Bicycle Mechanics - WD-40, amazing things its done for you

hey just wondering how much people love WD-40, or do you?

here's a couple things its helped me with
-extremely tight pedal
-extremely tight V-brake
-chain stuck under crank arm (old bike, nothing to prevent it from happening)
just to name a few. theres so many things i cant remember. post your acomplishments here:)

It keeps my drywall knives from rusting.

I don't use it for bikes other than as a solvent.

sweet, i only use it as a last resort, when man power is beaten by friction. then i clean it off. and i dont use it on my chain, for that i use pedro's

wd has helped me
loosens bolts
excellent degreaser
makes those non lock on grips stay to the bars
wd 40 stands for water-displacement 40th attempt.

WD-40 keeps grips on bars? sweet, i usually use a drop of dish soap to get them on, and it dries sticky (only on bikes i repair, i have lock on's)

spray it on fishing lures (spinners, spoons), the fish can't resist.

Other than that, for mechanicals: cleaning, unfreezing, displacing water, protective film, light temporary lube.

OK, I have also used WD-40 and a lighter to get rid of a hornet's nest. Sure, a hose would work just as well...but it was more fun that way.

I have used it to blind myself. http://www.thesmilies.com/smilies/cool0004.gif








Wull, I got better.

my friend used it to mess up my other friends brakes. they didnt work for a month (put it on the rotor)

WD-40 keeps grips on bars? sweet, i usually use a drop of dish soap to get them on, and it dries sticky (only on bikes i repair, i have lock on's)

It is a bad idea to use wd-40 to get grips on, use something like hair spray instead.

It is a bad idea to use wd-40 to get grips on, use something like hair spray instead.

not always. I used wd40 on my grips and they fused to the bar. wd40 melts the grip and bonds it forever, with certain types of grip

on a side note, i once let wd40 drip accidentally on some sealed bearings...they dried out and burned out

wd40 ain't great at a lube. it cleans well and removes water, but for bearings you may need to put grease back in

not always. I used wd40 on my grips and they fused to the bar. wd40 melts the grip and bonds it forever, with certain types of grip


For example, you'd never use wd-40 on a customers bike to put grips on. :)

It is a bad idea to use wd-40 to get grips on, use something like hair spray instead.

i tried hair spray, didnt work. my stepdad suggested a drop of dish soad. its realy slippery, and then it dries considerably sticky

When I was a mate on a ferry, one of the salty old captains (slightly addled) swore up and down that WD40 helped his arthritis.

I have yet to use it on a bike. I learned when I was young that it attracted dirt to chains.

I usually only use it to soak rusted bolts before removing the nuts. (mainly on cars)

I did have a friend who used it on fishing lures, and it worked VERY well. I prefered to use the cheapest sausage I could get from the grocery store... nice and grease and a tough skin to stay on the hook. I also didn't feel like I was poisoning the fish.

I used it as a chain lube for about 10 years. I still use it for cleanup and freeing seized stuff. Recently, it freed up a rusted quill stem that was really stuck.

I spray it on my chain to clean it.. Judging from the looks of the rag I wipe it with afterwards the stuff really works... Then I reoil the chain... Also works good for cleaning wrenches etc when done with a job...

i used to use my pedros ice wax to clean the chain, i think ive found a better alternative

OK, I have also used WD-40 and a lighter to get rid of a hornet's nest. Sure, a hose would work just as well...but it was more fun that way.

A can of lighter fluid with a single stream nozzle is just as fun :). You don't even need to set it on fire, they pretty much drop dead when they get sprayed. If they are ground hornets, the smell will stick around for a year or two unless you work the soil some. Burning may help get rid of the smell.

My paternal grandmother used to spray it on her arthritic elbow. Swore by the stuff. I cannot confirm or deny it's healing properties.

This is the complete list of amazing things WD 40 has done for me:













There is really nothing since it is child's play next to PB Blaster and even less amazing when compared to Aero Kroil - http://www.kanolabs.com/ WD-40 on steroids as far as unsticking things. But I have no need for either product on bikes - only working on old cars.

I use it to degrease my drivetrain.

My friend and I used to spray it on our sleds for MAXIMUM SPEED back as kids. It's helped me in recent years with unsticking some very stuck bolts on my old car.

Takes glue residue off things well :o.

It's amazing how destructive WD-40 has gotten in the past few years.

Years ago, I rode with a bicycle touring group, and WD-40 was pretty much the only chain lube we used. This was a group of 70 riders going California to Delaware in the summer of 1981. We just didn't realize that it was making our bikes fall apart underneath us.

Couple of years later, I worked for this same company as a support vehicle driver on their ride around the perimeter of the US. I forget how many riders, but they were planning a 10,000 ride when they finished. Again, there was a lot of WD 40 consumed on those trips.

Myself, I've got old Schwinn road bike (LeTour III) with over 10,000 miles on it, replaced the chain once. Guess if I'd used some other lube the chain would have lasted much longer than that.

Now I'm not saying there aren't better lubes on the market, but I don't think a bike will fall apart if someone sprays WD-40 in the same room like some folks do.

Does a pretty good job of removing dealer emblems and bumper stickers from my car too. :)

Clean my chain. Then sometimes I lube it with 30W/mineral spirits and sometimes I just leave the WD-40 on it. Works better than the manufacturer's chain lube. Doesn't attract as much grit.

Also, (when I'm feeling impish) I can yank some peoples' chains by saying how much I like WD-40.

Wd 40 is good for certain things, But there are better things to do the same job!!! NO WHERE on the can does it say it is a lubricant!!! Do not use it as lube!!! It is 80% kerosene it will wash proper lubes and grease out of bearings and contact points!! If you need to clean a chain buy a 1/2 gal of kerosene and soak the chain in a bucket, brush, let dry then use a proper chain lube! Maxima chain wax (for motorcycles) works good and doesn't attract grit or leave residue! Use silicone spray for cables, waterproofing distributors.
White lithium grease spray for sliding contacts pivot points. Pb Blaster spray for freeing stuck nuts and bolts, reconditioning O rings and rubber. You could use WD-40 but if you just put kerosene and 10% 30 weight oil in a spray bottle you will get the same results! It is good for removing decals, protecting bare steel and killing things I guess! Try a couple of drops of gasoline for grips it makes them slide on easy then it vulcanizes the rubber so it bonds to the bar(if you rough up the grip area first with sandpaper!)

Works as starting fluid for diesels.

It also has gotten a beat up old POS car running in the rain when it's ignition wires got wet. Aside from that, it hasn't helped me much.

It's kind of like duct tape, there's only one real use for it, but nobody uses it for that. And all the other uses make a huge mess.

Sheldon

sweet, so many uses

it's a great solvent and isn't a lube.

It has been very useful at attracting dirt for me. I don't use it on my bike.

edit: bike, not bikes. I had to sell one :(

Boy, people really get worked up over WD40, this topic has caused more virtual fist fights than almost any other topic.

WD40 is a mild solvent and a mild lubricant, its not very good at either one. Its a mild solvent just like kerosene and diesel are mild lubricants.

About the only thing I use it for on a bike is to flush out and lubricate brifters, since they are sealed units and you can't disassemble them to clean them. I hang the bike upside down, spray the entire mechanism with a strong stream of water from a hose to get all the sweat out of it, then flush the brifter with WD40 a couple of times as I shift through the gears.

Interesting to note that nobody mentioned its intended use, as a water displacer (WD; get it?).

I like it for cleaning road grime off my bike frames; really brings out the shine of the paint, too..

Its good for cleaning your hands with after you've been working on cars or other greasy objects.

so its not recommended for chains then? i have used it once or twice because i ran out of lube.

so its not recommended for chains then? i have used it once or twice because i ran out of lube.In my ignorance, I used it to lube the chain on my first bike, sprayed and wiped the chain before every ride. The chain wore out after only 20,000 miles (logged). I gave it up because of the mess.

Once after huffing it, I had a religious epiphany, became a Baptist...then later changed my mind when I found out they didn't allow dancing.

nice...

Dunno' 'bout "amazing", but I've used it to loosen up grumpy padlocks and combination locks on cables that are exposed to the elements.

When I was a mate on a ferry, one of the salty old captains (slightly addled) swore up and down that WD40 helped his arthritis.
Did he ingest it or use it topically?:D

Ha! Topically. Too bad it didn't cure his virulent racism as well.

WD-40 is the first resort of bad mechanics of all types who live by the motto "if it moves and it shouldn't, duct tape; if it doesn't move and it should, WD-40."

I suppose it has its uses, but I spent enough years cleaning up the messes and mindless kluges of WD-40 devotees that I'd rather not have it in my garage.

So the most "amazing" things I've seen with WD-40 are all craptacular repairs that save time in the short run and cost more in the long run.

PB Blaster works SO MUCH better then WD40 at getting rusted bolts to move... and doesn't leave behind the mess.

My buddy's dad is in charge of supplying the stuff for North America, so I get cans of it for free whenever I want. I've used it on my bike a few times, but I understand what people say about the mess. I also agree that it's a better solvent than lubricant, but I'm not really an expert.

Definately good for getting grease etc off of the bike and for rust proofing the inside of a steel frame. For your chain however use something like ProLink Gold (you can get it at MEC). The only good use I've found for WD-40 as a lubricant was to lube the hinges of an interior door at work.

I have no need for WD 40 on my personal bikes, as they are maintained properly. But I do find it handy when working on old beater bikes. It frees up any rusty or gummy parts quite nicely. You just need to follow up with a proper lubricant afterwards.

I agree PB Blaster works better for really rusty stuff (like automobile bolts), but it seems like over kill on most bike parts. Not only does it cost more, but its caustic vapor is highly objectionable and probably more hazardous to your health than WD-40.

Squeaky door hinges and a solvent one time when someone used up all of my degreaser.

cures ringworm on a dog

good for freeing rusted parts, keeping flies off garbage, curing impotence, etc.