Pressure Washers

Warm water and detergent. I waxed the frame liberally before I built the bike up and it just beads off the frame. Then rinse and dry everything with kitchen paper or old t-shirts or pillow cases. Clean and lube chain. Works for me.

I have to wasg the bike in the bath as I live in a flat, so no pressure washing here. Still amazed that the Other Half doesn't complain! Cleaning the bathroom afterwards helps.

+2 for the cheapo hand pump one.  I generally stay on trails this time of year and the bike is guaranteed filthy every single time. I have a Hozelock pesticde manual pressure sprayer thingy for cleaning the harder to reach parts and the drivechain and it is pretty awesome as long as you do it as soon as you get back.

+ one for the cheapo hand pump.

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The cheapo hand pump one will work for cleaning a slightly mucky bike enough to put it in the car.

You definitely won't damage anything with thiose as they barely have enough oompf to knock the skin off a rice pudding. I have one and have used it after MTB and after the odd cross race. As soon as you have a claggy mixture of mud and grass it struggles and it takes forever to clean a bike.

The Mobi one is much better, although I have heard tales about them not being very reliable.

A proper pressure washer is a completely difference beast to either of the other ones, and will clean your bike in seconds, albeit with the risk of stripping grease.

For your suggested use then I think the chepest hand pumped one would probbaly work. Bear in mind that the more effective the washer then the more water they go through, so you end up needing to take jerry cans with you as well.

Here's a good tip. Buy a cheap plastic dustpan and brush from the supermarket for a pound or two, the brushes are perfect for bike cleaning.

The Mobi portable washer is not in the same league as patio or garage forecourt pressure washers, hence its perfect for bike washing; about the same pressure as your garden hose with a nozzle.  If you're MTBing you can give the bike a quick wash before loading onto the car; shift the dirt whilst its damp, which is easier than the next day when its dried on.

can't help thinking there's a  bit of confusion here between the bike-specific washers you can get from Chain Reaction, and the much higher pressure ones for your car/patio etc. Pro-teams use high pressure ones because they've a lot of gear to clean quickly, with wheels that are going to broken racing long before the impact of washing kicks in. I was at CX race yesterday, just a local one, but loads of people were trundling little portable ones around behind them, I doubt they were pros. I'm sure the ones on Chain Reaction are fine.  We're going to do a lot more cross next season,  all being well, so with 2 muddy bikes to hoik back, I think I'll be investing ...

I fill a pump action oil can with the spare engine oil after car oil changes - there is usually a few 100ml spare.  Fully synthetic oil with pressure additives, free with each oil change.

Does anyone else use engine oil like Swiss as chain lube? Brilliant idea.

I too once tried a power washer and wrecked bearings in a front mtb wheel. Never again - car wash is the way to go with a mit or sponge.

Yep I've always used wax/car wash solution, but make sure that you wipe off any rims so that the wax does not settle/harden on those...not good having slippery brake tracks..

I second the Mobi V17 reccomendation, specifically in my case, if you live in a flat/house without an outside tap and a hose as in the grand scheme of things, its no more powerful than that. It is however better at shifting the worst of the mud than a pumb sprayer, and useful for rinsing off all the soap once you've cleaned it properly with a sponge/brushes. 

Also works wonders for cleaning the car if you live in a terrace! 

When bikes come in I wash by hand.... ( don't work on mucky bikes) generally a quick hose, citrus degrease/wash then a car wash..... hose down.... wipe off excess then use an air line to blow out all the mechs, brakes, shifters.... then I start work....  once stripped... a coat of one of the Waterless Wash n Wax polishes on the frame... then let it dry.... wipe off as we rebuild... leaving a clean and polished bike behind and any grease/oil marks gone...leaves a protective carbuba coating and easier to wash after...  Customers get a bike back in a good as new condition

Pressure washers..... leave them for cleaning the patio, unless you are tearing down and replacing bearings frequently

I also use mobil1 as chain lube. I use a syringe to apply it. Doesn't go sticky black and doesn't wash or wear off in the rain. Nice and quiet.

Car shampoo and warm water. Dry with old towel . Washing up liquid carries salt into cracks and will take shine off lacquer as it's surfactant s are too harsh.
Spray muc off water disperser and wipe over.

These http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/mobi-v-17-portable-bike-pressure-wash... brilliant job on all of my bikes. As previous posts have mentioned, a proper clean does need soapy water and a brush. BUT for a quick basic clean after a muddy bridlepath ride this will do the trick. I have to keep my bikes in the house so I give them a quick spray with Muc Off, wait a few minutes then pressure wash them realtaively clean. I do a proper clean every few weeks along with a service. The advantage of the battery operated washer is that the pressure is not enourmous (nothing like a proper pressure washer) and your bearings etc are not going to fill with water.

The only reason pro crews get to use pressure washers are because they are going to strip down the bike regularly and replace head and BB bearings. Don't expect them to last a year if you do use a pressure washer. If you use a pressure washer you will force water and grime into the bearing seals. This comes from long experience working on bikes in bike shops, helping on race crews (for multi day mtb races) and I have 2 friends who work/ed on world tour teams. 

Garden hose, dishwashing liquid and a soft long bristled brush.

Pressure washer handy when its very muddy and you are in a hurry otherwise I don't think you need anything more than an ordinary garden hose with a spray nozzle (and I own a Karcher). Hose pipe has added benefit of reducing risk typically associated with use of pressure washers because water doesn't come out of hose pipe at pressure sufficient to strip flesh from bone. Like Sergius, I've gone back to washing up liquid (Fairy liquid seems to do the job, including on the chain). Warm water is more pleasant than cold on a winter day but doesn't seem to me to improve cleaning power. Brush/sponge to agitate dirt required, rinse. Only thing I dry is the chain, apply some light lube (Morgan Blue stuff works for me).

I've not used a pressure washer on my bikes, but I do have one of those manual pump sprays you can get from your preferred DIY emporium for weedkiller or fence preservative. That, a selection of brushes (I got the Muck Off brush set) and a bucket of hot soapy water (washing up liquid) followed by wiping down and re-lubing the drivechain does the job nicely, even on a filthy mountain bike.

Only on the mountain bike, on those occasions when it's hard to tell where some of the major components are due to the amount of mud. Pressure washer to dislodge the worst followed always with a proper wash, just basic car shampoo and warm water. Dry off with an old t-shirt and attend to anything that needs lubrication.

A pressure washer is not a magic way of cleaning your bicycle quicker or better if that is what you are hoping for. Personally I would never use it on my good road bike.

I used to jetwash. Then i had to buy a new freehub, jockey wheels and bottom bracket. Now i dont jetwash anymore. Leave it to the cyclocross pit crews. For everyone else, soap and bucket and one of those microfibre cleaning mitts are brilliant.

I certainly have done in the past, though don't tend to any more.  It's not like it made the job any easier - you still need to agitate the dirt with a sponge.

Having tried various expensive bike cleaning products, I've gone back to washing up liquid.

- Take a normal hose, wash off the majority of muck and mud

- Warm water with washing up liquid and a sponge, give bike a clean

- Hose it down again

- Dry with an old t-shirt

For the drive chain it depends which bike I'm on.  My best bike uses wax lubricant which you essentially just rub off with an old rag and re-apply.  On my winter bike I use oil lubricants; again I  use an old cloth to remove excess oil once a week, before re-applying lube.  Once a month or so I'll degrease it properly.

All you need is a good supply of old t-shirts etc!