Random Tandem

As an alternative to the solvents suggested above, you may also want to try gentle heating with a hairdryer as some adhesives soften that way.

-Will

jackbombay

My vote is to remove the fixed cup when servicing the BB, fresh grease on the threads now will ensure it comes out easily later if/when it needs to be replaced. I've had some tough ones over the years, but I've never damaged one or failed to get one out.

delbiker1 

I use Goo Gone that I spray on a cloth and then wipe the bike down with that. I have also used it with a well used, green Scotch-brite pad, very light touch, and it works well. I just did this to a 2002 Lemond Poprad that I traded for. The frame, paint and decals are in very good shape, but there was quite a bit of grime. The result was terrific. Do a small spot in a hidden area first to see what happens. I do not have a before picture, but here is the result. I also used spray wax on a cloth to polish, after the cleaning. I did the above process when I had it stripped down to bare frame, but have done it with a complete bike.

Rherdegen

Thanks for suggestions—and a terrific looking bike!

roccobike

I use Goof Off to clean spots on an old frame, but never, never ever get any on a decal because it will destroy it for sure. But it's excellent for removing stubborn marks that resist other cleaners like WD-40 or soap. To remove tape I've used Goof Off. When it works, you'll know within a minute of putting the rag with the Goof Off on the tape. If it doesn't work within a minute, it won't work at all. It's only let me down once trying to remove old, reflective tape.

Mr. 66

For reflective tape I have used a torch. The adhesive loosens, then the tape can bubble at a temp well below the temp of paint damage. A piece of wood or a cooking spatula will help aid scrape off the the tape.

I had a Bike that was completely covered with tape. With the torch it all came off really fast, without the heat really slow. The original paint came through unharmed. I sold that bike, the buyer was a really neat guy, he's bough a few things from me.

Kabuki12

Dawn , to me , is the best somewhat non-invasive degreaser I have found. Also great hand cleaner after a day of bike mechanics! Joe

Kabuki12

Shucks , I thought I was the only one who cheated on this! I only remove it if I see something suspicious on the race that needs further inspection or maintenance. Joe

noglider 

There are conflicting pearls of wisdom about whether or not to remove the fixed cup. Each has its merits. I come down on the side of not removing it, but I respect those on the other side.

xiaoman1 

Kabuki,
Correct, I think that some folks may be unaware of how delicate older water slide decals are, even when new the adhesive was not that great....50 years out, using a lot of hot or warm water can get under the decals and lift them.
Best, Ben

cocoabeachcrab 

i used dawn power wash spray on my newly arrived bianchi frame and it worked amazingly well. cleaned up everything and did no harm.

Ged117 

I use Meguiar's Gold car wash with cold water, and clean gently around the decals. It also smells like synthetic banana, and is yellow, so double the fun and works great. If the paint is really dull, I'll use some polish to bring out the finish, and then buffer it before applying a thin coat of preserving wax. Applying wax is my favourite part.

Rherdegen

Again, I appreciate all of the suggestions for removing the unwanted reflective tape on the fenders of my vintage Raleigh. I tried a bunch without making much progress, and finally had success with heading them with a hair dryer (a torch had been suggested, but I worried about underlying and surrounding paint, nearby decals), rher carefully scraping with a small block of wood with a well-defined edge. Followed up with Goo Gone to remove remaining residue. Worked very well! I’m attaching before/after pictures. Keep in mind, however, that the rear fender paint is not great as it is, and the white already was worn and fading. But white paint was protected under the tape so it left whiter patches where there us3d to be red tape. But it is still less conspicuous than the ragged strips of red tape!

xiaoman1 

Good Job, I did not realize you were working on reflective tape, but you got it off...It's now Hammer and Dolly time!
Best, Ben

ramzilla

Looks like I'm late to this thread. But, I use a very soft sponge with cool water & dishwashing soap for the initial cleaning of my bare frames. After frame dries, I put on latex gloves and apply car wax. Then, rub it off & polish. It's all good.

cv350

I recently performed this same task on a Fuji Opus III. The decals have a crackled patina which I didn’t want to disturb.

Similar to others my method was to dampen a soft towel with cool water, and to use a small amount of Dawn liquid dish soap. Being very careful over the decals they were gently cleaned to remove the grime. Then the frame was waxed with Meguiar’s Ultimate paste wax and buffed out.

Random Tandem

Those decals are just beautiful! Much nicer than shiny replacements (and even better than when they were new, if you ask me). Nice work!

-Will

stassy

Reviving this thread for the sake of my newly-acquired '88 Miyata 615 - is there a way to clean the frame that can preserve the paint, but potentially get rid of what looks like white paint from some kind of scrape? It looks like maybe the top tube was scraped against something hard that was painted white and now the dark red/burgundy frame has some of that paint on it - I'll try dish soap first because the frame needs a clean-up anyway, but not sure that'll take care of it. Unfortunately whatever happened ripped up the "615" decal a little bit too, so I'll need to be extra careful around that.

Thanks for any help!

cv350

I try the most gentle method first. Usually a soft rag with water, then with a small amount of dish soap, then a gentle general purpose cleaner.

Other successes have been achieved with a paste made of baking soda, water, and dish soap. Baking soda is an effective cleaner and polisher and is gentle.

Stronger cleaners and removers certainly exist, but assess the mark being removed and the material that is being worked on, so as to remove the mark without damaging the surface or
surrounding area.

stassy

Thanks, this makes sense!

smurfy

I still have my bottle of Spin Doctor bike wash I got from Performance (which no longer exists). Simple Green was originally developed for bicycles from what I heard. I wouldn't use anything else. Dish soap is too harsh for painted anything as it's intended for ceramics.