Bicycle Mechanics - ...cause the fumes are good, too

Hi,

I have heard people suggesting to scrub your rims with alcohol to remove 'back on'.

I know this sort of sounds dumb, but what kind of alcohol should I use? And what is the proper technique to doing this practice?

Thanks for any info you may have!

Peppermint Schnapps works the best, I've found.



Just kidding :) I use rubbing alcohol (less than a dollar at the drug store) and you can either turn your bike upside down or put it on a repair stand if you have one. I pedal with my hand to do the rear wheel and just turn the front wheel. a rag works best, but you can use a paper towel, too. You may have to do it several times per wheel, you'll get tons of "black stuff" on your rag, that's your brake pad.

Good luck! Hapy riding!!!

Jessica

I use rubbing alcohol and paper towel,also works on chains

when the rims are cleaned do you find the brakes work better?

i cleaned my rims yesterday, with dish soap, though(man was the towel black when i was done) and i found that my brakes worked better today.

Yeah, I use it on my chains sometimes, too.

I forgot to say to be careful because they might seem sticky at first when you use the brakes.

Hi,

I have heard people suggesting to scrub your rims with alcohol to remove 'back on'.

I know this sort of sounds dumb, but what kind of alcohol should I use? And what is the proper technique to doing this practice?

Thanks for any info you may have!

In the shop, we use a green nylon scrubby to remove brake dust build up. They work great. And for extreme build up or rims that have lost their smooth feel, we will take emery cloth to them. But cleaning the rims is only half the battle. You should also periodically sand or file the galzing off the pads also.

I take the wheel off the bike (shifty look to see if the wife is around) :) Grab an old Scotch Brite that is almost soft and use regular dish soap. They come up a treat!. Then take off the pads, give them some of the same and finally 'rough' them up with a file to get rid of any shiny bits or uneven wear. You may also want to lube the pivot points of your brakes and check the cable sleeve isn't all gooed up with.... er goo :)

LOL Crum I should have ready your post better. :)

I spray automotive brake cleaner on a shop towl and wipe the rim. It works very fast.

On my road bike, I stopped from 63kmh rather quickly yesterday (short downhill sprint before an intersection) and they started to sound really tacky and sticky as they heated up a little bit. Ive noticed it before while descending. But it stayed like this for the next half hour or so, when ever I used the front brake they sounded tacky....any ideas?

Brendon

Bacardi...151...and a match

Scotch Brite pad and alcohol.

NZL..clean your rims then sand/file your brake pads until they arent shinny.

You can always use the 'mint' scented alcohol....

I can't say that clean rims help you stop faster, BUT, they don't sqeal (sp?) as much when you brake.

I use automotive spray brake cleaner. Works fast and easy.