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Best cleaning method... disc brakes?

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Best cleaning method... disc brakes?

Old 07-01-18, 06:57 AM
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Mattyb13
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Best cleaning method... disc brakes?

I have a Specialized diverge that needs a bath. It has hydraulic disc brakes. I know all the basics of bike washing; proper soaps, top to bottom, low pressures etc., but Im curious if anyone can help me with a great method to clean the bike without fouling the disc brake pads? Seems like gentle automotive soap will do just that. Thanks for any tips.
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Old 07-01-18, 07:01 AM
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Originally Posted by Mattyb13
Im curious if anyone can help me with a great method to clean the bike without fouling the disc brake pads?.
Removing the wheels(and brake pads) will prevent any contamination.
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Old 07-01-18, 07:27 AM
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Just remove the wheels and wash. If you don't want to remove the pads why not just hit them with some sandpaper after your done? If your worried about "crap" absorbing on the pads you should get a bike friendly wash. I never remove my pads on my CX bike and never have had an issue. I use the pink wash stuff and water. If I feel performance dropping a bit and pads are still plenty thick I will hit with the sandpaper and I am good to go again.

I know its apples to oranges but you don't do anything to your cars pads ever.....
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Old 07-01-18, 07:34 AM
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Originally Posted by sdmc530
Just remove the wheels and wash. If you don't want to remove the pads why not just hit them with some sandpaper after your done? If your worried about "crap" absorbing on the pads you should get a bike friendly wash. I never remove my pads on my CX bike and never have had an issue. I use the pink wash stuff and water. If I feel performance dropping a bit and pads are still plenty thick I will hit with the sandpaper and I am good to go again.

I know its apples to oranges but you don't do anything to your cars pads ever.....
I remove the pads and wheels if I'm using any cleaning product other than plain water. It's easy to do, and prevents any contamination.
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Old 07-01-18, 07:49 AM
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I think the best method is not actually washing the bike at all. Just spray it or towel with some cleaning stuff and wipe the bike clean.
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Old 07-01-18, 07:55 AM
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I don't know what the supposed proper way to do it is, but I always wash my bike normally with auto soap, then I wipe the rotors down with rubbing alcohol. Never had an issue yet.
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Old 07-01-18, 08:19 AM
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I don't own a disc-brake bike so I have absolutely no experience on this front, but the talk about contamination is interesting.. Isn't it normal in the course of road riding, especially in slightly wet conditions, for all manner of road spray that's contaminated with who knows what (oils, salt, etc..), to get everywhere (including disc pads)? It just strikes me odd that there's concern on what can and can't get on the pads.
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Old 07-01-18, 08:30 AM
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only oil and grease will ruin the brakes. I never clean my discs. they take care of that themselves.
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Old 07-01-18, 08:33 AM
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Originally Posted by noodle soup
Removing the wheels(and brake pads) will prevent any contamination.

Just make sure to NOT squeeze the brake levers....or put spacer blocks in the calipers...
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Old 07-01-18, 10:10 AM
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My pads were contaminated by Zymol car wash soap. It contains too much wax and oil.

I tried everything to get rid of the squeal including complete replacement of rotors and pads, proper bedding, resetting pads, resin vs metal, cleaning solvents, sanding, baking pads in the oven and using auto brake pad anti-squeal products. Nothing worked. The squeal would always come back.

Eventually I figured it out, switched to plain water and a rag. The squealing has not returned.


-Tim-
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Old 07-01-18, 11:17 AM
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Originally Posted by TimothyH
My pads were contaminated by Zymol car wash soap. It contains too much wax and oil.

I tried everything to get rid of the squeal including complete replacement of rotors and pads, proper bedding, resetting pads, resin vs metal, cleaning solvents, sanding, baking pads in the oven and using auto brake pad anti-squeal products. Nothing worked. The squeal would always come back.

Eventually I figured it out, switched to plain water and a rag. The squealing has not returned.


-Tim-
This works for me too.
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Old 07-01-18, 02:48 PM
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I've never done anything special with regards to the rotors or disc pads-- I just wash the bike as normal. I use regular Meguiar's or Turtle Wax ICE auto wash. My bikes usually only get a full wash 4-5 times a year. The rest of the time is wipedowns/spot-cleaning.
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Old 07-01-18, 02:50 PM
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Garden hose with a bit of pressure. Ti is easy to clean that way.
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Old 07-01-18, 03:18 PM
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So long as you don't use a soap that has wax or some other coating product in it, you shouldn't have a problem washing a disk brake bike.

I use conventional car wash soap -- rain-X Spot Free is what I'm using now -- and I have never had a problem. I DON'T directly scrub or soap the disk braking surfaces, but I don't take the wheels off or take any other special measures to avoid them. As has been said above, the braking surfaces take care of cleaning themselves. I leave them alone.
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Old 07-01-18, 08:12 PM
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I've washed the disc brakes with Dawn and water several times and braking still seems to be fine. I didn't actually apply the soapy water to the rotors, but some might have got onto them while washing other parts of the bike.
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Old 07-01-18, 11:02 PM
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Old 07-02-18, 07:28 AM
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Originally Posted by Marcus_Ti
Just make sure to NOT squeeze the brake levers....or put spacer blocks in the calipers...
sure, but there's no reason to squeeze the levers with wheels and pads removed.
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Old 07-02-18, 08:23 AM
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Originally Posted by LesterOfPuppets
I've washed the disc brakes with Dawn and water several times and braking still seems to be fine. I didn't actually apply the soapy water to the rotors, but some might have got onto them while washing other parts of the bike.
Wash bike with foamy Dawn in water, air spray dry after clean water rinse and wax/polish frame if desired.
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Old 07-02-18, 08:29 AM
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If you was your bike with dish soap, and you wax your bike, it removes the wax. That's why I use auto soap.
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Old 07-04-18, 01:39 PM
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Originally Posted by noodle soup
sure, but there's no reason to squeeze the levers with wheels and pads removed.
A mechanic told me that it depends if its hydraulic or mechanical disk brake system. With mechanical, the brake lever can be squeezed when the wheel is off the bike. But with hydraulic, it is a problem.
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Old 07-06-18, 09:57 AM
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Damp rag or paper towels, I just wipe the bike down.
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Old 07-06-18, 10:23 AM
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Old 07-06-18, 10:24 AM
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Originally Posted by Seattle Forrest
Damp rag or paper towels, I just wipe the bike down.
This.

I used to go through more elaborate cleaning methods, but now I just do a thorough wipe down with a damp cloth that I rinse as necessary.

I will occasionally wipe the rotors down with rubbing alcohol, but other than that I don't bother using any soaps or detergents. And I'm able to get my bikes as clean as I used to.
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Old 07-06-18, 10:37 AM
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I wipe down my rotors with rubbing alcohol and a new microfiber cloth all the time. I'm a clean freak anyway, and even if they look clean to the naked eye I always get a lot black crud coming off. I have heard of people putting alcohol on the pads then lighting them with a flame to burn the junk off them. If mine end up squealing I may try that.
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Old 07-06-18, 10:42 AM
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Wash with water only. Detergents will potentially wash away the beneficial greases and lubricants. And then, if necessary, wipe the rotors down with IPA (the alcohol, not the beer).
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