samuelhoare7

Does anyone have any advice re cleaning bike bolts ? eg the bolt holding the clamp between the seat tube and frame / bolts holding the handlebars to the the stem etc.

Soaking in degreaser ? WD 40 etc ? lime juice ? wire wool scrub ?
Thanks!

Frkl

Depends what you want to clean off.

If rust, Evaporust is super. Saves a ton of work and makes rust disappear just by soaking the part. Remember it is reusable. Don't forget rust converter for parts you can't use Evaporust on. This will turn the rust into a stable oxidation.

If grease, then I use a citrus degreaser and a toothbrush.

But often, it is easiest to just replace the bolt. I generally try to replace stock Grade 8 bolts with stainless bolts. However, if the bolt interfaces with aluminum, you need to make sure to grease it really well, or you risk corrosion.

In the end, cleaning a rusty and grungy bolt is a labor of love and probably only worth it in circumstances where you want to preserve all the original parts, a vintage QR skewer, for instance.

Unca_Sam

Pretty much what the first guy said. I've moved towards mineral spirits for really greasy drivetrain bits, but simple green mixed 1:4 will cut through most grime elsewhere (and that's even a bit strong). After rust removal, a persistent rust preventer like fluid film helps keep it from reappearing. I'll wipe off most of the spray to leave a thin film. It does a good job in keeping the water out of bolt sockets.

samuelhoare7

Thanks! Should i use a little bit of general bike grease all bolts before putting them back on ? e.g. seatpost clamp/ handlebar to stem clamp etc.

veganbikes

You want to grease any metal on metal contact. You don't need to go crazy but if you aren't the type to take things apart regularly a little extra grease doesn't hurt. Certainly though sometimes it can be useful to use anti-seize or possibly a thread locking compound. With titanium I would certainly use anti-seize or when I don't want to grease something but I do want to prevent fusing the two together I would use it. If you have carbon components you might consider using carbon paste, but I would check with the component manufacturer to confirm what they suggest.

Rolla

Rule of thumb: If it has threads, grease them.

cxwrench

Wipe em off. Grease em. Reinstall em.

samuelhoare7

And what about alloy handlebar to alloy stem ? The bolts I will grease but what the alloy to alloy surface ? Small bit of grease (surely this will slip ?) Nothing ? Or a alloy grip compound or paste ?

Unca_Sam

I use grip compound sparingly for single bolt handlebar to stem interfaces, and some seatposts (if the seatpost slipped on me in the past). Alloy/carbon grip gel will scratch aluminum, so use sparingly.

sovende

EvapoRust is great for rust removal! You DO have to remove any grease or oil before submerging the part in the EvapoRust solution. This goes for petroleum based solvents like kerosene too. Once I’ve gotten the grease and grime removed or at least loosened, I’ll then remove the oily residue with hot soapy water followed by a hot water rinse. The EvapoRust is water soluble but I do try to remove as much of the rinse water before immersing the parts in the EvapoRust.

veganbikes

I generally wouldn't worry about that so much. I have never greased that area and would only do it if it was manufacturer recommended. If I am experiencing slipping with proper torque and everything of the right size with no damage you could try a carbon paste but I doubt that will happen I haven't really seen it yet.

Chuck M 

I get great results from degreasers such as Simple Green. Something that seems to get rusty in the nooks for example are chainring bolts. I toss them in a little Simple Green and the next day they wipe clean. So not only does that take care of removing the rust, it takes care of the degreasing as well.

Frkl

WD-40 should be used with caution on a bike. It is a solvent and lubricant but only temporarily. It will degrade plastic parts it comes into contact with and parts you "lube" with it will quickly find themselves dry.

Best to use a dedicated degreaser and the proper lubricant, whether oil, chain lube, or grease.

I only use WD-40 for what it was actually intended for, as a chemical Water Displacer, ie a way to dry hard to dry components. So after cleaning a derailleur for instance, if its not warm enough to dry out quickly before rusting, i spray some WD-40 on it to force out the water. Then I let the WD-40 dry and relube the derailleur pivots. I have also used it to force water out out of hard to ventilate parts of the frame, eg brake bridge or stays.

Frkl

Where grease is needed can be a surprisingly controversial topic. You develop a personal approach over time, especially if you work on bikes that were badly maintained. Then you see what can happen in specific places without grease and correct it.

If i had to propose some rules of thumb with exceptions, it would be:

To Grease:
Threaded parts, like or unlike metals. This is to prevent seizing due to corrosion but also because torque specs assume slightly lubed threads. Otherwise the friction coefficient is too high.

Unthreaded, like or unlike metal interfaces where removal is important and/or leverage is bad. Aluminum seat posts and steel frames are ripe for galvanic corrosion and get stuck. Also stem quills.

Not to grease:
Like or Unlike metal surfaces that shouldn't move, or where leverage is good if you have to remove the part. Handlebars to stem, ahead stem to steerer. Saddle rails to seat post clamp.

Check the user manual carefully and proceed at your own risk:
Metal, carbon, composite, or plastic interfaces.

Surprisingly contentious
Whether to grease press fit metal interfaces such as headsets or bb spindle tapers. I always do. Others don't, and that's fine with me.

Italian bottom bracket fixed cups, but this is a really specific and uncommon issue. Some people grease and really torque it down, some people use thread locker. i use grease.

Crankycrank

I don't completely disagree with this but often parts that shouldn't move develop squeaks that are cured with grease and no loss of clamp strength. Threaded BB's ITA or not should always have some sort of grease, thread lock, etc. to prevent parts from seizing due to corrosion and if your ITA BB is coming loose there is another issue to blame.

Frkl

I hope I didn't seem dogmatic with my "rules of thumb with exceptions". They are just that, nothing carved in stone or anything. a starting point. I believe that every rider should do what they feel comfortable with and develop a personal approach.

I have greased bar clamps, too, to deal with squeaks. But I in my case, it temporarily hid the fact that there was an issue with the stem clamp not being properly machined (a manufacturing error) which introduced play and stress at a critical juncture. I think the important thing to recognize is that sometimes a click or a squeak is just that, and sometimes it is a symptom of a more serious issue. the trick is distinguishing the two, and that just takes time and experience.

Regarding ITA bottom brackets and bbs in general, yes, some sort of interface compound is critical. But which compound is, in my experience, a surprisingly controversial topic.

A question: Other than not being tight enough and unavoidable precession forces, what other issues are you thinking of that cause ITA bbs to loosen? I am truly interested to learn, having recently (inadvertently) acquired a(nother) bike with an Italian bb. I have restored several bikes with ITA brackets, and things have been ok, but I am always looking to improve.

Crankycrank

Oh no dogmatism taken just wanted to emphasize to some that don't know that grease can be used in some circumstances. ITA as noted are a little more particular about frame and installation being right as shell facing, good threads and proper torque are a little less forgiving than British BB's if you want to keep them from unscrewing, that's all. Yes, religion, politics and lube/anti-sieze/threadlockers are always entertaining threads.

capnjonny 

Do you happen to have a drill press?
I insert a wire wheel into the chuck(the kind with the wires facing down) and holding the bolt in my fingers use the wire brush to clean the threads.
This (tool) has proven to be one of the most useful in my shop.
I regularly use it t clean/ burnish anything small enough to fit without hitting the drill press itself. common items I clean this way are Seat posts,
nuts and bolts, Bottom bracket spindles wheel axles, brake springs, and bicycle chains.

While you could try and find a replacement for some random specialized bolt it is far easier to just clean it with the wire brush. Also, nuts and bolts for bikes aren't cheap.
Taking 2 minutes to clean them with a wire brush rather than driving 3-5 miles each way to a hardware store where the offering might be some cheap foreign made junk instead of
the grade 5 or 8 bolt you are replacing is really a no brainer.