rodscot

I need to clean my wheel rims but don't have any surgical spirits kicking around. Will white spirit and the finest grade steel wool be ok?

easyupbug 

Don't know your rim material of what is on them so this is all I can say if they are aluminum of older chromed steel and not carbon. If I remember my time in Australia white spirit is srtong stuff for hands and lungs so cautions like gloves, don't breath fumes, etc.
Surgical would do the job, perhaps slowly but be safer. Steel wool #0000 we use over here will work on minor rust and polish up the rims.
I use surgical frequently on my aluminum rims to keep them looking good and the brake track clean. I use Mothers Mag & Aluminum Polish and Simichrome for chrome to remove any stains and polish.
My MTB rims get really ugly and I would use soap and water followed by Mothers, no spirits or wool.

cyccommute 

Ah yes, 2 cultures separated by a common language

After a bit of translating, white spirits will work just fine as long as it doesn't have anything else in it. Be a bit more careful about getting it on the tires, however. A small amount won't cause damage to the rubber but if you were to flood the tires with it, you could do a minor amount of damage. In particular, you might remove any UV protectorant that is on the tires.

Skip the steel wool with either solvent if you have aluminum rims. It's just not needed.

So that others won't have to do the translating, "surgical spirits" is know as denatured alcohol on this side of the pond. White spirits is the same thing as mineral spirits (and all the other names it's known by over here).

rodscot

Ooops, I failed to realise that those terms weren't universal. Sorry about that.

Thanks, guys. I tried to check the rim material but couldn't come up with anything online. As far as I can tell, it is aluminium. I'll give the white spirit a go then....... and be careful!

cyccommute 

No problem. I've worked with enough bloody damn Englishmen chemists over the years that I'm quite fluent in both conversational "English" and technical "English"...although I won't say "aluminium". I do call everyone "useless lazy gits", however

Leebo

I like dish soap and an old toothbrush. Plus a good rinse after. Be sure to pick out grit from the brake pads as well.

HillRider

White spirits (aka mineral spirits on this side of the pond) will leave a bit of oily residue after it "drys". Surgical spirits (denatured alcohol) will evaporate more cleanly and is better as a rim cleaner.

My favorite rim cleaner is acetone. It is reasonably low in toxicity (use it outdoors anyway), evaporates completely and won't hurt the rims. I fully agree that steel wool is unnecessary and can be harmful to aluminum rims.

wschruba

If you're looking to clean the brake track, you don't really need to use anything but soap and water (for dirt), and a flexible abrasive for the track itself, if there are stubborn spots.

In the USA, they are sold under the name SandFlex--you would want a fine grit version; it's best to think of them as an eraser with grit in them. You can usually find them in [very] well stocked woodworking supply houses, sometimes in model train/hobby stores (for cleaning tracks). If that fails, you can always buy the horrendously over-priced rebrands that Hozan or Mavic sell.

HillRider

Scotchbrite pads work well and are both cheap and available in almost any hardware, home store or even super markets. Use the fine grit version.

Sy Reene

So what may I ask is Isopropyl alcohol (aka rubbing alcohol) and how does this compare to "surgical spirits / denatured alcohol" for rim cleaning? This link seems to contradict some of the above.. per this page "denatured alcohol" is a form of ethanol, aka Methylated Spirits. and rubbing alcohol (Isopropyl alcohol) is a "surgical spirit"?

Denatured Alcohol vs. Rubbing Alcohol

rodscot

I actually think I have some Scotchbrite pads under the kitchen sink!. That's helpful. I must check my wife too. IN case she has surgical spirits kicking around for some of her needs.

drlogik 

Rubbing alcohol will work fine. Gets gunk off and doesn't leave a residue. I would not use an abrasive such as steel wool, Brillo pads or Scotchbrite pads. They will scratch aluminum and heaven knows what they do to carbon. If you have burned on rubber on the rim, use a plastic scraper on those areas followed by rubbing alcohol again.

HillRider

I gather "surgical spirits" is indeed isopropyl alcohol as that is what most doctor's use as a topical antiseptic to swab the area before giving an injection.

"Denatured Alcohol" is ethanol with any of a number of added items to make it non-drinkable. "Fully denatured alcohol" contains methanol and a few other things so it can't be purified into potable ethanol in any practical way.

Ethanol and Isopropanol are chemical close cousins and, as cleaners, work equally well. Just don't use isopropanol in your martini.

Metaluna

I'll add that if the rim has any fancy labels that you want to keep intact, be a little careful with the aggressive solvents and scouring pads. I don't think anything mentioned here so far would be a problem, except maybe acetone, but some rims have crap labels (Velocity) that are pretty easy to mess up. Then again Velocity labels are usually so tacky looking that it's probably desirable to remove them anyway.

rodscot

Ok, so I have methylated spirits which I believe is 'denatured alcohol'. This should do then?

HillRider

Yes, it is fine.

jimc101

Wouldn't be putting any of the 'spirits' mentioned in this post intentionally near a bike, IPA is the only thing listed which has any real use as a cleaner, but it's not great for rims.

There are products made specifically to clean rims like this Chain Reaction Cycles | MTB | Road | TRI | Run (I know this is OOS), or you can go to a hardware store, and buy a generic very cheaply like this https://www.cromwell.co.uk/shop/abra...90?brandId=514 These do the job quickly, safely, and with no liquid mess.

rodscot

That's interesting. Those blocks look like something a painter once left lying around my son's house. I have no idea what I did with it tho.

rmfnla

+1

Fine sandpaper helps with gouges, too...

coominya

So denatured alcohol is isopropyl alcohol?
And White spirits is what we call mineral turps down here? 3 cultures
I use an aluminium cleaner on brushed aluminium rims, but only when the tires are off. It finely etches the metal, strips off all shiny surfaces. The type with a tad of Hydrofluoric Acid, so you have to wear gloves and eye protection. Septone Ali Brite Aluminium Cleaner - 1 Litre - Supercheap Auto

San Rensho 

600 wet sandpaper. Finish wifh soap and water. Just that easy.

sch

Denatured alcohol is always adulterated ethanol, another name is ruined high proof vodka. It is 'denatured' with toxins, usually methanol or
wood alcohol, hence the name methylated spirits. Isopropyl alcohol, also called isopropanol, is sold unmixed or 'un-denatured' as it is somewhat
toxic by itself and not regarded by the feds as drinkable, and hence not taxed separately as are alcoholic drinks which are all flavored ethanol
in concentrations under 60% (except "grain' alcohol which is ~95%). Rubbing alcohol can be either isopropyl or denatured ethanol but is usually isopropyl.
From a solvent/fuel pov they are the same.

Sy Reene

This is basically the process I follow.. works for me.
How to Clean Aluminum Bicycle Wheels | LIVESTRONG.COM

ThermionicScott 

Most of the time, I just use a damp paper towel to wipe off the rims and brake pads. A "squeaky clean" can be annoying until the rims get a little dirty again.

FullGas

damp green scotchbrite pad works fine on alum brake tracks.