I’d go barefoot before trying to walk in shoes with cleats

yeah I might have been overly optimistic.

Perhaps unbolting the cleats then walking in the shoes would work? But the shoes cost a lot more than the cleats so wear on them is bad.

it makes it slightly better

but with the stiff carbon sole they are still super bad for walking

my Shimano winter boots are more flexible and surprisingly okay for walking, I once walked 1km in them

yeah but I would not pack spare shoes on a ride as a just-in-case.

I mean, my frame already has "too much crap" on it :)

you might just 3-d print flip-flop holders that make them serve as mudguards.

A bucket and a chain cleaner are the staples of washing a bike. One gets a few litres of water over 30-50 ml of (car?) washing soap, and the other gets diluted degreaser (more diluted when using a concentrated variety).

@Sam7919 does that really work? I have to wash my road bike for the first time in its life before I sell it

and we don’t have a garden hose

But this still leaves a dirty cassette (and dirty pulleys). Those must be brushed on their own, also using a degreaser.

I can’t imagine getting dirt out of brakes and derailleurs with just water and a sponge or brush

Question: Is there a particular bucket that you find works well (specific for cycling or any other style)? I can use any of the plastic containers that go into recycling (yoghurt containers, notably), but I'm wondering if you found something suitable for longer use.

@Michael Yes, I agree. For a road bike it's pure vanity. A clean drivetrain is technically all that's necessary. But for an MTB, especially if you're caught in muddy terrain or you ignore (as you must, sometime) the forecast and go out when there's a risk of rain, a thorough wash is unavoidable.

@Sam7919 local hardware store sells them, e.g. obi.at/baueimer-moertelkuebel/baueimer-20-l/p/1829613

or you could just use a wastebin

@Sam7919 Not using buckets to wash bikes, but anything with enough capacity (15l?) and a wide enough opening to get your hand with a sponge should be fine

Regular buckets are ubiquitous, so I don't really see why looking for alternatives

A chain brush and water are surprisingly effective in removing grime from the chain and casette. Degreaser and a chain cleaner like the Park Tool one isn't really necessary.

I’ve thought about using a spray bottle (maybe just a bicycle bottle) to wash it down afterwards without a garden hose

have to try in the next few days

a substitute for the garden hose is a large sponge.

the kind that are used to wash cars are good: amazon.fr/eponges-entretien-auto-moto/… (large and hold enough water)

although, the importance of having loads of water is maybe less critical for road bikes (dust on offroad bikes act as abrasive, so must be eliminated from the surface before "rubbing" the frame)

What do you think of this amazon.ca/VEVOR-Backpack-Sprayer-0-90-PSI/dp/B0BV9K9SZ5 product? Wouldn't it exactly solve the problem, when there is no garden hose available (such as 6 months over here due to freezing)?

There are very simple manually actuated pesticide pumps which are much cheaper and can be bought at the hardware store

Good idea.. example, please?

There are even battery-powered pressure washers for bikes

would a battery powered power washer work from just a bucket?

gartenwelt.de/…

I'm aware of this homedepot.ca/product/… . But it's rather overkill. Again, example?

Is this amazon.ca/dp/B07QTHHGZL about the same thing?

"Aqua2Go Pro washer"

@Michael That would be IDEAL for rinsing salt off from the bottom of a car during winter. The roads here are saturated with salt (tons, literally, according to the official reports).

@Sam7919 Yeah, though there are even simpler ones

@Erlkoenig Neat!! This model used to sell over here amazon.ca/Aqua2Go-Multipurpose-Portable-Rechargeable-Flashlight/… , but not anymore. I'll look for substitutes.

Personally, I'm using a Bosch Fontus 2, works with the same batteries as other appliances and has a 15l tank (enough for 2-3 bikes). Can also go in the car when taking the bikes to the trail, and washing them before putting them on the rack.

bosch-diy.com/be/fr/p/fontus-18-v-06008b6102 (but not worth buying it at full price, better to wait for discounts)

@Rеnаud The Bosch Fontus 2 falls under the category of "pressure washer", but it does not have a built-in water reservoir. You still need to carry a bucket/container of some sort; or am I missing something?

ah... I see. 15l reservoir

pressure is around 5 bars, so quite far from what you get from a real pressure washer (20-100 bars)

if it had more pressure it would be handy for cleaning rock walls for climbing

an actual pressure washer is harmful, of course for bikes, but even for cars.

@Sam7919 I think you can always set to lower pressure or wider jet?

I anyway need to put it in a very mild setting.

(yes :-)

@Michael The low pressure is still high pressure, but of course you can also just get further.

a 9 speed freewheel body won’t take an 11 speed road cassette, right?

unless it’s a Mavic freewheel body

@Michael It would be OK if the largest cog is larger or equal to 34T.

(at least for Shimano and Sunrace)

do they actually make the normal 34t with a narrower cassette?

or is it some special version?

what is normal 34T?

looks like it’s the case for a Shimano Cassette CS-HG800 11 speed 11-34

nice

it's the case for this one, I can confirm

they use "MTB" freebodies for these cassettes

@Michael use a stick and a rag as well, you can scrape off a lot of dirt with a stick. Especially from jockey wheels. After that I'd just take the cage apart, throw all in a cup with light degreaser (warm water, alcohol, dish washing soap, soda) an clean it with an old toothbrush. It's much faster than cleaning on the bike and has side benefits of cleaning and greasing bushings.

I do bucket cleaning only. I found old rags more useful than sponges or brushes. Sponges disintergrate and leave little bits everywhere. Brushes are only good for caked mud, preferably dry. But a few shreds from an old t-shirt, or an old sock used as glove are working very well.

The muc-off sponge works very well, better than a rag because it can soak up a lot of (soapy) water which you can then distribute on the frame

Is it tougher than a regular (dish washing) sponge? Keeping more water is nice, but if it starts to lose bits when it gets snagged or starts to crumble after ten washes id' go with something more robust but less nice.

Have used it for years without any disintegration

@Erlkoenig yeah that's what I use

very effective