Hand Cleaners for Touring Cyclists
2000 / March
Having dirty hands
sometimes is an unavoidable hazard of bicycling. Sometimes cyclists
will defer simple running adjustments for fear of dirtying their hands at an
inconvenient time ; or perhaps risk damaging their
clothes or handlebars by finishing a job with greasy fingers. Your bike may
suffer as a result.
However, this does
not have to be such a problem ! As a solution, I keep
two film canisters in my tool kit ( and often a spare
in the handle-bar bag, too).
#1. is a product called "barrier
cream",
made here in
#2. is
a citrus-based
cleaner, bought in a hardware shop 
Using a smear
of barrier cream before the job, and a dab of cleaner afterwards,
combined with a minute's worth of through application, leads to sparkling clean
hands, even with a minimum of water.
(
For
those occasions where there is no water, grass is useful. Where there is no
grass, a sachet of "refresher towel" saved from an airline journey is
good!)
First
application of the barrier cream may be unnerving, as it feels very greasy for
a minute or so, and you fear your hands will slip on the tools etc. Not so, however,
if you persevere a little longer - the gel begins to feel like a second skin.
On tour,
these two film containers have lasted us (2 people X 1500 Km) easily, though we
carry a back up as well. It's a great idea for a small "gift" to
other bikers too, - especially ones with greasy hands at the time.
The two
canisters’' contents would cost around A$0.50 I guess, after buying in bulk
(500 gm / 1 lb containers) for the workshop or garden shed.
Sorry , I have no idea what equivalent exists in other countries
! Please let me know...