Cleaning Black Anodising ?

[smr]

Hi
I have been lurking here for a good 6 months now and this is my first post and a question, not to stupid I hope ?
Last week I bought I first new bike since 1995, a Pivot Mach 4 ( Matt Black ). All excited I spent most of Sunday riding, playing with the setup. By the end of the day both the bike and I were proper muddy. So back home first job clean the bike, lube a quick ride around town to dry then put it in the shed. The next day I took the bike out into the sunlight and it didn’t look so clean :mmph:.
Question : The Black anodising is so hard to clean, soap and water still left dirty marks. Any suggestions on what I can use to remove all the dirty marks the anodising look like new ?

 

[Mr_hANky]

Dry it with towel.

 

[callum1]

^ or just ignore it, it's only watermark, like on your car if you don't dry it with a chamois after wash. as long as you've cleaned it properly and dirt/water isn't sitting anywhere.

 

[smr]

Dry it with towel.

Sorry forgot to mention I did dry it with a tea towel. the ride was just to dry the small little bits hard to get to with a towel, but because to Anodising is rough ( not smooth like paint )I think some of the mud stayed in the pores.

 

[moorey]

Smecklers powder. I use nothing else :hail:

 

[smitho]

Wipe it down with some WD-40 on a rag. Will come up brand new. Just don't get it anywhere near your drivetrain or brakes.

 

[moorey]

^ or just ignore it, it's only watermark, like on your car if you don't dry it with a chamois after wash. as long as you've cleaned it properly and dirt/water isn't sitting anywhere.

Just buy brown ano like I did. You can lay a turd on that thing and it STILL looks clean.

 

[wombat]

I use a Muc Off polish / water dispersant and it's great, Weldtite do a couple of similar products which work well too.

Alternatively just head to the $2 shop and buy a cheap can of silicone furniture polish.

 

[Xavo.au]

Alternatively just head to the $2 shop and buy a cheap can of silicone furniture polish.

And holy God keep that away from your brakes!

 

[eastie]

while at the 2 buck shop buying the $2 silicone spray get a few microfiber cloths. Use them to wash it, dry it and save one for wiping on the silicone spray (spray a little on the rag way from bike, wipe on to bike, dont spray bike direct, remove wheels to avoid inadvertent rotor contamination). Store silicone cloth seperate to the cleaning rags.

 

[MARKL]

Wipe it down with some WD-40 on a rag. Will come up brand new. Just don't get it anywhere near your drivetrain or brakes.

+1 - when I do a full strip and rebuild its WD40 time on the frame, works brilliantly. To paranoid to let it anywhere near the bike when it is assembled.

 

[smr]

Thanks guys for all the suggestions. I think I will try the Muc Off polish / water dispersant and silicone spray on a microfiber cloths.

 

[whiteman]

while at the 2 buck shop buying the $2 silicone spray get a few microfiber cloths. Use them to wash it, dry it and save one for wiping on the silicone spray (spray a little on the rag way from bike, wipe on to bike, dont spray bike direct, remove wheels to avoid inadvertent rotor contamination). Store silicone cloth seperate to the cleaning rags.

+1 I found this to be by far the best method!

 

[redbruce]

+1 I found this to be by far the best method!

+1 also. Use it all the time on my Yeti (actually Mr Sheen - been using it on my bikes for around 25 years), also reduces dirt build up for a while and even then just falls off when a hose is pointed at it.

So far haven't experienced life threatening brake failure so I'm either lucky, or maybe common sense works.

 

[J@se]

Mr Sheen. No shit. It is fucking excellence in a pressurised container.

 

[eastie]

Mr sheen should work a treat, basically a solution of silicone, chem and oil cleaners and wax.

 

[retroenduro]

Wipe it down with some WD-40 on a rag. Will come up brand new. Just don't get it anywhere near your drivetrain or brakes.

yep can vouch for this....works ace on ano black and makes new muck easier to clean off too...but as this guys says....stay well away from the brakes!!!!!