Bike wash question

[VaBob]

On the ride home from work I passed by a house that had a man with a hose and bucket and bike in the driveway. Sounds like a lot of us right? But he had a gas powered leaf blower in his hand, and way drying his bike off with hurricane force winds.

Just wondering if anyone else does this?

[jm21ddd15]

Not me. I just use water and a micro-fiber cloth, to wash a small area, then dry that area with another micro-fiber cloth. Then move to another area on the bike. Never used a hose or any type of pressure sprayer, or any type of blower for drying. I have the Matte/finish paint, so I also never use any type of polish or wax. Everyone has their own way to clean their bike, just saying how I do it.

[gregj]

When I wash my bike, which isnt often (have yet to wash my '15 6), I use my air compressor to blow the water away, then use a micro-fiber towel to dry.

[Wing'n it]

The leaf blower will sandblast the paint! I have a special air dryer just for that job and it works great on the bike and the autos,... no spots and no water hiding!

[DaWadd]

Not a gas powered blower but I use my electric Toro leaf blower to dry my bike off all the time. No damage to the bike at all.

[bob109]

Not a gas powered blower but I use my electric Toro leaf blower to dry my bike off all the time. No damage to the bike at all.

+1 In addition it's great for occasionally blowing out the radiators

[stroguy]

The leaf blower will sandblast the paint! I have a special air dryer just for that job and it works great on the bike and the autos,... no spots and no water hiding!

A leaf blower is only blowing air. There is no media being injected like a true sand blaster. A leaf blower is perfectly fine as compared to your specialized blower.

[Victory65]

I live on a dirt road so there are times when wet that the bike gets to much dirt on it to just wipe off with water or a cleaner.

I will gently hose down the bike while using a soft cloth to gently dislodge any debris that might scratch the paint. After it's rinsed and dried I use a microfiber cloth and a "between waxes" type cleaner to buff the finish and remove any water spots.

Aside from the occasional needed washing, I usually just use the between waxes, cleaner.

[seadog]

Not me. I just use water and a micro-fiber cloth, to wash a small area, then dry that area with another micro-fiber cloth. Then move to another area on the bike. Never used a hose or any type of pressure sprayer, or any type of blower for drying. I have the Matte/finish paint, so I also never use any type of polish or wax. Everyone has their own way to clean their bike, just saying how I do it.

I discovered that by accident one day a big bug blasted my bagger shield and I had forgotten my can of cleaner wax and polish. What I had on the bike was a couple bottles of water and a micro fiber towel. I wetted the towel on one end and the bug even though it was dried on wiped right off. I was amazed and since that day its been a wet microfiber towel followed by a dry one and the bike comes out great and it doesn't cost me 7 bucks a can for cleaner wax and polish anymore. Who would have guessed that would work so well. I never did use any water hose or leaf blower or soap on my bikes. It was always Bike Spirit cleaner wax and polish. But the matte silver bike is a different animal for sure, not the glistening paint job of my old bike. So this was a wonderful discover for that flat paint.

[Old Ryder]

I always use a microfiber cloth to dry. That is a major reason I love the B. It can be wiped down in a minute or two because of the lack of chrome and the large areas of plastic and fiberglass.

I did try the leaf blower for a while, but it takes 3 times longer and not as good as the cloth.

At times I use a quick spray of detailer---sometimes Pledge Furniture cleaner and polish.