What to use to clean spokes?
 

I have a Trek 720 Multi Track that I bought in 1990. It's in excellent condition due to the fact I'm not riding it often. I'm now getting back into riding. I'd like to clean the spokes to make it shiny again? What can I use? Thanks for your suggestions.

For spokes & rims, a rag dampened with automotive bug & tar remover is the easiest I've found.

soap, water, rag or scrubbing pad, elbow grease

you dont need to buy weirdo cleaning chemicals.

Are they stainless or plated. Stainless and chrome plated shine up pretty well. The best you can do on zinc plated ones is a low luster gray.

-G

-G[/QUOTE]

Thanks all for responding. I just emailed Trek to find out what the spokes are made of. Interesting, they don't have an 800# for me to speak with customer service. I filled out their form and will take 2-3 days for an answer. That sucks! (btw, I was almost your neighbor in 2005 - I wanted to move to Raleigh. I really like your area. The real estate market tanked and I wasn't able to sell at a good selling price).

The catalog scan here shows them as being 14ga UCP? Not sure if that means chrome plated? If they are zinc, cleaning them is your only option, and they won't be shiny. You could try some wadded up aluminum foil sprayed with WD-40... usually works well on chrome.

If you have stainless steel spokes (bright, shiny, yellowish color & non-magnetic, or barely magnetic)) soap and water, or a bit of solvent (mineral spirits, paint thinner, or the like) on a rag will do a great job, removing oils and the dirt adhered to them.

OTOH- is you have zinc plated or galvanized spokes, (matte silver gray finish, similar to that of chain link fences, magnets stick strongly) these dull over time, and while you can wash oil and dirt off with solvent, you cannot effectively brighten them. Anything you may be tempted to polish them with -- steel wool, metal polish, scotch brite, etc. -- will only strip the plating making the situation worse.

Old bikes , Zn coated steel , the Zinc is the rust resistance..

there is Zn in steel bridge paint, and I have installed Zn ingots in steel ships
to have the Zn sacrificed saving the steel..

Hey FB in NY - the magnet stuck to the spokes. Yes, it does look like a chain link fence. Guess I'll leave it alone. You are a genius - thanks!!!! BTW, I lived in Long Island, then Queens. I like your warning.

I'll be darned; I never thought about the fact I never noticed any attraction when attaching the wheelspeed magnet. I just tried a powerful neodymium magnet on double-butted DT stainless spokes, and it barely grabbed.

Your magnet would probably lift my bike off the ground LOL.

Gee, and I have been looking for a way to move back to FL! No further south than Ocala, though.

good luck with getting back on the road.

-G

Not all stainless steel is non magnetic, some is highly magnetic, and the grads used for bike spokes are slightly magnetic. But all in all, a magnet is the fastest way to identify stainless vs. carbon (plated) spokes.

Funny, guess the grass is always greenier someplace else. Ocala is pretty & $$$. Do you own horses - great place to live if you have a horse. If you are horsey, Wellington is very pretty but way south of Ocala. They have the Nationals there every year. Thanks - I'm looking forward to getting back on my bike - going out with a group 12/15.

Thanks all for responding. I just emailed Trek to find out what the spokes are made of. Interesting, they don't have an 800# for me to speak with customer service. I filled out their form and will take 2-3 days for an answer. That sucks! (btw, I was almost your neighbor in 2005 - I wanted to move to Raleigh. I really like your area. The real estate market tanked and I wasn't able to sell at a good selling price).[/QUOTE]

Just got an email from Trek, not much help though.

"Thanks for writing. Regrettably we do not have specifics as to what brand of spokes or exactly the quality, but we have always used stainless steel spokes for our wheels."

Another response I got from a knowledgeable source said it is USP 14 ga steel - chrome plated steel. If the spokes have no rust, then a general cleaner, like 409 will work. If the chrome plating is breaking down, then it would be better to use #0000 bronze wool than steel wool. The bronze will not peel the failing chrome as much as steel will."

I thought this info will be helpful.

Not that it would change anything, but there's a difference between gal. (galvanized) and chrome plated. The first is zinc plated vs. chrome plated. Chrome plating is bright and and smooth, and will stay that way for a long time, though may begin to rust through eventually. Zinc is duller and tends to darken over time.


There's also a more subtle difference between galvanized and zinc plated, if you're finicky.

The term galvanized generally refers to hot dipped galvanized, wherein steel is simply dipped in molten zinc, whereas zinc plated implies that the zinc was electroplated (the way chrome is). Electroplated zinc is usually fairly bright, whereas galvanized spokes are much duller and have the color of cyclone fences.

I would just use something like a scotchbrite pad and 409. btw I think those Multitrack frames are great. I have one that does commuter duty and it's a very comfortable ride.

I love mine for the type of riding I do. I haven't been in a bicycle shop in years. When I stopped in, I took a look around the store and my teeth just about fell out. Trek carbon bikes ranged from $2K-$8K. I bet THAT IS A COMFORTABLE RIDE. I don't think my neighbor paid that much for his car. My gf in CA. paid $5K for her Orbea (from spain) which her hubby built. She rode from San Francisco to L.A.

Thanks again for your info.

Wow - you really know your stuff, thanks for the info.

OTOH -- I might just be making it up.

But since you have plated spokes (magnet test) don't use anything more abrasive than metal polish. The plating is protecting the spoke from rust, and removing any of it won't do you any good.

Here's food for thought,

You might want to try the product called NeveRdull. It comes in a tin with cotton batting. You should be able to use this and not worry too much about removing what zinc may be on the spokes. It's an ultra-light abrasive.

You rub it on, work a little more on the tarnished areas then let it dry. Knock off the dried residue with a clean shop towel. Repeat if necessary. Then use something like WD to protect it.

I got this response from Trek today:

"I would start with the soapy water and some fine steel wool. There is a product you can find at Home Depot and other stores like it called Simple Green, it's a basic household cleaner and comes in a spray bottle. I use for my bikes (but dilute it somewhat) and it works well for general cleaning of the frame and wheels. You could definitely start with this, but if the shine and polish does not return to it replacement wheels for a bike like this can likely be obtained for under $100 through your local dealer, so it might not be a bad idea to have them inspect them as they would be able to make a recommendation as to how to proceed from there. "

I'm not going to replace the wheels but might take it to the bike shop. They charge $60 for a tune-up. Another shop charges $39.99. I don't know if that includes cleaning the spokes.

Generally not. Wash them as well as you can with dish detergent and one of those OK-for-teflon abrasive dish sponges (Chore boy is one brand).

Other than that if the wheel is aligned and OK, count your blessings and enjoy the bike. There's nothing wrong with dark spokes. If it bothers, you make up a really good story of how they got that way and consider the dark color "character".

Haha, I don't think a NY'er would lie about something like that. Did you watch the 121212 concert from Madison Square Garden to raise money for the Sandy casualties? Rockers never die, nice seeing the old groups. Keith Richards is something else. With all his drugs, he defied the odds. I like The Boss & Eric Clapton clean shaven. I haven't seen them in a long time.

Good one - yes my bike has character which comes with age. Bought the bike in '90.