Riodo

Hi,
would spraying the frame and racks with WD40 (the common one, blue-yellow can) or Silicone spray help maintaining the frame and racks?
Thank you

Wilfred Laurier

What type of problem are you anticipating that you hope to avoid?

WD40 also attacks some plastics so it shouldn't really be used to spray down a whole bike. It also dissolves lubricants on chains and in bearings, so you also don't want to get it on those things.

Unless you have an unpainted steel frame, there is really nothing to protect it from. Moving parts like chains and cables and bearings generally have their own lubrication needs, and these will not involve WD40.

Riodo

Thanks a lot.

How can WD40 and silicon spray be utilized for frame and rack maintenance?

Bill Kapaun

Most anything that leaves ANY kind of film is going to attract dirt.
Easier to wipe off a "dry" frame than a sticky, oily one.

dsbrantjr

By leaving them in the can. Keep silicone (not silicon) off of anything you ever want to repaint, it is virtually impossible to remove completely and will cause "orange peel" and "fish eyes".

ChrisAlbertson

So you have a solution looking for a problem? The best use of WD40 s as a cleaning solvent after you have disassembled parks. Use it as a degreaser on the part, then remove the WD40. WD40 is good at removing gunk but should not be left on the bike.

All lubricants are t be used BETWEEN moving parts and should never be exposed to the "elements" where they only serve a "dirt magnets". On parks that face outwards and are exposed waxes are best.

If you want to apply a preservative to the painted surface of the frame, the wax they use on cars is good. Chain lube is the only thing to use on chains and cogs. It also can be used on cabes.

WD40 is very good at removing tar and other stuff that soap and water can't but then you have to remove the WD40.

unterhausen

I think you can just wipe off the wd-40, no real reason to clean it afterwards. I use it to clean my bikes, although I have switched to T-9 for that.

As someone said above silicone spray is not a good idea. I had one paint job fail twice before i found out the person had waxed his frame. This is after the frame was stripped and sand blasted, the stuff is insidious. The solution is to put silicone in the paint, which then means you either need two spray guns or mix silicon in every paint job.

WizardOfBoz

Exactly this. Do you have cleaning/maintenance issues that are unusual?

To clean, I quick wipe with a wet rag, or even splashing dirt off with a hose (don't aim the hose at any bearings and you'll be fine) followed by wiping with a dry towel should be fine. GCN recommends using WD-40 to clean chains. But this creates a big puddle or small bucket full of dirty waste petroleum product. It DOES get rid of most of the water in a wet chain.

And never, ever, use silicon spray or grease for anything you don't specifically need it for. I use silicon grease on the o-rings in hose connectors to maintain my fancy "SuperAutomatic" coffeemaker, and to lube the orings in my filtered water tap on my kitchen sink. It is used nowhere else.