Cleaning disc brakes and degreasing chain

[Pale Rider]

Also never cleaned my disc brakes in the past 10 years. When cleaning with water be prepared to wait 5+ hours or so before they stop squeeling. When washing the bike or lubing up chain or spraying other parts I always cover my rotors with plastic bags.

I like to spray and wipe GT85 over the bike to keep it nice and shiny.

Inevitably some gets on the rotors, hence a squirt of brake cleaner.

 

[mrbikerboy73]

Get yourself down to your local motor factors (not Halfords) and pay about half the price of that fancy Muc-Off stuff.

 

[mickle]

I was led to believe that regular motor factor disc brake cleaner contains a chemical designed to leave a protective film (ie - 'oil') on cast iron car/motorcycle discs. It's not only unnecessary on non-rusting stainless steel bicycle discs but actually the oil will contaminate the (little, thin, delicate) pads of bicycle disc brakes.

 

[mrbikerboy73]

I was led to believe that regular motor factor disc brake cleaner contains a chemical designed to leave a protective film (ie - 'oil') on cast iron car/motorcycle discs. It's not only unnecessary on non-rusting stainless steel bicycle discs but actually the oil will contaminate the (little, thin, delicate) pads of bicycle disc brakes.

I can't be certain it's any different TBH but I've used it once or twice without any problems. It's not something you need to do really, unless you contaminate the disc with oil/chain lube etc and then the pads are scrap anyway as they can't be effectively cleaned properly.

 

[Smurfy]

Also, chain-wise I'm happily Mickling away on my old bike currently and am planning to do the same on my new ride, but as I'll only be riding it in dry conditions was planning on using dry lube on this one instead of the bike oil I use currently. I know this is probably a daft question, but will Mickling still work with dry lube? I can't see how it will, but then I haven't used dry lube yet so am not sure what it's like.

I use dry lube in all conditions, because I hate the mess of conventional lube.

Best advice I can give is to
1. degrease the chain with some white spirit in a large (e.g. pasta sauce) jar
2. rinse in a second jar of white spirit and keep both jars of white spirit for future reuse
3. hang the chain to dry somewhere the white spirit fumes won't bother you
4. Install chain and apply dry lube

You don't really need to wipe a dry lubed chain. The excess flakes off on it's own, taking dirt with it. Although periodically you should strip the chain with white spirit and start again.

Don't be tempted to apply the dry lube over conventional lube without degreasing first. It won't adhere properly, and then you'll be complaining that dry lube doesn't work, and go back to the unnecessary mess of conventional wet lubes.

 

[mrbikerboy73]

3. hang the chain to dry somewhere the white spirit fumes won't bother you

This is excellent advice. DO NOT attempt to dry the chain in the oven! I made this mistake and my flat and everything in it stank of white spirit for weeks afterwards.

 

[EasyPeez]

I use dry lube in all conditions, because I hate the mess of conventional lube.

Best advice I can give is to
1. degrease the chain with some white spirit in a large (e.g. pasta sauce) jar
2. rinse in a second jar of white spirit and keep both jars of white spirit for future reuse
3. hang the chain to dry somewhere the white spirit fumes won't bother you
4. Install chain and apply dry lube

You don't really need to wipe a dry lubed chain. The excess flakes off on it's own, taking dirt with it. Although periodically you should strip the chain with white spirit and start again.

Don't be tempted to apply the dry lube over conventional lube without degreasing first. It won't adhere properly, and then you'll be complaining that dry lube doesn't work, and go back to the unnecessary mess of conventional wet lubes.

Thanks for the advice. The dry lube will be going on my new bike so there'll be no need to degrease the chain first, and I'm hoping that with my new weekly cleaning regime and the use of dry lube and riding in dry conditions only, it'll be a long time into the future before I need to take the chain off for a full degreasing.
I would like to follow your stepson my old bike; although I think I'll need to stick with wet lube on that cos I ride it in rain and muck. Will have to get myself a chain breaking tool.
Cheers.

 

[Smurfy]

The dry lube will be going on my new bike so there'll be no need to degrease the chain first, and I'm hoping that with my new weekly cleaning regime and the use of dry lube and riding in dry conditions only, it'll be a long time into the future before I need to take the chain off for a full degreasing.

Sorry but you'll still need to strip the chain of factory grease. In my experience, new chains and bikes will always come with lubricated (greased) chains. They come ready to ride, and a new chain with no lube cannot be ridden.

 

[EasyPeez]

Sorry but you'll still need to strip the chain of factory grease. In my experience, new chains and bikes will always come with lubricated (greased) chains. They come ready to ride, and a new chain with no lube cannot be ridden.

Oh, right. So it's ok to buy a new bike, ride it and use wet lube, but in order to use dry lube it needs a full degreasing first? Seems unlikely that most people who buy a bottle of dry lube take the chain off before applying it though. Surely a good spray with a degreaser, running it through a sponge, then rinsing clean and drying before applying dry lube would suffice on a new chain?

 

[EasyPeez]

Also, this - "Chain manufacturers do not recommend stripping their factory lubricant. Their lubricant
is incorporated into the chain during the manufacturing process and as a result they
know it has penetrated the pins and rollers assuring proper performance. If the chain
is completely stripped of this lubricant, there is then the question of whether or not the
replacement lube will penetrate the pins and rollers completely. This is quite reasonable
as some replacement lubes penetrate better than others."

 

[Smurfy]

Oh, right. So it's ok to buy a new bike, ride it and use wet lube, but in order to use dry lube it needs a full degreasing first? Seems unlikely that most people who buy a bottle of dry lube take the chain off before applying it though. Surely a good spray with a degreaser, running it through a sponge, then rinsing clean and drying before applying dry lube would suffice on a new chain?

Unfortunately it's a totally different lubrication method. Grease and wet lube are fluid and wet. Dry lube really is dry, and that's why wet and dry won't go well together, even on a new chain. The existing grease and oil will stop the dry lube adhering to the chain as the solvent dries. Inside the pins and rollers is where the lube needs to be most of all, but it won't penetrate and stick on an oily, greasy chain.

Look up the Cerflon patent, it's a composite lubricant, composed of boron nitride (an extreme pressure and high temperature solid lubricant) and PTFE (another solid lubricant).
http://www.cerflon.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Cerflon_patent.pdf

Anyway, a half decent chain will have a quick link, and can be removed and re-installed in 5 minutes. And spraying degreaser at a chain is more messy than removing the chain, because half of it will miss, and hit the wall behind! I just swish my chain in white spirit, hang it over the wheelie bin handle until no drips, then hang over a nail in the shed. Don't leave it all week drying though, or it may rust in a damp atmosphere.

 

[EasyPeez]

Anyway, a half decent chain will have a quick link, and can be removed and re-installed in 5 minutes

I did not know this. I'll have to check when I go to pick my bike up on Sunday whether mine does or not. I was expecting to have to buy a chain tool and a SRAM powerlink or similar and fiddle around taking the chain apart and trying to fit the powerlink. Would be great if my chain comes with a quick link. Thanks for your patient and thorough explanation of the vagaries of switching to dry lube!

 

[simongt]

I'm reliably informed by a cycle dealer who's view I have the greatest respect for that flat cola is as good a cleaner as any for brake discs; and a lot cheaper - !

 

[ColinJ]

I'm reliably informed by a cycle dealer who's view I have the greatest respect for that flat cola is as good a cleaner as any for brake discs; and a lot cheaper - !

It's not cheaper than 'nothing' ...

What are you all doing to your poor old discs to need to clean them? I have ridden my MTB over thousands of miles of mucky West Yorkshire bridleways and roads and never even needed to give the discs a quick wipe!

 

[Cubist]

A bottle of Isopropanol or IPA is a great workshop friend. It degreases rotors and pads if they do get contaminated, and is invaluable if you service suspension forks or bleed mineral oil brakes. £7.95 for a litre on eBay. Better than any proprietary cleaner.

I would never degrease a chain, and a strip of rag soaked in IPA or GT85 will get the gunk off your cassette.