6 Retro Bike Cleaning Hacks: Do They Really Work?!

Do these six retro bike cleaning hacks actually work? Ex-pro cyclist Simon Richardson attempts to find out.

Do old-school bike hacks really work? Or, have we left them behind with good reason? In this video, Si tries out 6 of the most retro ways to clean a bike that we could think of to find out if they're better or worse than how we clean our bikes today.

What do you think? Don't forget to SHARE this video and let us know your thoughts down in the comments...

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[gcn]

Do these six retro bike cleaning hacks _really_ work?

[lauro]

The lesson I get from this video is that no matter what you use, your bike will be cleaned if it's clean to begin with.

[craftyplayss]

What a cheeky way to get Si to clean all the GCN bikes lol

[villikuha]

You committed a classic bike-cleaning-video-mistake with the hose: your bike was not dirty enough for that. Try scrubbing a muddy mountain bike with a sponge.

[notafan]

Hub cleaners are from the time when we'd actually oil the hubs (yep, by dribbling oil into the oil nipple in the middle of the hub). Some of the oil would always end up on the outside of the hub, attract dirt and make the hub look filthy long before the bike was due for a cleaning. Oh yes, those were also the days when we rode the bike to school or work every day and spent as little time as possible working on it - cleaning included.

[monkeyboyjc]

Oily rag on your carbon rims with caliper brakes, followed by some over-spray of wd40. I take it that they are Matt and Dans bikes Simon?

[smallerfreeze]

one of the best channels on youtube... in general not just for cycling

[Orzwood]

I started watching one of your videos about replacing my bottom bracket, now binging your while channel - by far the most informative and best presented road-bike tutorial vids on the net - nice job

[ChrisCapoccia]

Paraffin, a little fun with US/UK differences (hopefully I got this all correct):
1. Paraffin (UK) = Kerosene (US)
2. Liquid paraffin (UK) = Mineral oil (US)
3. Paraffin (US) = Paraffin wax (UK)

[milanbabic]

Hell... GCN again with content on the stuff that i've been working today. Your previous videos really helped me today, even though i broke a record on cleaning my bike. Spent 2+ hrs on cleaning the damn thing, drive train killed me.Washing up liquid + WD -40 definitely works. It makes job so much easier. But at the end 5 yrs old bike is a brand new now, so it's worth it.

[NielsHeldens]

PRAISE THE ALMIGHTY WD-40 AND ITS HUMBLE SERVANT SI RICHARDSON! May its many abilities help you in your life. May it’s brother duct tape also provide you its many useful services. And always remember: is something moving that isn’t supposed to move, use duct tape. Is something not moving that is supposed to move, use WD-40. Do you need a cheap degreaser, use WD-40
PRAISE BE THE ALMIGHTY WD-40!!!!

[pierreleblanc]

Loved the oily rag section...I have the same oily rags in my garage to clean my bike...haha!!!!

[jerrygundecker]

Enjoyed the music enormously as well as the information. Thanx.

[airish]

Simple green cleaning the chain and cassette nice. Use pledge polish on matte frame looks fantastic. Great video gcn🖒

[mohammadfahmy]

Great job on advocating the use of environmentally friendly products, Si! Hats off to you, good sir

[joecool]

My Friday evening routine before the weekend club rides;
1) Put bike on my bike cleaning stand, removing wheels & attaching dummy hub.
2) Spray de-greaser (Enviro friendly) on drivetrain.
3) While de-greaser is working I wash the frame with hot soapy water & dollar store sponge.
4) Wash tires, wheels & hubs. Inspect tires. Clean cassette with stiff brush.
5) Scrub chain, rings & crank with sponge & soapy water.
6) Dispose of sponge & rinse bike & dry with dollar store cloth.
7) Spray WD-40 on components and give them a quick polish with cloth.
8) Dry chain with cloth & apply wet lube to chain.
9) Remove dummy hub & reattach wheels.
10) Wipe off excess lube from chain using cloth & dispose of cloth.
Done!

[lekhapratap]

I can watch Si clean clean and dirty bikes all day. He’s perfect.

[djguydan]

Nah, I use Dawn dish soup. Good enough to clean oil shocked penguins and otters, good enough for my bike.

[kaloka]

Hy Gcn... You got me in to cycling. Thank you very mutch.

[robinburt]

3:21 So THAT'S where all my hair-bands keep going!