woodcraft

Did anyone notice that the "wash gun" referred to by the OP is barely more than a spray bottle?

GBK233

lol. I’m not “trying hard”…just stating the fact that grabbing a spray bottle and wiping a bike down….is far easier than dragging out a hose(and foaming) a bike. And if a bike a soaked…it would prob be wise to blow dry it to get water out of crevices etc.
All of that is def “unnecessary hassle” for most.

KJ43

I see, it's not trying hard at all to counter reasonable people saying that a reasonable activity is reasonable when done reasonably.

First, make sure to point out how weird, or not normal someone is by taking said reasonable stance. Let's do a little name calling, oooh, "OCD", that'll do it.
Then, make up a completely irrelevant thing that no one actually does just to dress up the point you are trying to make. Let's add "blow drying" to the things that need to be done besides the fact that no one actually does that no matter how "wise" it would be. Add "foaming" because it sounds like it fits even though it's not clear what is actually entailed by "foaming" your bike. Instead of just someone picking up a hose we can describe it as "dragging out" the hose. I can just see the sweat and the physical cost involved, it really paints the scene and puts things in perspective.

Kimmo

Don't forget to jizz on it

popeye

Here is a recient example of why I don't trust shop mechs. My good friend, world champion sailor but bike ignorant.
He likes Trek road. He goes into the Trek shop and they sell him a gravel bike because that's all they had. Ok here
it is 9mo later and he goes in for a new chain. They sell him a new cassette and both ring gears because "they look worn. One chain of use total.
I forgot to mention that 3 mo after he bought it and they did the adjustments he is JRA and the crank falls off.
My last straw 18ys ago I had some small thing done, I get on the bike and one short sprint and the shifter twists locking
the back brake and blowing a overpriced S. tire. I won't bother to mention the previous problems but if you value your
life you need to check everything they do as they probably just have some kid after school working on it.
As for washing I use a bucket of soapy water and hose rinse. No high pressure nozzle or pump. Dry in the sun
for a couple of hours. Bike Lust is also great stuff and helps protect metal parts.

GBK233

I use degreaser on the chain and use a brush. Then I blow the chain dry with a compressor gun then lube. On my motorcycle….I surgically spray kerosene on it to break down the grease/crud….then rinse, dry and lube

Andy Somnifac 

Be careful. From what I'm gathering in this thread, if you use anything beyond distilled unicorn tears, everything will asplode in a purple fireball.

Kimmo

Get your cleaning kit out, with the products, and the spray bottle, or the hose, or the pressure washer, put your bike in a wet area, and settle in for bath time.

Or, you can just wipe the thing with a damp rag, it's clean and dry in one go, and you can get on with your day, like three minutes later.

Zaskar

One ridiculous (and hard to believe) secondhand example from one mechanic in one shop... sure, let's head to the interwebs and bash the profession at-large. Well done.

Andy Somnifac 

Why are you so dead set on people doing it your way? Have you stopped to consider that some people may like babying their bike? When proper care is taken, no harm is going to come of that and how they spend their time is their business. Some people like to twiddle, tinker, mess with, etc. their bikes in the same way that others with their cars. They derive enjoyment from it.

KJ43

Hehe. I'm sure we are both used to BF and the people that just have to make their point over and over again if they come across anyone with another way of doing things no matter how reasonable. I am editing this to acknowledge that this is pretty much how forums on the Internets have worked since their creation and that that it is entirely possible to ignore the back and forth, but that would lessen the amusement factor involved by being a participant in a discussion.

I'm mostly disappointed that he left out at what point the jizzing on the bike happens (or the "foaming" as GBK233 calls it) and how that step fits into the three minute time frame.

I just hosed my bike down this morning, brushed the frame down, sponge cleaning the tires and rims, a quick scrub of the chain, and then another rinse with the hose and it was just around 10 minutes though I didn't break out the stop watch to time the bike cleaning. To be completely transparent, I did miss the super important "foaming" step and I also did not "blow dry" my bike either.

popeye

Check your comprehension. I gave you two examples out of many and both are true. There are threads here on the harm others have experienced on BF at hands of careless or greedy shop employes. If you don't want to believe me no problem. Unicorns

Kimmo

Come off it mate, I'm obviously just playing 'no, you're stupid' with you, after your unicorn tears comment.

Kimmo

I've seen some some horrible work. Bloke I used to work for, who owns a highly respected shop in the city that's been there since the 60s, is an absolute butcher. I wouldn't let the prick within ten feet of my bike

popeye

Sorry Kimmo I admit to slow.

PeteHski

In fairness the average level of “professionalism” in bike shops seems pretty woeful. My various experiences with supposedly high-end shops (UK based) has been terrible. I’ve been trying to find a really good shop for years and always been disappointed in their servicing.

Last attempt was with my last MTB at a fairly local shop that sells all the really high gear and makes a big deal about its service prowess. Had a full “Gold” level service done. First thing I noticed when I got the bike back was the rear shock was mounted upside down with the air valve jammed up against the frame. Then I found that the dropper post wouldn’t lock in the upper position because the new cable was too short. Having rectified those two howlers I took it for a quick ride. All the Downtube cable clamps fell off and the drive side crank came loose. So a really top servicing job!

So I went back to servicing my own bikes again.

Kimmo

Yeah, I always took care to do the best job I could, but it was totally lost on my last boss; I was treated like a monkey in a dungeon while he shmoozed with the sales guys. Service a total afterthought.

cxwrench

That sucks. The shop I work at has 6 mechanics. 3 of us are 58, one is early 40's, one is mid 30's, and one early 20's. All are very good mechanics. We are paid quite well and get a bonus. We are nearly treated like rockstars by our manager, he likes to brag about our experience to customers. If we need anything to make our job easier all we have to do is ask. I can't imagine liking my work and coworkers any more.