SonicScrubber: A Great Stocking Filler For Bike Riders

 

Regular cyclists know that bikes soon get dirty, with the greasy bits attracting muck like metal to a magnet.

There are lots of reasons why you should keep your bike clean, and not just because it looks better when you do. Few people clean their bike as frequently as they should and frankly it can be a bit of a faff.  Luckily with a few tips and tools it won't take too long to give your bike a clean set of wheels. SonicScrubber Vehicle System is a great tool for giving your bike a quick spruce up, when used alongside some washable microfibres clothes, degreaser spray and warm soapy water.

In fact SonicScrubbers make great presents for cyclists, as a birthday gift or Christmas stocking filler. You can normally pick up the vehicle system for under £20 (under 20 Euros or dollars too, depending where you are in the world), but really you are giving them back the gift of time- faster bike cleans for more time sound the stuff they'd rather be doing.

Why clean your bike?

Bikes have a lot of moving parts that attract moisture, mud, dirt, sand  and grit. These can cause friction, rubbing and scratching which damage your cycle.  Modern bike drivetrains are particularly susceptible to this. 

The drivetrain on a bike includes the chain, chain rings, pedals and cranks and the gears- the cassette and derailleurs. Rust, mould, dirt and grit not only cause friction when you pedal, they clog up parts, reduce the effectiveness of lubricants and ultimately can result in the bike ceasing up.  

Cleaning a bicycle will prolong its life and that of its components, saving money and giving a more pleasant ride to its owner.

What you’ll need:

• Water and soap.
• Washing up liquid or a specialist car or bike shampoo
• A bucket or bowl. A couple of these is even better so you can separate clean and soapy water.
• A hose is useful but you can manage with buckets.
  
• Microfibre cloths or rags (old t-shirts and boxer shorts work well)
• Some soft bristle brushes that will get into gaps and some that are a little stiffer.
  • SonicScrubber Vehicle System is perfect as it comes with 4 interchangeable brush heads, a soft one, a cone one for tight gaps, a slightly stiffer medium brush and a larger brush for broader areas, that also has a 'hollow' in it for cleaning around nuts. 
  • Because SonicScrubber is powered it lifts dirt faster than manual scrubbing and save you from achey arms and wrists.
• Sponges are useful- avoid anything too harsh like a scourer or a wire brush.
• Chain degreaser.
• Lubrication suitable for a bike.
  
• Bike cleaning spray (optional).
• Bike polish (optional).
• Saddle polish (optional).
• Bike stand (optional).

How to clean a bike:

 

Preparation

This is a messy job so don't wear your favourite clothes. Overall a a good idea. It's better to do this job outside, so wrap up if it's cold. 

Gather together your equipment, so it's all handy when you need it.

Place you bike your bike somewhere secure, where it won't fall over and close to your source of water. A bike stand is perfect for this job and worth investing in if you cycle regularly. But if you don't have one that's fine. Leaning your bike against a wall, or using some other set up is ok, just long as it’s not going roll away or keep falling over.

Clean all the parts of your drivetrain

The drivetrain is the most important part of your bike to clean and probably the ickiest to tackle. If it’s not caked in filth, you can use warm soapy water, but ideally you want to use a cycle degreaser. Apply your degreaser to the chain, chain rings and cassette. Then leave it to set top work whilst you enjoy a cup of tea or coffee, perhaps a biscuit. Hard work needs reward!

Use your SonicScrubber, or brushes, to scrub the whole chain clean, turn your cranks backwards and hold your bank against the chain. 

Use a brush to scrub the whole chain clean – turn the cranks backwards and hold the brush against the chain. Rinse with warm water and repeat if necessary.

With warm soapy water, scrub the cassette (the metal gear rings on your rear wheel), chain rings (the toothed metal discs that look like cogs, near the pedals) and derailleur (the mechanism that moves your chain onto different cogs when you change gear) clean. 

Sonicscrubber is ideal here as it’s small enough to really get in between the cogs and teeth. Rinse everything down. Keep going until you’re happy everything is clean.

Next you can clean the cranks and pedals. You can use microfibres clothes or rags on the cranks, don't use anything too abrasive.

Clean the brakes

Grit, sand and soil can affect the effectiveness of your brakes, the grains can also scratch your rims if you use rim brakes. Use a rag and soapy water to clean your brake pads and to wipe all the way around the rims on both sides, then dry things off with a towel or a dry microfibre cloth. 

If your bike has fancy disc brakes, you can use soapy water and a cloth to clean the rotors, A tip for a quick job is to run a  SonicScrubber brush round the discs, as it will loosen up the dirt and remove larger particles before you use your cloth.

If your rotors are really dirty, spray some degreaser onto a rag and wipe them over. Then wipe them down again with again with a damp microfibre cloth to remove the degreaser residue. Some cyclists use rubbing alcohol. 

Clean the frame

Now move onto the main part of the bike, the frame. Wet it all with a very wet cloth, water from a bucket, a watering can or a low pressure hose on shower setting. Don't use a pressure washer or a hose with high water pressure, it can damage the sensitive parts of your bike and get into the bearings.

Next you can use a specialist bike cleaner , but it’s not necessary,  liberally spray it onto the bike frame. But soap, car shampoo or very diluted washing-up liquid should work just fine.

Using a microfibre cloth, SonicScrubber, sponge or soft-bristled brush and warm soapy water in a bucket to clean the whole bike starting at the handlebar and working your way down. Don’t use the same brushes, clothes or brush heads as you used for the drivetrain. You don’t want to get grease from them onto the bike frame. 

If you used a SonicScrubber brush head, and the bristles are greasy, they can be washed under a tap, in hot water. A dab of washing up liquid or degreaser will help get them clean again. You can even pop them in the dishwasher if they aren't too disgusting...but we'll leave it up to you whether you think that's a good idea or not :)

Wash the whole frame thoroughly, give a bit of extra attention to your bottom bracket, under the saddle, the down tube and the insides of the wheel forks, all the parts which are harder to see. SonicScrubber is great for getting into the parts that are hard to get into with a cloth or bigger brush. Once you’re done, give everything a good rinse with clean water- not your manky old washing up water that you've been dipping dirty clothes in!

Now take a clean, dampened microfibre cloth or towel and wipe down your brake cables.

Clean your wheels

Clean the rims, spokes, hubs and tyres. SonicScrubber really is ideal for this, the cone brush can get into those tricky bits between the spokes and the larfge brush gets muck out from between tyre treads. Check your tyres for any cracks, stones or road debris  stuck in them that might cause damage or punctures.

Rinse everything down with clean water again.

Dry your bike

If it’s a warm sunny day your bike should dry in the sun within 15 minutes whilst you have a well deserved break, perhaps another cup of team and a biscuit.

But if you are in the UK, it's quite likely the weather isn't either warm or dry. So take a dry, clean microfibre cloth or towel and carefully dry your entire bike. Drying off your bike is an important step to prevent future rust.

Lube it up

Once everything is dry it's time to get the lube out! You need to lubricate your chain to keep it running smoothly and to prevent rust. Specialist cycle lube will work better than old fashioned 3 in 1 oil or WD40. If it's winter you'll probably want to apply wet lube, dry lube in the summer or you can splash out on one of the fancy ceramic lubes or new formulations that manufacturers come out with from time to time. 

Don't overdo it! Turn the cranks backwards to move the chain as you apply your chosen lube, apply a drop to each link, until all of them have been lubricated. Leave it for a few moments, then wipe off any excess with a clean, dry, lint free cloth.

That's pretty much it. If you want to buy a SonicScrubber as a gift for a cyclist friend, loved one...or you fancy treating yourself, our Vehicle System is available from this website or TikTok Shop in the UK. For those of you based in Europe, you should be able to find it on Amazon or eBay.

Looking for a gift for someone who loves walking or hiking? Click here.