The Dirt Worker portable bike cleaner is a great idea, I've seen them at races and wouldn't mind getting one.

Having just finished making my own bike lights for night rides I'm keen to find something else to bodge on the cheap.

Using a gerry can, small 12v pump (maybe a car washer pump) with some hosing I reckon this can be put together for £10-20, way less than the £90 rrp.

Not sure how to get a spray gun of some sort that actuates the pump when triggered?

What does everyone else think? Its not exactly a technical product, can't be that hard...

The thing with the Dirt Worker is that it's a really solid bit of kit. The hose, the gun, the main casing, all of it is really well made. You might well be able to cobble something together for half the money, but I suspect that it might only work half as well ;-)

I assume that the pump is switched on by some sort of pressure switch inside the unit - there's no switch on the gun itself.

Jez, I think you'd be better off pressuring the can with a 12v tyre inflator, as I reckon that's the pricipal it's using. Good luck and keep the engine running while your using it or park on a hill!

I've never understood this "keep the engine running" thing. I'm sure it takes far more juice from the battery to start the engine than to run an ickle biddy pump for five minutes ;-)

I use a 5 litre pump up garden sprayer costs only £4.99 from Netto as of last week. U get quite a good jet off the spray and when used in conjunction with a washing up brush cost 0.36p or bottle brush 0.50p it does the job nicely. However ever the sprayer is not as powerful after about a year, maybe the rubber or parts degrade.

To back up what CHyRO just said... after reading the article I thought to myself that I could do similar for cheaper (I make my own bike lights too, so there is a theme to the botching).

I found a more expensive pump up garden sprayer in local DIY store, perfectly good at getting wet or dry mud off.. but obviously won't be as squeeky clean as a pressure washer... but at the same time no fear of inadvertently sand blasting the paintwork!

I wrote up the full user experience in a review here:

http://www.insanityideas.com/blog/Monday-20-March-2006

(BTW don't know how to make it clicky)

I have been using the same thing for months insanity. All winter (Night rides as well) 3 litres is enough in conjunction with a degreaser and a brush to get most of the mud off ready to go back in my car.

If i were doing more event the dirtbuster would be a consideration but i am not comfortable using a pressure washer. Hose pipe with rose on is the most powerfull water pressure i use.

Interesting ideas!
I've got a pump up sprayer somewhere and might use this as the basis for an electrical pump attachment.
The dirt worker isn't much of a pressure washer, I doubt you'd risk blasting any grease out. Bit of a wide spray super soaker really. You can get more from putting your finger over a hosepipe.

Not sure whether to pressurise the container with an air pump or get a windscreen washer pump from a scrap yard, seal the connections and dump it into my tank.

Well now there is a hose pipe ban across the south - despite the fact its wetter and muddier than its been for years. I think I'll get me one of these.

The Dirt Worker doesn't have anything like the pressure of a mains-powered jetwash (which I use quite happily - just be careful where you point it...) but it's got more oomph (and water capacity) than a hand-pumped spray thing.

banana

Managed to break one of the plastic hose connectors but good backup service from the suppliers (Start to Finish Leisure) who got a replacement hose to me in a couple of days.