Ebikin' it 5

Degreasing

This is a post about degreasing. Not the bicycle, even though my ebike's drivetrain is, let's say, thoroughly greased and oiled, This is about degreasing oneself after working on such a bike.

For guys, at least, the tried and true methods (Boraxo or Lava soap) involve heavy abrasives. This is fine for your hands, but somehow in the process of retruing my rear wheel (again) and replacing the tube after the old one failed (yes, Friday's ride had extra entertainment) I got a sprocket print on my armpit. I was wearing a t-shirt, too. With sleeves. Anyway, Boraxo and Lava (besides not being present in our home) are //rough// on your skin. Like sand it down to the raw, bleeding dermis rough. Not doing that to my armpit, sorry.

Now, back in the day (way back) I did theater. So I can expound with personal experience to the effectiveness of old school cold cream. If you're patient, apply it with care, and scrub carefully, it still utterly fails to do anything useful except give you acne. So what's a bike tinkerer to do?

I am fortunate (for this and many other reasons) to have an SO who does, on occasion, wear eye makeup. She is also not one to tolerate traditional "female" tools that don't work, like cold cream. No. She buys this stuff:  King Soopers Eye Makeup Remover. It's the store brand of a whole family of biphasic (you have to shake it up or it separates) makeup removers. Most of the major brands have a version. This one is cheaper. Friends and neighbors, this stuff works. Not just on makeup, but it //dissolves// grease off your skin like nothing you've ever seen. Shake it up, apply to your greasy hide with Kleenex or paper towel or a cotton ball, and the grease //just comes off//. The skin is not brutalized underneath. This stuff is for eyelids, for Pete's sake. (So was cold cream. Word to the wise, don't get cold cream in your eyes. It stings.  A lot.).

So many thanks to my sweetie, who not only pointed this stuff out to me, but graciously doesn't make me buy my own bottle. Seriously. Try this stuff. It does the job.

-JRS