tyrion

Thinking of using WD-40 as a quick and dirty frame/rim wipe. I wouldn't intensionally put it on the tires but they might get some overspray. I'll be careful with the rotors.

kingston 

I buy it by the gallon and spray it all over my off-road motorcycles and have never noticed that the overspray does anything to the tires, but off-road tires don't last very long anyway. I wash my bicycles with soap and water, so I've never had a need for wiping them down with WD-40, but I wouldn't worry too much about the tires if I did.

ClydeClydeson

It's not great for plastics in general, so I would avoid getting it on tires. You also probably don't want any to seep into bearings as it can act as a solvent and break down your grease. Instead of spraying on and hoping to miss the tires and other crucial bits, spray some on a rag and use for the rag wiping clean exactly where you want to clean.

Crankycrank

Some rubbers will swell and be ruined with WD40 but probably not tires as they have to withstand all kinds of glop on the roads. I would still make an effort to keep the WD off any part of the tires. My worry would be making the tires a little bit slippery on the road surface. Not a big worry mind you but take it easy when starting out on a ride to get a feel for if your traction is OK.

sloppy12

I get tri flow all over mine in the winter seems fine.

rumrunn6

I wouldn't use it on rims if the bike has rim brakes
I wouldn't spray it anywhere near disc brakes
I use it to remove china marker from car tires after tire rotation

Juan Foote

Another good tip here is not to use brake cleaner to remove WD/oil from your disc brakes. It does a tremendous job at removing stickers and sometimes clear coat.
/whatIheard
/wasntme

rumrunn6

Is it ok on the rotors tho? I've used it & thought it was ok. I just sprayed it on some paper towels away from the bike, then used the towels as I spun the wheel

sloppy12

brake cleaner is absolutely fine to use on a rotor. just like you describe spray on a rag and wipe off the rotor.

Juan Foote

Yes, not going to hurt the brake components. Similarly as pointed out above, don't let it get in the hubs either. If it hits a spoke it can discolor it but would depend on what they are made of.

sloppy12

You bring up a good point if there are shiny anodized hardware bits holding rotor on or anywhere the brake cleaner could end up use more caution..

squirtdad

I use it for cleaning parts, wiping down really well afterwards. there is enough lubricant I would not get it anywhere near rims/disks, also would think without a super good wipe down it could attract dirt. overall I would not use it this way.

soyabean

The only time I think WD40 should be used is when I buy it on sale, non-aerosol in bulk gallon cans, and use it on dumb stuff like the under belly of lawnmowers, only because I don't want to waste my good premium and better lubes.

WD40 is just cheap and low grade. A lot of it is needed to make it work, that's why the aerosol cans are expensively a rip-off, and best dispensed in a finger trigger spray bottle (like the ones you use to spray cats into obediance).

The only time I would use it on a bike is on abandoned bikes I find and hoard. I would spray it entirely all over so it can rest in peace in my backyard, so I can pull parts from it when needed. It is a penetrant. Left over long periods of time, it does work. More the reason you don't want it to seep into things like bearings.

The surface area of a bike is so small, it's really easy to clean it properly, polished and waxed, at which point dirt comes off it so easily with any damp rag, or carefully with pressure washer on my lazy days, which is almost all of the time now.

Chuck M 

This.

I had a guy wipe down some machinery once with WD40 and he specifically called me back to the shop to show me what he did because he was so proud. The next day he wasn't so full of pride.

Besides this, your bike will smell like WD40 too.

Darme

I do like my dawn soap and water …

easyupbug 

WD-40 for anything other than general household use for non-mechanics amazes me. WD is lubricants w/ anti-corrosion agents, penetrants, water displacers and something for cleaning(50% OMS). A gal of OMS and a spray bottle will clean and not leave anything on your rims or rotors like WD does and cost much less than a gal of WD and if you buy spray cans of WD you will spend 5 or more times as much.

cyccommute 

WD-40 will probably not cause any damage, especially when it only has minimal contact with the tire. The closest material to butyl rubber I can find in a compatibility chart is neoprene and it has a “C” rating which means “C - Fair: Moderate Effect, not recommended for continuous use. Softening or loss of strength, and swelling may occur.” Don’t soak the tire and you should be fine.

I do agree with others that the use of WD-40 as a wipe down isn’t a particularly good idea. Mineral spirits or Simple Green or just plain water should be enough. Don’t use anything oily on the chain and your cleanup will be a whole lot easier from the start.

cyccommute 

What people think is and, more importantly, isn’t in WD-40 is what amazes me. It’s fairly simple to find out. WD-40 is an oil in mineral spirits in about a 25/75% ratio. That’s it. That also happens to be about the ratio of oil to solvent in most chain lubricants. The identity of the oil in chain lubricants isn’t all that different from the oil in WD-40 based on the CAS number of the oils. Here’s what’s in it.





WD-40 is only “water displacing” in that it’s an oil that sticks to the metal. A bit of water and the action of moving the chain will churn that mixture up and displace the oil with a layer of water on the metal since metal has more affinity for the water than oil does. But that happens with any oil based lubricant.

I agree that it shouldn’t be used as a cleaner, just like TriFlow shouldn’t be used as a cleaner for fairly obvious reasons.

zandoval 

Yes... It works but there are some things that do not go well with WD-40 and it leaves just enough of an oily residual to act as a magnet for light dust. ON the other hand that same light residual makes it easy to blast off mud even if it has dried latter on.

I found that ArmorAll "Tire Foam" (Must Be Brand Name) to be the best. I spray the entire bike, everything, then wipe it all off. The brand name tire foam has helped preserve paint, decals, leather, tires, spokes nipples, and plastic.

kingston 

I've used Pledge to wipe off a bike on rare occasions when it's little dirty but not dirty enough to wash. It seems to work ok for that and it smells lemony fresh!

Numerozero

I use Griot's Vinyl and Rubber dressing, after being recommended by Aaron's Bike Shop (rideyoubike dot com). Sheds mud easier on mountain bikes!

tyrion

I'm looking for a moisture minimization oxidation slow-down - things oxidize fairly quickly where I live. I know there are things like Muc-off Silicon Shine, but trying to avoid another can of stuff.

cyccommute 

There’s this stuff that has been around for years (and years and years and years). Called “paint”. Even comes in different colors if you like. Does a wonderful job of preventing metal oxidation. You should try it

Snarkiness aside, there are a number of better products that will do the job without serving as a dust magnet. Car wax, Pledge, ArmourAll, etc. would be a better choice.

leob1

I used WD-40 on my cast iron table saw top once. It didn't do a good job of preventing rust. It is good to use when scrubbing the rust off. Paste wax, car wax, and other specialty products(mostly wax with other stuff added to make it smell bad\nice) does a much better job.
BTW ever used latex paint on iron\steel with out a primer? The water in the paint will cause the metal to rust under the paint. It's not pretty.

coffeesnob

filiform corrosion can happen under paint....snarky, snarky...