Bicycle Mechanics - cleaning drop bars

anyone know how to remove the bar tape sticky gunk from drop bars? or a former post where this is discussed?

Gasoline acetone, alcohol..Any rust that is serious go with some SOS!

Goo Gone (http://www.magicamerican.com/googone.shtml) did the trick for me.

Toluene

Hair spray, or that goo gone stuff mentioned above.

Toluene

Dangerous. Like Zylene.
Acetone works too....also requires caution.

White gas?

Acetone -maybe nail polish remover?
Anything in the Turpene? family I am pretty cautious about as well.

thanks, i guess i will try goo gone and/ or alcohol as i have those at home...no rust on the bars just GOO!!

also...i wanna put my champ grips on said bars...not in the drops but up on the flats (?) where i rest my weary hands... any advice or warnings about putting them on?

Gasoline acetone, alcohol..Any rust that is serious go with some SOS!

Rust? Are these steel bars?

My secret goo remover is lighter fluid. Much safer than gasoline, doesn't attack plastic like acetone and vastly more effective than alcohol.

Cheap, too.

Paint thinner for me.

Paint thinner for me.



I used this recently on my chain, then saved the old fluid. But now I have a fluid that's clear on the bottom, but dirty and cloudy on top. It's possible that there was water on the bottom, so maybe that's the clear part? Anyone tell me how to separate the paint thinner back out from everything else? Trying to pour just transfers the separated fluids into another container. I don't want to pour the wrong stuff out :( .

Thanks.

I used this recently on my chain, then saved the old fluid. But now I have a fluid that's clear on the bottom, but dirty and cloudy on top. It's possible that there was water on the bottom, so maybe that's the clear part? Anyone tell me how to separate the paint thinner back out from everything else? Trying to pour just transfers the separated fluids into another container. I don't want to pour the wrong stuff out :( .

Thanks.


Set up a distillation column.

thanks, i guess i will try goo gone and/ or alcohol as i have those at home...no rust on the bars just GOO!!

also...i wanna put my champ grips on said bars...not in the drops but up on the flats (?) where i rest my weary hands... any advice or warnings about putting them on?

Ok new straight bars...cut with a hack saw if not needed one side by the stem. Undo the bolt on the front of the stem . Throw on the MTN Bars if thats what you got...grips and change the cables then you are done. 1 Hour to do if you know what the hell you are doing. Word

Set up a distillation column.



?

Would that be boiling with some sort of covering that will collect the vapor and drain it into another container? Any easy and not-too messy way of doing this at home?

My secret goo remover is lighter fluid. Much safer than gasoline, doesn't attack plastic like acetone and vastly more effective than alcohol.

Cheap, too.

Just what I was going to suggest. I used to do a lot of cabinet work and 3M markets a product called "General Purpose Adhesive Remover" at several bucks a pint, for cleaning up formica adhesive. Interesting how it smells exactly like (much less expensive) lighter fluid.

Just what I was going to suggest. I used to do a lot of cabinet work and 3M markets a product called "General Purpose Adhesive Remover" at several bucks a pint, for cleaning up formica adhesive. Interesting how it smells exactly like (much less expensive) lighter fluid.

"A rose by any other name..."

... Interesting how it smells exactly like (much less expensive) lighter fluid.




Is that before or after you wake up?

Goo Gone (http://www.magicamerican.com/googone.shtml) did the trick for me.
Ditto

Those solvents are dangerous and not very effective... And if you have to ask what a distillation column is, then its not something you can safely do at home. BOOOM, is all I have to say about that.

Goo Gone is great stuff, safe to use, and it works! If you use the solvents, please do it outside, and wear gloves.

peace,
sam

Please; lighter fluid is no more dangerous than WD-40.

Maybe he should try harsh language to remove the goo (outdoors, where it's safe)...

;)

Set up a distillation column.

Sep. funnel would be better and easier. Distillation column would probably result in an azeotrope which would need the separatory funnel anyway.

Please; lighter fluid is no more dangerous than WD-40.

Trust me, I know plenty about lighter fluid.. One of my other jobs is as a fire performer, I swallow fire, breath fire, juggle fire, spin fire poi and staff, and make recreational flamethrowers. :)

http://www.flexistentialist.org/gallery_photos/august_pandorasmatchbox/jimfireeat2.sized.jpg

My point is that lighter fluid isn't meant for cleaning, and its not meant to get all over yourself. If you only do it once in a while its one thing, but all the time isn't a great plan. Many brands of lighter fluid do not completely evaporate, and leave an oily residue, which is not something you want on you (or on your bike). I'm all for using what you have on hand, but in general I try to use the right tool for the job. I use cleaners for cleaning, and lighter fluid, naphtha, kerosene and paraffin to make huge amounts of fire. :)

peace,
sam

PS. I suppose cycocommute is right, for nonmiscible fluids a separatory funnel would be best. You can use a two liter soda bottle with a sport drink cap (the kind that works like a bike water bottle), the bottom cut off and turned upside down. Once the two liquids have split, you can just open the valve and drain off the bottom liquid, leaving the goodness at the top. Further settling could remove most of the solids. The dissolved grease you would have to either ignore, or distill out (which again, wouldn't be worth it. I've built big distillation columns for recovering methanol from reactions, and its a pretty expensive and energy intensive proposition. Maybe if you had 1000 gallons of this contaminated cleaning solution it would be worth it...).

Trust me, I know plenty about lighter fluid.. One of my other jobs is as a fire performer, I swallow fire, breath fire, juggle fire, spin fire poi and staff, and make recreational flamethrowers. :)

Awesome :)

I'm continually amazed at all the interesting things that people on BF do for a living... we have aircraft mechanics, pilots, soldiers, and a fire performer too now. Cool!

Ok new straight bars...cut with a hack saw if not needed one side by the stem. Undo the bolt on the front of the stem . Throw on the MTN Bars if thats what you got...grips and change the cables then you are done. 1 Hour to do if you know what the hell you are doing. Word

yeah i dont plan on cutting my pretty bars...just wanna put the keirin grips on instead of bar tape...i was gonna cut the closed end and pull them on, the guy who sold them to me said to pour rubbing alcohol inside the grips and on my bars and it should help get them on...but i dunno...

One product that hasn't been mentioned and that I have personally found invaluable is medical adhesive wipes. They can be found here for $9/100.
http://www.med-worldwide.com/unipatch-im-up227.html
Great for small jobs, they don't dry out in storage and easy to add a few to a small toolkit. Since they are formulated for medical use, I would assume they aren't harmful to your skin either.

anyone know how to remove the bar tape sticky gunk from drop bars? or a former post where this is discussed?

No need to remove it, just tape over it.

Sheldon "Lazy" Brown
+---------------------------------------------------------------------+
| It is amazing how much "mature wisdom" resembles being too tired. |
| --Robert A. Heinlein |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------+

No need to remove it, just tape over it.

Sheldon "Lazy" Brown
+---------------------------------------------------------------------+
| It is amazing how much "mature wisdom" resembles being too tired. |
| --Robert A. Heinlein |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------+


Hehe :)

For some reason, I just can't sleep at night knowing that there's dirt under my bar tape... I also shudder at the thought of dirt on my spokes. I'm weird.

yeah i dont plan on cutting my pretty bars...just wanna put the keirin grips on instead of bar tape...i was gonna cut the closed end and pull them on, the guy who sold them to me said to pour rubbing alcohol inside the grips and on my bars and it should help get them on...but i dunno...

Rubbing alcohol will lubricate the grips and make them easier to put on. Water will do the same but it takes longer to dry. I use hair spray since it make the grip a little tacky on the inside (and hair tacky on the outside) and keeps them from sliding if they get wet.

Trust me, I know plenty about lighter fluid.. One of my other jobs is as a fire performer, I swallow fire, breath fire, juggle fire, spin fire poi and staff, and make recreational flamethrowers. :)

My point is that lighter fluid isn't meant for cleaning, and its not meant to get all over yourself. If you only do it once in a while its one thing, but all the time isn't a great plan. Many brands of lighter fluid do not completely evaporate, and leave an oily residue, which is not something you want on you (or on your bike). I'm all for using what you have on hand, but in general I try to use the right tool for the job. I use cleaners for cleaning, and lighter fluid, naphtha, kerosene and paraffin to make huge amounts of fire. :)

peace,
sam



That's very cool!

I think the operative phrase here is "get all over yourself"; the idea is to put it on the handlebars and then wipe it off, not douse yourself like a pile of charcoal.

I've been using Ronson lighter fluid for stuff like this for at least 20 years. It comes in a convenient plastic bottle w/ a needle spray spout that is perfect for applying to gooey things. I have yet to poison myself, burn down the house or put my eye out with it (although tomorrow's another day...).

The right tool for the job is exactly right, as long as it's being used properly.

peace back atcha!

OK to take off grips...use a little little amount of wd40 or something...water. Wipe the hell out of the bar and then put on.

To remove adhesive from non-painted parts, I use lacquer thinner.

To remove adhesive from baked on paint finishes, I use mineral spirits.