How to Polish a Bicycle

Co-authored by Jonas Jackel and Eric McClure

Last Updated: April 9, 2021 References

Bicycling is a great way to get around while getting some exercise. Unfortunately, your bike can get quite dirty when you ride it over a long period of time. If you clean your bike regularly, you may not need to polish your bike for years to come. However, if you ride your bike frequently and haven’t had a chance to clean it in a while, you may need to break out some special cleaning tools to restore the finish.^{[1]
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Jonas Jackel
Owner, Huckleberry Bicycles
Expert Interview. 18 February 2020.} If possible, set your bike up outside on a bike stand to make this process easier and avoid making a mess.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Cleaning Your Bike

1
Disassemble your bike if you want to achieve a deeper clean. The more pieces that you can remove, the better your bike will look when you’re done.^{[2]
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Jonas Jackel
Owner, Huckleberry Bicycles
Expert Interview. 18 February 2020.} If it doesn’t seem like too much trouble, take the wheels off. Remove the seat, saddle, and slip the chain off. This makes the bike easier to polish, but you can definitely get your bike frame looking great without disassembling it.^{[3]
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- If you aren’t comfortable disassembling a bike, don’t worry about it!
- If you want to clean the metal components, wipe them down with a degreaser and clean them separately. Once you reinstall the chain, use an oil lubricant designed for bikes to re-oil the chain.
Tip: Taking a bike apart and reassembling it later is pretty time consuming, and it can be hard to put it back together perfectly if you don’t know how to piece it back together.
2
Hose a matte bike frame off thoroughly with water to remove stuck-on dirt. If you don’t do this, the small dirt particles may rub into the matte finish and scratch it up. Grab a hose and wash your bike thoroughly with a firm stream of water. Do this 2-3 times to ensure that you knock all of the dirt and residue off of the bike.^{[4]
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- If you aren’t sure what kind of finish you have, run your fingers over the frame of your bike. If it’s smooth and reflects light, you have a gloss finish. If it’s less reflective and feels kind of bumpy or rough, you have a matte finish.
- You can still do this if you have a gloss finish if you want, but it’s not nearly as important.
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3
Use a sponge and dish soap to clean your frame thoroughly. Fill a bucket with 1 US gal (3.8 L) of water and add 3–4 tablespoons (44–59 mL) of dish soap. Dip a clean sponge into the solution and wipe every portion of your frame with the nonabrasive side of the sponge. Cover every section 2-3 times and reload the sponge as needed until the bike is covered in soapy water.^{[5]
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- There are special bike soaps on the market, but they really aren’t necessary. Dish soap is nonabrasive and it does a pretty good job of cutting through grease. You can use a specialty soap if you want, but dish soap will work just fine.
4
Rinse the soap off of your bike off using a steady stream of water. Grab a hose and spray your bike down with your water. Use a medium-nozzle setting to spread the water out across the frame. Continue spraying the bike until the soap is completely removed and the water pooling up under your bike is clear.^{[6]
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- Don’t forget to rinse the underside of the bike as well.
5
Wipe the bike dry with a clean cloth or let it air dry outside. To dry your bike quickly, get a clean towel or cloth and manually wipe the bike clean. Alternatively, if it’s warm out, you can sit the bike out in the sun for 4-5 hours and let it dry on its own.^{[7]
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- The bike doesn’t need to be bone dry for the polishing process to work, but you do need to get most of the water off.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Polishing a Gloss Finish

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Use carnauba wax to polish a bike frame with a gloss finish. Carnauba wax is the perfect polish for a gloss finish because it’s natural and will make it shine like new. You can use a specialty bike polish if you prefer, but carnauba wax is thicker than most liquid waxes and easier to work with.^{[8]
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- Be sure to get a carnauba wax in liquid or paste form, not the raw wax flakes.
- Polishing a gloss finish may remove smaller scratches in your paint as well.
Variation: You can use any kind of car polish so long as it doesn’t require sanding. A bike frame is actually stronger than the metal body of a vehicle, so if it’s safe for a car, it’s safe for your bike.^{[9]
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2
Scoop 1–2 tsp (4.9–9.9 mL) of wax up in a microfiber cloth. Wrap a microfiber cloth around your dominant hand and scoop up a quarter-sized dollop of carnauba wax. Don’t worry if you accidentally scoop a lot out since you can easily spread it around another part of your bike.^{[10]
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3
Apply the wax to your frame using smooth circular motions. Rub the wax directly into the bike frame using smooth circular motions. Apply a medium amount of pressure and spread the wax out until there isn’t any wax visible in the location you are working. Cover each section at least 2-3 times to ensure that the wax works into the finish.^{[11]
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- For thinner parts of the frame, wrap the microfiber cloth around the metal and squeeze the metal while rotating your wrist.
- You can wax the bike rim if you’d like as well. Bike rims tend to naturally get pretty dirty over time.
4
Reload your cloth with wax as needed to ensure even application. Whenever you start feeling friction as you’re applying the wax, your cloth has probably dried out. Scoop up another dollop of car wax and continue working your way around the frame until you’ve finished covering the bike entirely.^{[12]
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- It shouldn’t take more than 12 ounces (340 g) of carnauba wax to fully polish your bike.
5
Let the wax air dry for 3-5 minutes to give it time to cure. Once you’ve covered the entire frame in the wax, let it air dry for at least 3 minutes. This will give the layer of wax that is directly touching the frame time to harden a little. Don’t let the entire bike dry for more than 10 minutes though, since it’ll be hard to get the excess wax off.^{[13]
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Wipe the excess wax off with a clean microfiber cloth. Spread out the cloth on your dominant hand and apply a firm amount of pressure as you wipe the entire frame down. Once you’ve wiped the bike down and removed the excess wax, your bike is fully polished and will shine like new!^{[14]
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Wait 1-2 hours before reassembling your bike or riding it. The carnauba wax needs time to harden and cure on the frame. Let the bike air dry for at least 1-2 hours. If you took your bike apart, reattach and pieces that you took off and tighten them as necessary.^{[15]
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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Restoring a Matte Finish

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Prime your bike for polishing with a specialized bike cleaner, if desired. Hold the cleaner 8–10 inches (20–25 cm) away from the metal to mist the frame while avoiding wasting cleaner. Your bike does not need to be dripping with cleaner for this to work.^{[16]
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- You can skip this step if you don’t have a specialized cleaner, but the cleaning solution basically primes your bike for the polish. Your bike will shine much better with a matte finish cleaner.
- You can also pick a matte finish cleaner up from a construction supply store. They’re often used for furniture and vehicles as well.
- Pick up a specialized cleaner designed specifically for matte finishes online or from a bike store.
Warning: You can’t use regular polishes on a bike with a matte finish. The thick wax will fill in the gaps on your matte finish and make it smoother than it should be.
2
Work the cleaner into the bike using a baby wipe. Grab an unscented baby wipe or moist towelette. Gently brush the entire frame of your bake to work the cleaner into the frame while wiping away the excess fluid. Wipe larger sections using circular strokes and use simple back-and-forth wipes to work the cleaner into thinner sections.^{[17]
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- You really don’t need to apply much pressure to work the cleaner into the finish.
3
Spray the frame with liquid bike polish designed for matte finishes. Shake the bottle to activate the polish. Mist your bike the same way that you sprayed it with your bike cleaner. Do not drench your bike—hold the spray nozzle 8–10 inches (20–25 cm) away from the frame and spray every portion of the metal.^{[18]
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- Do your best to keep the polish on the frame and avoid spraying the tires, crankshaft, handles, or brakes if they’re still attached. The polish won’t harm anything, but it won’t actively make these components shine either. All you’re doing is wasting the polish.
- Pick up a matte polish or detailer from a bike shop or online.
4
Remove the excess polish and dry your bike with a microfiber cloth. Grab a clean microfiber cloth and give your bicycle a thorough wipe-down. Brush the bike with the dry cloth while applying firm pressure. This will work the polish into the finish while wiping the excess liquid off. Continue wiping your bike until the entire frame is dry.^{[19]
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Let the bike air dry for 1-2 hours before reassembling or riding it. To avoid smearing the polish, let your bike air dry for a few hours. Once the bike is dry, reassemble the bike if you took it apart. If you didn’t, your frame is good to go. Enjoy your beautiful bike!