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How do you clean braking surface of rims?

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How do you clean braking surface of rims?

Old 03-18-10, 01:39 PM
  #26  
mmmdonuts
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Baby wipes for the bike and rims. They come in a nice box. Dispense, wipe, dispose. No hassle with rinsing, solvents, flamables, etc.

A small nylon or wire bristle brush will knock the crud off the brake pads.
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Old 03-18-10, 01:53 PM
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Rubbing alcohol should be good. Although I don't know that bits of aluminum have anything to do with squealing. I've used windex before with no problem...I think squealing has more to do with proper toe-in of the pads.
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Old 03-18-10, 02:56 PM
  #28  
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I will admit that I have used many different solvents. It's not rocket science.

Alcohol works well but it does break down rubber so try not to get a pile of it on the tires.

Toluene (brake cleaner) also breaks down a lot of stuff and will melt decals. As will acetone (although it is safe on carbon fiber).

Generally, if I need to remove hydrocarbons I either use kerosene or naptha. sometimes both, since naptha will dissolve kero and leave no residue.

But this is not really a big deal so I tend to just use what I have lying around.
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Old 10-27-19, 01:56 PM
  #29  
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I've been testing the Swissstop cleaner block to clean the brake walls on my new rims after 100-200km. It was really dirty in the CNC grooves, much more so than I expected. I think it's because my new rims are much wider, so the walls are much closer to the surfaces of the tires and so pick up more dirt. At first I tried soapy wet wipes, citrus degreaser, and then isopropyl alcohol, but there was still a lot of dark stuff stuck in the grooves.

With the Swissstop cleaner block, I could get 95% of the dirt off. There still a little bit of gray stuff in the grooves. But I'm wondering, how abrasive is the Swissstop cleaner block? At first rubbing it over the walls a few rounds, the edge of the block was black. I would dip it in soapy water and clean it off with a toothbrush. Eventually after a few more rounds on the walls, the edge of the block turned silvery. So I'm wondering if it was starting to remove useful material from the rim.
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Old 10-27-19, 02:19 PM
  #30  
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You're not even a noob and you bumped a decade old thread?

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Old 10-27-19, 03:28 PM
  #31  
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Originally Posted by puma1552
You're not even a noob and you bumped a decade old thread?

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-1. Discussion threads become repositories for useful information, and the occasional new post can add to that for the next time someone finds the thread.
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Old 10-29-19, 11:42 AM
  #32  
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Sandflex block = rust eraser

this is a unique product that works well on rims:
https://www.amazon.com/Sandflex-Sand...2370928&sr=8-4
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Old 10-29-19, 12:44 PM
  #33  
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You get rim of them, and buy a nice set of disc brake rims!
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Old 10-29-19, 01:18 PM
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Originally Posted by eflayer
this is a unique product that works well on rims:
https://www.amazon.com/Sandflex-Sand...2370928&sr=8-4
For a really inexpensive alternative, go to a drugstore or grocery store, check out the fingernail care section, and buy a fingernail manicure block which has 4 different levels of abrasive material. For example:

https://www.amazon.com/Tinksky-Buffe...2376634&sr=8-5
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Old 10-29-19, 07:35 PM
  #35  
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But aren't all these solutions very abrasive? Wouldn't they slightly reduce the lifespan of the rims by wearing down the walls the more you apply them?
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Old 10-29-19, 07:39 PM
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Are we talking alloy or carbon wheels?

I ask the manufacturer what to use and was told they use acetone to clean them at the factory. They specifically said not to use Simple Green since it leaves a residue.

That's what I use and it works great.
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Old 10-29-19, 09:30 PM
  #37  
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People actually clean the braking surface on rims?
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Old 10-30-19, 06:27 AM
  #38  
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Originally Posted by GlennR
Are we talking alloy or carbon wheels?

I ask the manufacturer what to use and was told they use acetone to clean them at the factory. They specifically said not to use Simple Green since it leaves a residue.

That's what I use and it works great.
Acetone, or Simple Green?

Last edited by pickettt; 10-30-19 at 06:31 AM.
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Old 10-30-19, 07:08 AM
  #39  
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Originally Posted by pickettt
Acetone, or Simple Green?
Acetone
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Old 10-30-19, 11:29 AM
  #40  
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Originally Posted by tomtomtom123
But aren't all these solutions very abrasive? Wouldn't they slightly reduce the lifespan of the rims by wearing down the walls the more you apply them?
Abrasive, yes, but hopefully one would remove a satisfactory amount of schmutz before getting very far into the rim surface. You abrade far more of that by braking.
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Old 10-31-19, 10:12 PM
  #41  
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Originally Posted by Jean_TX
For a really inexpensive alternative, go to a drugstore or grocery store, check out the fingernail care section, and buy a fingernail manicure block which has 4 different levels of abrasive material. For example:

https://www.amazon.com/Tinksky-Buffe...2376634&sr=8-5
For a free alternative, remove the pads and scrub them on concrete. It'll usually dig out any bits of ally collecting on the surface in the same step.

As for brake cleaner, pretty sure it's all alcohol not toluene. Works great for cleaning all sorts of stuff.
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Old 10-31-19, 10:15 PM
  #42  
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Originally Posted by noodle soup
People actually clean the braking surface on rims?
For me, it's usually only one of the last desperate things to try when dealing with stubborn squealing. Usually... You've seen the state some commuters let their bikes get to, yeah?
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Old 11-01-19, 11:04 PM
  #43  
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Originally Posted by Kimmo
As for brake cleaner, pretty sure it's all alcohol not toluene. Works great for cleaning all sorts of stuff.
Maybe in Oz. Here in Freedomland you can still get brake cleaner made from really nasty (but effective) stuff, so exercise caution.
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Old 11-05-19, 10:53 AM
  #44  
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It's an old video, but here's the process that Rol Wheels
.
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Old 11-05-19, 03:09 PM
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Originally Posted by ThermionicScott
Maybe in Oz. Here in Freedomland you can still get brake cleaner made from really nasty (but effective) stuff, so exercise caution.
Oh yeah... do you still have that total crook running EPA into the ground?
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Old 11-05-19, 03:23 PM
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Originally Posted by Kimmo
Oh yeah... do you still have that total crook running EPA into the ground?
He was replaced by a different crook.
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