Originally Posted by
Iride01
While you'd think spraying on the rag won't get excess cleaner on the rim. It is happening where the rags moisture might get squeezed out of the rag as you rub around the spoke nipples. And that little bit that comes out will be wicked into the hole around the eyelet and/or nipple.
Do your rims get so filthy that you need anything more than a rag wet with water?
I've seen enough post here on BF and elsewhere about Simple Green and hydrogen embrittlement to make it one of my last cleaning choices to go to. Whether it's true or not, it doesn't cost me anything to avoid it.
This. If all the wheelsets were cleaned regularly by spraying a rag with Simple Green and then wiping, the Simple Green likely ran down the spokes and into the holes in the rim. That seems to be a sufficient explanation for the repeated rim failures. If it were me, I'd switch to using a rag wet with water as suggested.