designed for these bikes, like dedicated kits or a cleaner for electrical contacts. On a carbon frame or a matte finish, prefer a soft brush and a product that doesn’t leave shiny marks.

Degreaser: a clean drivetrain before relubricating

A dirty chain wears out sprockets and chainrings faster, and new lubricant applied over a layer of dirt doesn’t reach the inside of the links. The degreaser is applied to the chain, cassette, and derailleur pulleys, using a brush, aerosol, or in a chain cleaner with brushes that clips onto the chain and soaks each link while you pedal backward. Strings or fine brushes can get rid of dirt stuck between the sprockets.

Rinse, let it dry completely, then relubricate immediately: a degreased chain without lubricant rusts in a few hours in humidity. Keep the degreaser away from the discs and brake pads, as even the smallest trace of grease renders them ineffective; for them, use a specific brake cleaner.

Protect, polish, and prevent

After washing, a protective spray or polish revives the frame and limits mud sticking; keep it away from discs, pads, and braking surfaces of rims. An anti-rust or penetrating spray protects bare metal parts and frees a stuck screw. The page also gathers products that are more about prevention than cleaning: puncture prevention liquids and adhesive strips for tubeless or tubular wheels.

Maintenance kits: suspensions, bearings, and frame parts

A large part of the page contains maintenance part kits: seals, rings, and oils to service a fork or shock absorber, bearings and frame screws, kits for bottom brackets. They should be chosen based on the exact reference of the part: model, diameter of the stanchions, year and cartridge for a fork, standard of the bottom bracket for a crankset. Servicing a suspension requires specific tools and know-how: if you’re not equipped, have it done at a workshop.

Other maintenance sections

After degreasing, the chain and bearings are protected with the lubricants and greases from the page bike grease. For discs and hydraulic brakes, cleaners and oils are found with the brake maintenance, and puncture prevention products with tyre repairs. The bike maintenance section covers it all.

Which maintenance product brands to choose?

Motorex, a Swiss lubricant manufacturer, offers bike cleaners like Bike Clean and Power Clean, an aerosol chain degreaser, Bike Shine protector, an anti-rust spray, cleaning kits, and brushes.

Fox Factory, an American suspension manufacturer, supplies maintenance kits for its forks and shocks, like the update for the Grip 2 compression of the 34, 36, and 38 forks, as well as tools for their rings and bearings.

Velox, a French manufacturer of bike spare parts, offers transmission degreasers, a cleaner and degreaser for electric bike batteries, a silicone-free polish, Fast Sealant preventive fluid, and Jantex adhesive strips for tubulars.

Muc-Off, a brand born in Poole, England, known for its pink cleaner, offers here Drive Train chain cleaners, a concentrated cleaner, complete cleaning kits, and kits for electric bikes.

Finish Line brings together Super Bike Wash cleaners, Citrus and EcoTech degreasers, Showroom protective polish, and Gear Floss strings, which slip between the cassette’s sprockets.

CeramicSpeed, a Danish bearing specialist, offers its UFO range for the drivetrain: Ultra Endurance wax, UFO Drip lubricants depending on conditions, bike cleaners, and kits for bottom brackets.

Maintenance products on promotion

Due to packaging changes or end of line, some products go through clearance; new references are gathered in new arrivals. To build up a stock of cleaner and degreaser, keep an eye on summer sales or Black Friday, good for workshop purchases.

Frequently asked questions

What product should be used to clean a bike?

A cleaner specifically formulated for bikes, sprayed and then rinsed with clear water, is suitable for the frame, wheels, and components. Save the degreaser for the drivetrain and a specific product for disc brakes. Harsh household detergents can dull certain finishes and attack seals.

Can you wash a bike with a pressure washer?

It’s better to avoid it, or keep a large distance and never aim at the bearings, headset, bottom bracket, or connectors of an electric bike. The jet washes away grease and forces water where it wears the parts. A hose and brush are sufficient in most cases.

How to degrease a bike chain?

Apply a degreaser to the chain, using a brush or a chain cleaner with brushes, also scrub the sprockets and pulleys, then rinse and let dry. Relubricate straight away, a drop per link, and wipe off the excess after a few turns of the crank.

How to clean an electric bike?

First, follow the manufacturer's manual, which specifies whether to remove the battery. Use a bike cleaner, a sponge, and gentle rinsing, avoiding the motor, screen, and connectors, then dry carefully. Battery contacts can be cleaned with a product suitable for electrical contacts.

How often should you maintain your bike?

Wash after each outing in the mud, otherwise every few weeks, and wipe the chain after every wet ride. A complete degreasing of the drivetrain is done when the chain turns black and sticky. Suspensions follow the servicing schedule indicated by their manufacturer.