I have a set of late 80's era Campy wheels. They are nothing special, but are true and work fine. Problem is, they have sat for many years, and while the rims are not gouged or scratched, they don't look very good. Outside of hours of hand polishing, is there a better way to shine them up?

My method is:

Spray the rim down with WD-40. Make sure to get the nipples as well. Take some scotchbrite and spend a few minutes scouring the brake tracks. Then spray down the whole thing with soapy water or cleaning solution and wipe down. Drop a bit of lube in each nipple and wipe down again.

This gets the brake tracks looking like new and lubricates the nipples so that the wheel can be trued easily.

Yes, give them to TenGrainBread for a few hours.


And I do agree about using an aerosol oil to clean. I often folllow with wet 1000 grit on the brake track.

Buffing wheel and white compound on a Dremel tool for very shiny! Just make sure they are not anodized.