Martinize Your Bike

Yesterday I was planning to wash up the bikes and store them thru the winter. I did a thorough job on the cross bike, but only got partially thru another. Martinizing--that's a type of dry-cleaning, right...? Well, that's the best way I know of to clean a bike--no water, except for a wet rag to wipe it down after you scrap the mud off. The muddier the bike, they better cleaning it without water works. You just brush/scrape the mud and dirt off with non-abrasive brushes--toothbrush, scrub brush, pretty much anything plastic ... Here's some before and after shots...

The little strips of cloth are what I call 'gear floss'. Old towels, t-shirts, anything you can tear into strips works. Then after you run the chain thru a chain cleaner, you take the 'floss' and run it between the cogs (rear gears/cassette) as you do floss between your teeth. Works great.

The Favor polish is a cheap-ass Pledge knock off. After the bike is clean, and you have the wheels off, spray the frame and fork with the polish. Hold a rag/cloth over the gears, brakes pads and anything you wouldn't wants waxy polish to get on. Let the polish sit for only a couple minutes then wipe it off with a clean cotton cloth. The polish gives a nice shine to any parts of the bike that are painted and/or clear coated--it also makes mud or other grime wipe off easier later on.