How do you polish a bike?
#1
How do you polish a bike?
Ive done it before on my car. It came out...astonishing. I mean I really know how to do it on a car, manually. I won`t brag about it, I`ll let the pics do the talking.
But on the bike is a different story. I just gave it a try, and only managed to smear part of the frame with polishing paste (that wont even come off now). You have to do it in a swirl motion, keeping a fairly high pressure on the surface that is being polished. That is IMPOSSIBLE to do on bike frame, because every surface is very curved and your hand just slides everywhere, I got that paste even on the cables.
So how do you folks do it? Please give me some quick tips because I feel very frustrated now.
Part of the very obvious polishing Ive done to the rear fender:
After sanding:
After polishing:
And the whole car manually polished:
But on the bike is a different story. I just gave it a try, and only managed to smear part of the frame with polishing paste (that wont even come off now). You have to do it in a swirl motion, keeping a fairly high pressure on the surface that is being polished. That is IMPOSSIBLE to do on bike frame, because every surface is very curved and your hand just slides everywhere, I got that paste even on the cables.
So how do you folks do it? Please give me some quick tips because I feel very frustrated now.
Part of the very obvious polishing Ive done to the rear fender:
After sanding:
After polishing:
And the whole car manually polished:
Last edited by goodchap; 05-13-11 at 01:13 PM.
#2
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I don't polish my bikes anymore. Gave it up about 10 years ago to have more time for other things. When I did, though, I rubbed the polish on, let it try per label directions and wiped it off. It's enameled (or lacquered) metal; why should it be different than any other painted metal?
#3
Im sorry man, but what youve been doing isnt polishing. Even waxing takes more than you described, and polishing requieres ten times more work. You don`t rub the polish on and then wipe it off, because you can`t wipe it off, you have to keep rubbing and then rub some more til it comes off...with a thin layer of your paint/lacquer. Are you sure you werent thinking about waxing?
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Why bother to polish it? Just ride it and keep it lubricated, clean, and adjusted.
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#7
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#8
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I use furniture polish on my bicycles.
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You can't have a thread with the words 'polish' and 'bike' in the title without a pic of the Polish cycling team. It's like a sick law.
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"Let us hope our weapons are never needed --but do not forget what the common people knew when they demanded the Bill of Rights: An armed citizenry is the first defense, the best defense, and the final defense against tyranny. If guns are outlawed, only the government will have guns. Only the police, the secret police, the military, the hired servants of our rulers. Only the government -- and a few outlaws. I intend to be among the outlaws" - Edward Abbey
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Pledge.
#12
Pedros Bike Lust...Spray Cleaner and Polish...anyone really into car detailing would just laugh at those. Polishing paste is basically a rubbing compound. Can you mix a rubbing compound with a cleaning chemical into a single product? Not really, totally different animals. I thought you guys were hardcore about this stuff...but this sprays are soft...really soft.
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You're new here, aren't you!! Very new!!
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#16
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Pedros Bike Lust...Spray Cleaner and Polish...anyone really into car detailing would just laugh at those. Polishing paste is basically a rubbing compound. Can you mix a rubbing compound with a cleaning chemical into a single product? Not really, totally different animals. I thought you guys were hardcore about this stuff...but this sprays are soft...really soft.
Anyone have a good omelet recipe?
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Last edited by DavidLee; 05-14-11 at 04:30 AM.
#17
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OP, paint thickness on a bike is nowhere near what is on a car so I would advise not using polishing paste. Just stick with the bike lust type products if you want to keep it immaculate.
Last edited by ratdog; 05-14-11 at 05:14 AM.
#18
Thanks for the replies everyone.
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Pedros Bike Lust...Spray Cleaner and Polish...anyone really into car detailing would just laugh at those. Polishing paste is basically a rubbing compound. Can you mix a rubbing compound with a cleaning chemical into a single product? Not really, totally different animals. I thought you guys were hardcore about this stuff...but this sprays are soft...really soft.
Incidentally, if you've got a titanium bicycle, rub it with diesel, give it a bit of a rinse, and then apply some furniture polish. That'll remove the fingerprints and give it a nice shine.
You're going to paint over the paste?
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#21
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Why in the world would you waste your time doing that? I would much rather be getting dirt and grime on my bike by riding it than wiping it down to prove I was hardcore....
#22
Well...it`s done now. Of course i didnt paint over the paste. Degreased the paint, than ltos of sanding, degrease again, paint. Looks like a new bike now, but so fragile, because its matte black. I hope im wrong, but even if it chips, the layer underneath its still black so its all good. Now I`ll have to spend the whole day adjusting the brakes and deraileurs and stuff cause errything is off now.
Because of my slight form of OCD. I`m a maniac when it comes to detailing and everything just has to look perfect otherwise I can`t sleep at night. And since the old paint was scratched all over, I had to do something about it. Polishing didnt work...so...I had to paint it.
Because of my slight form of OCD. I`m a maniac when it comes to detailing and everything just has to look perfect otherwise I can`t sleep at night. And since the old paint was scratched all over, I had to do something about it. Polishing didnt work...so...I had to paint it.
Last edited by goodchap; 05-14-11 at 11:15 AM.
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I rarely do, but on that rare occasion, I'll use lemon pledge
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Why matte black? Why not something with a bit of gloss?
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