i have never had problems with non residue brake cleaner

what is it with bicycle people and alcohol

Is there anything you can use that doesnt kill the pads if you accidently get some on them?

Speaking of which, what exactly does it do to the pads that ruins them, and couldnt you just wear through the bad part to get to the good part again?

I've tried doing that when somehow oil got onto my rear disc brake pads. It just completly ruins your pads. It soaks into the pads and you can't do much about it. My LBS told me to use a blow torch on the pads or something to do with heat, but he said it rarely makes them any better. Also on my Hayes disc brake instruction sheet, it tells me to not use any disc brake cleaner. I no myself not to use it anyway. I use Methylated Spirits, which is also another name for "Denatured Alcohol".

Ahh, good old metho! Wondered what dentured alcohol was!

Chaulk another one up to lost in translation

that is because they don't want residue left behind to affect performance. that is why i said non residue. there is absolutley NO HARM in spraying a rag or what have you with brake cleaner, spinning the wheel, and pinching the cloth around the two sides of the rotor to clean.

please....anyone that says this is bad truly does not know. i don't have to be a bicycle expert to know this. the rotor is steel...it's okay, you're not going to hurt it

My old rotors were titanium. They sucked.

yes...safe on titanium too

Sorry, I should have caught that for you. One day at the bike shop, I was trying to look up a tyre for a kid on the computer. None came up. I asked someone what the tyres were under, and they told me to just type tyres. Duh! Nothing under tires!

Metho, servo, garbo, arvo, bottle-o, maccas... I guess you've had to learn a new language two.

Australia and America - 2 countries divided by a common language.

Why is everyone cleaning their rotors with all these different concoctions? I've never cleaned mine (except incidental to washing the bike) and the brakes work just fine.

Do an experiment for us gastro. Clean yours and let us know if theres any difference?

I'd like to see if cleaning them really is worth it, or is everyone just wasting thier time and precious alcohol.

If you're taking them off the hub, it's a two beer job. If you leave them on the bike, it's a one beer job. Just don't get your alcohols confused.

re:the OP I had these disc brakes once and this problem could usually be cured either by:

1) loosening the QR skewer on the relevant wheel and making sure the wheel is properly aligned in the fork and holding the brake tightly closed while you refasten the QR or if this doesnt work then;

2) realign the brake caliper as described in the service instructions on the Shimano website (loosening the caliper bolts etc).

No way dude, what if it makes them suck?


Actually, I will be happy to give it a try as soon as I can find some of that de-naked alcohol (I don't imagine Smoky Mountain moonshine would work). Furthermore, my brakes and one rotor are nearly brand new - I doubt it'd prove anything.

Brake cleaner is not a concoction..it is actually made to clean CONTAMINATED brake components

newer brake cleaners are ozone friendly and residue free. one <$5 can will give you a long lasting, pressurized cleaner for all parts of your bike.

alcohol DOES NOT cut grease as well as brake/contact cleaners!! i don't care if you use the drinking kind, the rubbing kind, or the de-naked kind.

the only thing i will give alcohol the nod for is being less volatile. if you use too much brake/contact cleaner inside your house chances are you'll piss someone off...or give yourself a headache. open your windows!!

oops...sorry gastro, most of this wasn't directed at you

i think people are alcohol happy in the cycling community. all it took was for one reputable source to recommend it...people took off running with it

...you only drink Fosters (sp?) right??

Only tourists drink that piss.

if its not oily...why bother cleaning it??? they more or less are self cleaning. if you're not having problems, than no need to clean. i believe this is what you said to begin with.

i haven't even been a member here that long, how do some of you cope...

Yeah I guess your right there, you could use that. But i'm still sticking with my metho

hmmmm, i just riding around with my bike and i realized that there is the screeching sound yeh?

and when i just press down the front brake the slightest bit, the sound goes away. im not a bike mechanic so could someone please explain?

thanks

I have the same problem. When I turn the disc rubs the pads. My quick release is very tight, and when I spin my wheel freely it doesn't rub on anything. Why does it only happen when I turn???

Flex.

what?

Your wheels flex when a sideways load is applied to them. Might not be a problem with a custom 36h wheelset with evenly tensioned spokes, but if you're running 32 spokes, and weigh a bit, your wheel will flex enough for the rotor to rub. No big deal.

alright. thanks alot