VeloShine – everything shiny, captain?

I’m not a huge fan of washing my bike.  I love having the bike clean – and I’d fully endorse the procedure of cleaning you bike.  I just don’t care for the actual act of cleaning.  It is tedious, greasy and wet.  Compounding the issue is the fact that the longer you put it off (presumably because it is tedious, greasy and wet) you are not only causing excessive wear to your drive train and other moving parts, you’re also making the inevitable bike wash more tedious, greasier and wetter.

It was with this frame of mind that I was thinking about ActionWipes.  ActionWipes are a great product for those times when you need to get yourself (not your bike – but you) clean and unstinky but a shower is not an option.  I’ve used ActionWipes many times – especially at the office after a bicycle commute to work – and know how handy they can be.

I started wondering about using one on my bike, which lead to brainstorming about a similar product, but more targeted towards road grime, leaves and the other gunk that builds up on a bike.  Feeling whimsical, I threw a tweet to Martha Van Inwegen – owner of ActionWipes – with a somewhat tounge-in-cheek message:

@MarthaVan Action Frame Wipes. For long road trips when you just can’t find a place to wash the bike. With mild degreaser. Just saying…

Her response, however, was quite informative:

@delducra I want to keep #ActionWipes as a shower alternative, but check out @veloshine they’re specifically for bikes.

I went to check them out – and they actually seem to be almost exactly what I was thinking of.  Their promotional video showed the product being used in precisely the way I imagined I would want to use such a product:

Looks like they’re selling packs of these – with 18 per pack – for $8.99.  However, they may not be quite what I was looking for – as alluded to by their own website:

…VeloShine is not a degreaser.

Degreasers contain harsh chemicals and solvents capable of breaking down grease and tar… so degreasers can also remove the glossy finish and paint on your bike frame. Cyclists who use VeloShine wipes to clean their bike after every ride, lessen or eliminate altogether the need to use degreasers.

I’m going to get my hands on some of these and put them to a real-world test.  To be a thorough test – I should probably put off cleaning my bike until I receive them.  Yea – that’s why I’m going to skip washing my bike again today.