Generally what you want to see underneath something being washed that may have been washed with chemicals (even just soap) is some kind of way for the liquids to be either blocked from reaching the soil (or public drain system) or filtered before they get there.
This can mean concrete, so long as the liquids can't run off into drainage or into places where they can reach soil. The liquids eventually evaporate in this case.
It can also mean a gravel filter, where the top layer is fairly coarse and there are several layers beneath, successively becoming finer with the bottom-most layer being fine sand. It might be tricky to get a portable workstand to sit nicely on a gravel surface such as this, so you might want to mount it directly into the ground in this case.
Ultimately I'm against bike washing outside of racecourse conditions, where bikes get wildly muddy. Washing a bike with water will flow abrasive particulate into small crevices while flushing lubricants out of those same crevices, lubrication that will be difficult or impossible to replace without disassembly. Remember that oils don't just lubricate, they protect against corrosion. You shouldn't remove oils unless you intend to replace them.
I generally advocate waiting until a dirty bike is dry, brushing it down carefully and thoroughly like a horse, then wiping it down all over with lubricant or some kind of protectant such as armor-all while dropping oil into dry joints such as bottle cage mounts, deraiiler springs, stem bolts, etc.. Essentially, you remove particulate and then re-moisturize the bike. I collect a lot of brushes in various shapes and sizes for such tasks; round bottle-type brushes in various diameters are awesome for this work. You can order them from chemistry supply companies.
Very new bikes are one of the exceptions as far as not washing with water. They still have a strong, unoxidized layer of paint, tight fittings in all their joints, and if they're on the more expensive end of things, sealed bearings all over with o-rings in the headset. Decent quality mountain bikes, for instance, are made with the expectation of being subject to a lot of water (mud).
My two cents!
~ cyclista Nicholas
On 2025-06-04 17:07, DEL HOLLAND via TheThinkTank wrote:
I’m Del Holland, a member of the board of the Bike Library in Iowa City, Iowa, https://icbikelibrary.org/
We are in a process of upgrading our outdoor space, currently concrete in a former warehouse. One amenity I would like to see added is an outdoor bike wash station. We now have a hose bib on the outside of the building. We would like something better.
Have any of you got ideas or experience to guide our efforts? Topics we have thought about;
Rain water collection as water source Pressure, either gravity or a power washer Bike hang/stand Parts wash Dirt/grit collection Drying area
We’d love your insights on these and/or other things to help us design and build a functional and aesthetically pleasing (well maybe that is too much to wish for 😀) bike wash at the Bike Library.
Sharing your ideas here would allow others to see them and utilize them or expand on them, but I’d also welcome private emails at DelHolland@aol.com mailto:DelHolland@aol.com
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