[Closed] Traffic film remover as bike cleaner?

dont see why not but then again i dont use anything like that to be fair, just a brush and water.

Tend to find that once the bike is clean giving it a quick wipe over with silicone spray makes it really easy to get clean next time as it prevents dirt from sticking.

A lot of people say Muc-Off etc is just diluted TFR and we're all mugs for paying £7 for a litre of the stuff.

On the other hand I used a lot of dodgy Muc-Off clones in the 2000s that had a habit of turning any red anodised alu pink alarmingly quickly, Fox Rebound knobs were particularly pink.

Personally, given how cheap Muc-Off and another bike cleaners can be if you buy the concentrated stuff, and I tend to use it half as strong as intrusted with a brush, I probably won't try to save a few quid a year to care for my couple of grands worth of bike in the same way I don't carry it around with a £15 non-branded cycle carrier.

I wouldn't. You don't want soapy stuff on your brake pads if you don't know it's going to rinse out, and you don't want any kind of sparkly waxes on them either.

Muc Off is expensive if you buy branded and follow the instructions which involve dousing the whole bike in it. However you can buy much cheaper bike cleaner (concentrated stuff, e.g. Fenwicks, others are avaialable), but the biggest difference comes from spraying it on the sponge instead of on the bike. You can do a whole bike with 5ml or so of cleaner. Just spray a load on the sponge, squash it a few times and wipe - actually works better and you need far far less.

I bought a 5l tub of Halfords cleaner (which is my favourite) ages ago, a year or more, for £13 and I'm only half way through the first litre. It helps that I can rinse off as soon as I finish the ride, because for the winter I don't need any cleaner. The mud is still wet so just rinses off.

I use the stuff in the pound shop, it is pink and in the same bottle as mucoff. I cant say I notice any difference between this stuff an mucoff other that the 800% price difference.

TFR should be fine as long as you dilute it down right avoid bearings etc as normal!
Also make sure it’s a non caustic one other wise you’ll dull the paint or finish on your bike and possibly the parts on it.

I might agree about mucoff but I personally wouldn’t use TFR as some of it can be very aggressive...

If you buy the Muc Off concentrate you can dilute it down to 1:10 (100ml for 1 ltr) and it works just as well as the regular stuff, especially if you use the foaming bottle trigger the newer bottles come with. Cheapest way I've found if you buy the concentrate in bulk when it's on offer.

I cant say I notice any difference between this stuff an mucoff other that the 800% price difference.

Leave it on your alloy parts for 5 mins see what happens...

I've tried it and it worked fine (might have been caravan cleaner actually).

But now I just use a hose and sometimes a bucket of warm water with Fairy Liquid in and a brush.

Not sure what Muc-Off is supposed to do that a bit of soapy water can't?

And please don't say the Fairy Liquid will damage my bike.

Well there's soap and there's soap.

The bike stuff is watery enough to rinse out of your brakes easily, and it's probably less alkaline than stuff designed to shift large amounts of cooking grease.

There's quite a lot of chemistry in these things. You probably could use soap, in the same way that you could ride Afan on a gravel bike or have oven chips for dinner.

And yet my brakes remain fully functional. Amazing isn't it?

I use Screwfix degreaser diluted 50% with water.

A 2l bottle is still 3/4 after a year.

I have some stickers on my forks. They fade rather quickly. I wonder why!

And please don’t say the Fairy Liquid will damage my bike.

The Aldi stuff is much cheaper and works just as well.

I've used diluted TFR a couple of times. Works well with a small detailing brush to really get the bike clean .
I followed it up with other stuff mind you and only used it for really heavy muck.

And please don’t say the Fairy Liquid will damage my bike.

Well, it does have salt in it.

Depends what you're trying to achieve? Have you tried cleaning your bikes with water & nothing else & had a look at what's left? For me it's a slightly grotty transmission which a proprietary cleaner like the one from Mucoff/Screwfix removes easily.

Problem with TFR is the majority of people use it diluted incorrectly and it can be incredibly aggressive. TFR is formulated to remove road film that has had all the water soluble components washed out of it, not something you find on the majority of bicycles.

I'd steer clear of TFR & use something less aggressive.

I had a 25 litre tub of non caustic traffic film for my xmas present from my wife. It's as good as Muck off. Ive had it for three years and none of my bikes have dissolved because of 'soap'.

Leave it on your alloy parts for 5 mins see what happens…

The bike stuff is watery enough to rinse out of your brakes easily, and it’s probably less alkaline than stuff designed to shift large amounts of cooking grease.

Do you have any actual information to share or just the ways you justify to your self using speciality products ?

Water alone works for me, on an average day. Then Gunk (Green) for a more thorough drivetrain/brake clean. Lasts ages and has had no visible effect ever other than making my bike sparkly.

I use Bilt Hamber Surfex . Its about £18 for 5 litres and mix it at about 20 to 1.So makes 100 litres for the strength I use, but you can dilute further. Hose the worst of it off and then spray with a hand sprayer and leave for 5 mins. Then just hose it off. It is a degreaser, so cleans the chain and sprockets well.Frame comes clean with nothing grime wise to need working on.
Its also great for cleaning grime in the house, so cookers and cooker hoods and general cleaning. I originally bought it for car detailing. Doesnt smell or leave residue, as long as wash off before it dries. And biodegradeable.
Been a game changer for me and cleaning. Done in minutes, not hours.
https://www.bilthamber.com/surfex-hd

Do you have any actual information to share or just the ways you justify to your self using speciality products ?

My god you are prickly aren't you?

When Muc Off (IIRC the first dedicated bike cleaner, made by X-Lite at the time) first came out there was a warning on it not to leave it dry on any alu components. This was because it was quite caustic, and that can attack the aluminium oxide coating that protects alu components from use. They quite quickly reformulated it and AFAIK the warning is no longer on there.

I justify the pretty low expense of speciality products, because I have some confidence that they will not be of detriment to my bike. I could use random cleaning products, but I think that there is more of a risk of some adverse effect. Feel free to make your own call on this, I am simply sharing my reasoning.

This suggests to me two things. Firstly, some cleaners (such as dishwasher detergent for example) are caustic which is good for breaking down oils but not good for aluminium things. Secondly, that not all cleaning thingies are the same, because they obviously changed its composition - or rebadged a different existing product, as I have no doubt happens a lot.

I had a 25 litre tub of non caustic traffic film for my xmas present from my wife

And people say romance is dead.

I find that when cleaning my bikes, there's a HUGE difference in the cleanliness between just water, and using a proper cleaning product.

I normally jet off the worst of the mud, then use muc-off/wd40 motorbike cleaner/fenwicks.. a light spray all over, agitate with brush/sponge, then rinse off again. Dry it off with an 'auto wipedown towel'..

Then i give the frame and forks a little squizz of muc-off 'protect and shine'..mainly cos it smells so lovely. Then I use juicy lubes fork stuff on the shock/fork/post shaft.

Then some oil on the chain..

I'm a fan of using cleaning products. Never had a bike dissolve in front of me.

DrP

(Don't get the protect and shine on brakes though....)

Leave it on your alloy parts for 5 mins see what happens…

Never had an issue and I've been using it for years.

I find that when cleaning my bikes, there’s a HUGE difference in the cleanliness between just water, and using a proper cleaning product.

Yeah just water can leave a film of dirt on the bike, but I personally don't much care about that. I might sponge it off if I feel like it. Or if it's summer and it's just the odd muddy day, and good weather is expected cos then my bike will stay clean. If it's winter and it's going to get caked again I don't bother.

Well if it's good enough to put on a £150k Ferrari, it'll do for your bike. Muc Off marketing team have earned their bonus this year! I tend to just use Halfords car shampoo and a sponge when I need to get down and dirty. Never failed to remove any muck. But usually just water and a sponge is sufficient.

There's TFR and there's TFR.

Avoid the caustic stuff stuff like this https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Traffic-Film-Remover-TFR-Caustic-100-1-Premium-Quality-Deep-Cleaning-25L-/192307249501

And use the non-caustic stuff like this https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TFR-25LTR-Traffic-Film-Remover-Concentrate-Non-caustic/363197249324

Muc Off is just non-caustic TFR with perfume added.

Not prickly but regurgitated marketing bull shit sets off my hackles

I use Bilt Hamber Surfex

+1 I use a snow foam gun and then rinse it off with the hose rather than the pressure washer. Works brilliantly

Concentrated muc off or fenwicks etc is hardly expensive

+1 I use a snow foam gun and then rinse it off with the hose rather than the pressure washer. Works brilliantly

Never a need with a pressure washer, its not needed with Surfex. Hose it and watch it drop off. Never need to touch the bike .

Muc Off is just non-caustic TFR with perfume added.

BITD is uses to be the caustic one. c.2004 it ate the bare aluminium of a recessed section of my FOX vanilla R rebound damper adjuster and caused an oil leak.

Not prickly but regurgitated marketing bull shit sets off my hackles

Mine too. I am quite cynical, but not enough to assume that not everything is bullshit, because not everything is. They aren't allowed to invent everything, so there is a method they use when writing advertising stuff that has to be derived from something true if it makes any sort of claim. You can learn to decode this and have an idea as to what's real and what's not.

Well if it’s good enough to put on a £150k Ferrari, it’ll do for your bike.

Not necessarily. Car shampoo for example often has waxy components in it. On a car's large servo assisted brakes these may burn off so it's not an issue if you splash a bit on - and it's also quite easy to keep shampoo away from disc brakes on a car. Less so on a bike. Car body panels are usually made of steel, there isn't much thin alloy on a car. They do formulate these things differently.

Also I don't buy Muc Off.

Another +1 for bilt hamber. I have also started using Turtle Wax Ceramic Spray, to reduce mud sticking, amazing stuff. But Surfex would strip it. Either have to spray each time or use autofoam.

Bottle of stardrops, a quid. 3 pack of microfibre cloths, another quid. Hot outside tap.

Sorted.

Wash a bike? That's a novelty.

Fenwicks and a hot water hose pipe.

Job done