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De-gunker for Derailleur Hinges?

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De-gunker for Derailleur Hinges?

Old 05-30-20, 02:01 PM
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kissTheApex
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De-gunker for Derailleur Hinges?

It looks like my clamp on 105 front derailleur top hinges had enough gunk build up that it stopped downshifting. I’m feeling quite lazy and hoping that someone knows a good product to dissolve the build up on the bike.

Failing that, I’m ok with removing off the bike and have it soak in warm water before I work the hinges till they move without resistance, but like I said, I’d love to hear if anyone has a product they had success with without having to remove the derailleur off the bike.

thanks.
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Old 05-30-20, 02:17 PM
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fietsbob
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general category is called solvents.. they range from say, Isopropyl alcohol ,
to things you'd want to wear a safety mask to not breath in, using them wearing thick rubber gloves,,

WD 40 is a solvent leaving a water dispersal residue..
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Old 05-30-20, 02:20 PM
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WD 40 is probably on your shelf and won't hurt anything. Use with a toothbrush if the gunk is really egregious. Pull the derailleur cable by hand while you are flushing the derailleur.
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Old 05-30-20, 02:47 PM
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there’s gunk & then there’s gunk. what are we talking about here? is it mostly old lube & road grime or does it have some earthen material mixed in like mud & grass or sand? I wonder if you can hit it w a garden hose for a second then wd40 & an air hose? what do you have at your disposal? tooth brush? after shave? I’ve used after shave to start a rooftop charcoal grill
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Old 05-30-20, 03:29 PM
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Originally Posted by rumrunn6
there’s gunk & then there’s gunk. what are we talking about here? is it mostly old lube & road grime or does it have some earthen material mixed in like mud & grass or sand? I wonder if you can hit it w a garden hose for a second then wd40 & an air hose? what do you have at your disposal? tooth brush? after shave? I’ve used after shave to start a rooftop charcoal grill
No wonder your burgers taste like Old Spice.
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Old 05-30-20, 07:09 PM
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Thanks guys,

it’s probably road grime, perhaps bits of spilled water with electrolyte tablet, mixed in with sweat. I had squirted a bit of Wd-40 already and let it sit before I started the thread and it seems to be helping. I’ll work it a bit more tomorrow probably with an old tooth brush tomorrow and keep working the joints/hinges by hand until it loosens up.
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Old 05-31-20, 02:46 PM
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It’s all clean and easily shifting now. Thanks for the help guys.
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Old 05-31-20, 03:08 PM
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WD-40 works well for most gunk removal I've found. So does mineral spirits which is cheaper. But at least WD-40 has a light lube in it too. So make sure none of the overspray got on any brake surfaces or pads. If so, soap and water or isopropyl alcohol work well to get the last traces of lube. Since alcohol doesn't dissolve grease well, it's not such a good choice for anything but the remaining traces of oil or grease after it's been first wiped off.
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