Hi All - so I live in Boston and have no access to a hose for cleaning my bike. I bought one of those spray canisters that exterminators use, where you can manually pump to add pressure, filled that up with water and it worked great…for my road bike.
Just started doing more trail rides and my CX bike accumulated a lot more dirt and grime, which the spray canister cannot handle.
Would love suggestions. Thought about a portable shower but the reviews I read seem to complain about pressure and thought about a pressure washer but from what I’ve read that’s going to be too much pressure.
First tip would be quick links for your chains if you don’t already use them. Cleaning the chain off the bike is better in any situation but night and day better if you don’t have a hose.
There are “no rinse” wash products for cars that I’ve used on my car but never a bike (I have a hose . . .) That might be worth checking out. These are good enough that many professional car details use rinseless washes exclusively. All you’d need is a bucket and a sponge. You can put it in your sprayer too for a pre rinse.
When it’s real bad (muddy / dusty) I use the self serve car wash power washers. Don’t aim it straight at your bearings, seals or disc brakes and you’re good to go. Usualy cost is about 2$ for a full bike clean.
If it’s just general cleaning, wiping off dust / grit, I use typical lysol wipes or simple green on paper towels.
This battery powered pressure washer can suck water out of a bucket so you don’t need a hose hook up. While you can hook a hose up to it its really made for use where running water is not available. https://amzn.to/2IlO3Rq
Note that is has a 3.5 star rating because several people marked it down saying some version of “its no better than just using a hose.” That would seem to be a feature, not a defect, if you don’t have a hose . . . .
