Anything's a lubricant while it's wet, I guess.

Automotive brake cleaners DO sometimes leave residues that don't burn off [from bicycle brakes], but a swipe of IPA will easily remove them.

 

Oh man, that fanatical DOT guy is going to blow a gasket when he sees this.

 

non-sense for solvent brake cleaners… carb/choke cleaner on the other hand I would avoid because they usually contain oils

 

That's why I switched to Armor All to clean my brakes last year. They're so much quieter now!

 

I just ceramic coated mine.

 

The only thing you need to clean bicycle brake rotors is isopropanol (or other alcohol) or simply water and a paper towel.

There are people who insist on using auto brake cleaner for this and (probably the same) people who insist on using chainsaw bar oil on their bicycle drive-train. It is complete idiocy.

 

The only thing you need to clean bicycle brake rotors is isopropanol (or other alcohol) or simply water and a paper towel.

There are people who insist on using auto brake cleaner for this and (probably the same) people who insist on using chainsaw bar oil on their bicycle drive-train. It is complete idiocy.

What do you have against bar oil?

Most back wood hicks would approve

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I've always used Rubbing Alcohol, Fine fine grit sand paper and lint free towels. Zero issues over 25yrs.

 

Don't touch em....
A dirty brake rotor is a happy brake rotor.



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I.P.A (Surgical Spirit) for rotors and chainsaw oil for lube. Rotors are quiet and so is my chain.👍

 

For the last time, you only need to use IPA to clean bike rotors.
Anything else is unnecessary, potentially doesn't work as well, definitely is far worse for the environment, is more expensive, and can be potentially fatal to humans. Not joking about that last one.

 

For the last time, you only need to use IPA to clean bike rotors.

Dude!
I didn't start this thread such that people are religious and aggressive about their preferred cleaning methods.

This was supposed to be about the lies and BS GMBN / GCN is telling.

 

Sooooo...that's a "no" to the 50/50 ammonia & bleach? Asking for a friend with a British accent.

 

Dude!
I'm agreeing with you.

 

WD40, which was the last product mentioned, can contain lubricants if the wrong flavor is used. Propping this up as 'lies and bs' instead of poor categorization/phrasing is a bit karen-y on your end

 

Well with that interpretation they'd be missing the reasoning what'd be wrong with "bike cleaner, degreaser, any automotive disk cleaner".
Cleaner may infact include waxes etc.

a bit karen-y on your end

Oh, that's a new insult on here

Remember Muc Off is one of their sponsers... Just saying...

Not anymore, look at the video who paid them this time to make this video.

I've wrecked bicycle rotors using automotive brake cleaner.

How did you wreck metal parts with cleaner that is made for metal parts?

 

Remember Muc Off is one of their sponsers... Just saying...

 

There aren’t lubricants in automotive brake cleaners. That would be funny though, you clean your brakes and when you go to stop you just slide into the car in front of you. However automotive brake cleaners can contain some nasty stuff that will give you cancer, I’d be more concerned about that.

 

One of the specific requirements of brake cleaners is to remove....all traces of lubricants. They do it by flushing the surface with solvent surfactants. Dude is just talking from his ass. Remember bike media is just like news media. Sensationalism, lies, selective reporting and ignorance.

 

One of the specific requirements of brake cleaners is to remove....all traces of lubricants.

Which is why IPA is a poor solvent for lubricants generally. Oils and greases are primarily non-polar molecules and IPA is a polar solvent. Same thing when people are cleaning rim tape adhesive and struggle while using IPA.

 

I've wrecked bicycle rotors using automotive brake cleaner.

It's best to protect them at all costs but use isopropyl alcohol if you do need to clean them.

 

You guys know there's a couple different types of brake cleaner?
Chlorinated and non chlorinated.....

One leaves a residue, one does not.

On a vehicle where the heat of the brakes will burn it off in very short order, doesn't matter much, but on a bike....

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I don't often use brake cleaner, but if the surfaces are metal, it's chlorinated all day. Only reason to use non-chlorinated are when non-metallic surfaces are involved. I save the non-chlorinated stuff for guns, with their polymer frames and such.

 

I just spray em with multisurface Windex (great on grease) and wipe with a paper towel.

 

Does a double IPA clean rotors better than a single IPA? Maybe triple is preferred? Asking for a friend.

 

Since it tastes like gasoline and gasoline is cheaper/gallon, id go with gasoline.

 

I have never needed to use any aerosol cleaners on brakes. There are many environmentally safe, inexpensive products available. What's the attraction to these?

 

For me, Brakleen gets busted out when IPA doesn’t get the job done.

Like, clear case of contamination, usually from mineral oil that IPA struggles to clean fully, especially on the pads.

But, generally speaking, if I’m wiping a braking surface down for general maintenance, or I physically handled it with my hands, I use IPA.

Typically only need it when I come across a leaky or “misting” Shimano caliper.

Quick shot of Brakleen on the abrasive surface to clean and resurface the pads, and a second quick shot on a rag to wipe down the rotor. All fixed.

Typically IPA fails to fix that type of contamination.

 

The thing is, any brake cleaning product (and I include IPA in this) is a sticking plaster solution to the symptoms of something that should be fixed at its cause. Do you know how many times I've ever had to clean my rotors? Once. I was stupid enough to use a spray lube near my front brake, and immediately knew I'd been an idiot.
If you're not spraying aerosols around, touching rotors with oily fingers, or using Shimano brakes (I don't know why they leak so badly, but I would never buy them because of it) then rotors and pads simply don't get contaminated from normal use. Fix those problems, no more need for brake cleaners. If your pads and rotors are that contaminated you need a gnarly brake cleaner, they're ready for the bin anyway.

Oh, and f*ck that Brakleen stuff, if you do any kind of welding near it, it actually will kill you.

 

Oh, and f*ck that Brakleen stuff, if you do any kind of welding near it, it actually will kill you.

No welding happening in my garage, no problem.

Many Shimano calipers have misting issues that can pop up on occasion. I’m not buying a new caliper when 20 cents worth of Brakleen will fix it.

As an example, my wife’s bike can sit for weeks to months between uses. If it has been hanging all winter, you’ve got a decent chance the pads are contaminated, either from misting calipers, or whatever else happened to be floating around in my garage during those months.

Im not cleaning rotors or pads with Brakleen frequently. But when I need it, it has saved several sets of pads that IPA didn’t fix.

You want to cry about Brakleen being used too much, and around welding equipment, go harass your local automechanics.

An ounce or two of Brakleen, once or twice a season isn’t an issue.

 

I usually have to let air pressure out of my tires after each autoX run, it may not be burning anything off, but its sure generating a lot of heat (in the brakes).

 

I have never needed anything more than IPA for rotors. If it doesn’t work on pads a quick hit with a propane torch followed by light sanding has worked every time.

 

For the purpose of critiquing the video, it was a mistake to lump WD-40 in with brake cleaner when making that opening statement.

In reality, people are morons. Some automotive goon knows that he can spray WD40 on a distributor cap to displace water AND it also lubricates other things... somehow that translates to 'use it everywhere for everything' or 'well this is what I have at home right now so I'll use that'.

GMBN make videos for beginners mostly, which is fine, but they're not intending to inform experienced mechanics.

Any discerning bike nerd would see the scratches on that rotor where they should never be and see that it's rubbing the adaptor or something. That thing was probably not installed right from the start.

 

For the purpose of critiquing the video, it was a mistake to lump WD-40 in with brake cleaner when making that opening statement.

In reality, people are morons. Some automotive goon knows that he can spray WD40 on a distributor cap to displace water AND it also lubricates other things... somehow that translates to 'use it everywhere for everything' or 'well this is what I have at home right now so I'll use that'.

GMBN make videos for beginners mostly, which is fine, but they're not intending to inform experienced mechanics.

Any discerning bike nerd would see the scratches on that rotor where they should never be and see that it's rubbing the adaptor or something. That thing was probably not installed right from the start.

keep in mind the WD40 in the video is formulated for brake cleaning. but yes, someone less knowledgeable will take standard WD40 and soak their brakes in it.

but again, I'll stick with rubbing alchy

 

WD-40 Specialist ® Brake & Parts Cleaner - Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS)
https://wd40.asia/clients/WD40_Asia...ds/Specialist/Asia/SDS_WD-40_Specialist_Automotive_Brake_Parts_Cleaner-Asia.pdf

 

WD-40 Specialist ® Brake & Parts Cleaner - Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS)
https://wd40.asia/clients/WD40_Asia...ds/Specialist/Asia/SDS_WD-40_Specialist_Automotive_Brake_Parts_Cleaner-Asia.pdf

Aw common man, you supplied a link to facts/truth.
The MSDS shows facts, NOT feelings.
If you take the time to read the MATERIAL SAFETY DATA SHEET, it tells you what is in the product, if it is harmful, flammable, etc. sometimes for protection of products secrets it is not 100% forth coming.
You must not be assimilated yet by the leftist. We must use the force on you to fix your evil ways!
And stop your logical, scientific processes and thinking!