brake calipers and cleaning a very muddy bike

[Salty seadog]

just wondering what special measures if any i should take when cleaning disc brakes and caliper units after a very muddy ride.
should i just use water from a gentle running hose or would it take a bit more pressure? How about using detergents, would they be ok?

all advice gratefully received.....

ssd.

 

[jim55]

use a (clean obv )paint brush and running water from a hose,do NOT use a pressure washer

 

[Salty seadog]

no I'd never use a pressure wash on the bike, how about detergents? are they ok to squirt into disc brake units, muc off etc...?

 

[Salty seadog]

anyone?

 

[MontyVeda]

it was mentioned in another thread that washing up liquid isn't ideal as it contains salt... it was also mentioned that poundland do a cheap 'muc-off' type thing, not sure how much it is though.

 

[andytheflyer]

I use normal car shampoo. Might put a bit of a shine on yr discs, but that'll last all of 2 or 3 revolutions of the wheel with the brakes applied.

If it's really filthy and greasy, any of the water soluble cleaners will be OK, I use FS10.

But not washing up liquid....

 

[Salty seadog]

ok many thanks chaps

 

[srw]

Start with a dry cloth and a dry brush. Most of the gunk will just wipe or brush off. WD40 or equivalent is good for stubborn greasy bits (but not, obviously, on braking surfaces).

 

[Custom24]

After cleaning or lubing my bikes, the very last thing I do is to clean the disk rotors with some isopropyl alcohol I got off eBay. That way, if I have accidentally got grease or oil on the rotors, hopefully I can avoid contaminating the pads. I use clean paper towel or clean cloth with some IPA on it, and squeeze the towel on the rotor behind the caliper, and then rotate the wheel so that only cleaned sections of the rotor enter the caliper. I also avoid activating the brakes until I have done this.

 

[themosquitoking]

After cleaning or lubing my bikes, the very last thing I do is to clean the disk rotors with some isopropyl alcohol I got off eBay. That way, if I have accidentally got grease or oil on the rotors, hopefully I can avoid contaminating the pads. I use clean paper towel or clean cloth with some IPA on it, and squeeze the towel on the rotor behind the caliper, and then rotate the wheel so that only cleaned sections of the rotor enter the caliper. I also avoid activating the brakes until I have done this.

Is it Greene King IPA you use or is another brand better?