Bicycle Mechanics - Here is a good use of WD-40; handle grip changing

You always see WD-40 come up on the lubrication threads. Some love it, some hate it, others say it isn't really a lubricant at all.

However, I know a use for WD-40 that works for sure; handle grip removal and placement.

IF you have a hard time getting your handlegrips off, wedge a screw driver between the handlebar and the grip. Spray some WD-40. Hold onto the grip and twist it back and forth. As the WD-40 works its way under the grip, it will loosen nicely and come off.

THEN, when you put on your new grip on, spray a little WD-40 onto the handle bar and the new grip will slip right on. By the next day, the WD-40 is gone and the grip is on solid. This part is baffling because I thought that the WS-40 would leave a thin layer of lubricant that would make the grips come off, but it instead, the grips are on SOLID. An old timer showed me this trick and I have used it ever since.

I posted this a few months back but the WD40 haters said it would never work (but it DID)- WD40 is great stuff so there

I agree, I used the trick recently and it worked a charm. Something better for your handlebars than a screwdriver (if you are pedantic about these things): some WD-40 spray cans come with a nozzle extender, by using this and with a bit of manipulation and tiny squirts of WD-40 you won't do as much damage to your handlebars.

yes !!
and dont forget the other great use for wd 40...
removing stickers, glue, duct tape, and others adhesives from bike frames.
Simular to goo gone!!
I also use wd 40 for rusted stuck bike seat posts, it penetrates and frees up the rust.
then after fine steel wool and the scotch green pad, it's all ready for a fine coating of grease to prevent future seat post rust-ups.

Hah, snap! I used this just 2 weeks ago when the %*#@n grips just would not budge. Didn't read it before though, I just risked it. Used it again Monday on another bike. Really works well.

Been using WD-40 on grips for years. But might try a round, small, wooden dowel or skewer instread of a screwdriver so you don't scratch the bar, especially if you use a carbon bar!
I also use WD-40 to finish cleaning the front der.- I'll spray it off good with WD, let dry, then re-lube with a regular lube. Find that it does a good job of getting the gunk out of hard to reach areas. Just be sure to put a rag under the der so it doesn't run down to the btm.bracket.

Jur, is that Jimmy Carter with a fly on his face?

Once in a while the wd-40 does not dry out and the grips will keep sliping around. If you do a lot or grips eventually you may run into this.

If you get wd-40 on the brakes or the wheels it could be a problem. Windex is safer, it works on all kinds of grips and will not hurt the brakes etc.

Hey thanks guys.

Few days back I was attempting to trim the Sirrus' flat bar & gave up on one grip that just wouldn't bulge. I'l' give another shot after work today.
I'm off for lunch now.

Soapy water has always worked just fine for me. I have a small squirt bottle with a long nose that I shoot under the grip. I use a golf grip remover for stubborn grips. It looks like a long skinny butter knife with a blood channel in it. The channel allows the soapy water to run the full length of the grip.

wd40 is bad for children and other living things. its poisonous as hell, and soapy water or simple green works fine in almost every instance (except stuck seatposts--can't think of an eco-friendly subsitute there)

I've always used an air compressor to remove grips on motorcycles, slide the nozzle under the edge of the grip...a little belch and the grip expands and slides...no chem residue.

the best way i know of removing grips and then making em stick is with hair spray. It lubricates it so it comes off nice and when you put it back on and let it dry it sticks the grip to the bars. My friend used this cuz his kept slipping off and it hasnt budged since. Wouldnt know myself, i dont use rubber grips.

Try spraying a little hair spray into the grip and then slide the grip right on. Works like magic and dries real quick.

Jur, is that Jimmy Carter with a fly on his face?
:D No that's a Beijing street artist's rendition of yours truly. Never thought I looked like Carter!

Dang flies! Mega-zillions in Oz.

Yes, WD40 does wonderful work, but not here. With grips, as others here have stated, liquid dishwasher soap is much, much better.

The petroleum distillates can/may also age harden or soften the soft grips depending on the materials used in their manufacture. Also, residual lube may prevent the grips from adhering to the bars and slip.

i have always heard the hair spray recommendation. it also seems to me that when dry, hair spray would act as a sort of a glue.

Yes, WD40 does wonderful work, but not here. With grips, as others here have stated, liquid dishwasher soap is much, much better.

The petroleum distillates can/may also age harden or soften the soft grips depending on the materials used in their manufacture. Also, residual lube may prevent the grips from adhering to the bars and slip.

Maybe dishwater soap works for getting grips off, but I tried it and the grips were forever slipping after I put the new grips on to the bars. I finally had to take them off, rinse off the bars and grips, and use WD-40.

I just use Lock Ons. No Slipping, No Problems.

:D No that's a Beijing street artist's rendition of yours truly. Never thought I looked like Carter!

Dang flies! Mega-zillions in Oz.

It looks more like a portrait of Gerald Ford to me.

Maybe dishwater soap works for getting grips off, but I tried it and the grips were forever slipping after I put the new grips on to the bars. I finally had to take them off, rinse off the bars and grips, and use WD-40.

This is actually opposite. It takes much longer for WD-40 to dry out than thin soapy water. Just try spraying it on to the chain and see how long it takes to dry. It takes forever(like months) to feel completely dry to your finger. It takes only about an hour for the soapy water to dry out and dried soapy water hold rubber and the metal together much better.

Lennard Zinn in Zinn and the Art of Mountain Bike Maintenance recommends using alcohol. I have used alcohol a few times, especially with a syringe. (No, I'm not a "druggie" but work in health care.) Inject the grip with alcohol and it instantly slides off. Using a screw driver to lift up the grip in order to work in the alcohol also works, but not as “gracefully”. Alcohol also dries very quickly.

Hair spray works awsome. It is a lubricant for getting them on and once they are on it dries and keeps them on.

I use alcohol or brake / contact cleaner.

Maybe dishwater soap works for getting grips off, but I tried it and the grips were forever slipping after I put the new grips on to the bars. I finally had to take them off, rinse off the bars and grips, and use WD-40.

Well, I gotta agree and admit, using straight soap, the slippage has happened to me. Best to dilute the soap with water.

The WD40 tip works if the grip material is absorbent and compatible enough to soak up the residual lubricant left behind. Other wise you got the same slip issues and it is difficult to get the grip to re-stick after the WD40 contamination.

Water.
Insert a sharpened spoke between the bar and ther grip, pour a little water, twist.

Golf club repair shops (including my basement shop) used to use 1,1,1-Trichloroethane to install golf club grips. It worked great, was non-flammable, and evaporated very quickly. At hardware stores you could find it as Carbo-Chlor. It also caused brain damage when inhaled, and damaged the ozone. I don't think it can be manufactured any more in the US. I think I'll stick with soapy water.

Has anyone ever tried fly spray? Was told once it's good at removing the glue from stickers, never tried it though.

I've always used an air compressor to remove grips on motorcycles, slide the nozzle under the edge of the grip...a little belch and the grip expands and slides...no chem residue.

+1

A little spit to put them back on

I've used waterless hand cleaner. A small amount and with a damp paper towel.Works on grips and handlebar tape equally well. You can get the pricer stuff with the brush on the side. The cheapest is fine. Might need a little work with a putty knife, but a 10 minute job. Later Chris

Long ago, about 35 years, I learned that I couldn't live with out an air compressor. If you have one of these you can float the grips on/off on a cushion of compressed air. Takes about 5 seconds once you get the hang of it.

Al

I use an old spark plug gap measuring tool. It has a set of thin pieces of metal. I dip the handlebar in soapy water and slide that in. It hasn't damaged or scratched anything and lets the soapy water pour in releasing the grips pretty quickly. I used to use hairspray, but soapy water was worked for installing grips lately and is easier to remove later.

I think any fluid that will evaporate will work well. Hard to believe WD-40 works for putting grips ON. They add 15-20% of a base oil (lubricant) to WD-40 that most likely doesn't dissolve--it must be getting absorbed into the grip. After reading the MSDS, I would definitely just stick with soapy water.

I just use Lock Ons. No Slipping, No Problems.
That's the way I went. Prior to that I used the air compressor to get them off and clear enamel spray paint to install / hold them on

Lock-on's are well worth the $'s. The grips are also very comfortable and "grippy". Any kind of chemical, especially one that bonds, makes a simple process so much more cluttered.

Al