Originally Posted by
elcyc
I have center caliper brakes on my Gary Fisher, and use Kool-Stop Eagle 2 pads. All my riding is commuting/city here in LA county, Southern California.
I've heard various suggestions on when, how and how often to clean/maintain the rims. Everything from once a ride to "as needed".
How do I "litmus test" for a dirty rim? E.g., paper towel with 90% isop. alcohol, rubbed across the rim, and it turns black. I do this, and this is indeed what happens even though the rims look "clean" from a loose glance.
Also, what is the best/quickest cleaning method? Say, Scotch-brite with 90% isop. alcohol, etc.
Lastly, should I use non-petroleum chrome/metal polish (e.g. car buffing compound; Bass polish) to keep the rims smooth?
Thx!
I would say go for it and try the thing you asked about last. If your rims are machined sidewall I think they might benefit periodically from several passes with clean paper towels and Mother's Mag Wheel Polish. This stuff removes a lot of metal thus the paper towels will be very black. Do at least 2 applications of the full machined sidewall, 1 side at a time. You will see it take a bit of polish and some of the score lines might smooth out a bit. I finish with one last treatment with Meguiar's Cleaner Wax to get the excess mag polish off and to seal the aluminum pores a bit more. Test ride the bike around the block and see if it is any better. Your pads may be hardened. There is a cheap Chinese brand of Shimano compatible pads sold on eBay that comes in different colors that has a good mix of durability, softness and excellent stopping power. Not as long lasting as stock Shimano pads, but not as fast wearing as the reddish colored Kool Stops that everybody always recommend.