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chain lube on rims

4K views 26 replies 19 participants last post by  Mursili 
#1 ·
well i hate to say it but this was my first time cleaning my rims up (oh ya given sylvester a rim job lol) and boy were they dirty, so after a bit of time with a micro fiber cloth and some WD-40 this is how they came out, ;)
 

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#3 ·
I use simple green. Soak the rim down, then use a sponge, as I rotate the wheels that are raised up on race stands.
 
#4 ·
#5 ·
na thats for cleaning the hands when you forget the gloves, that or GOJO (my child hood fave)

I use simple green. Soak the rim down, then use a sponge, as I rotate the wheels that are raised up on race stands.
I've had good luck using waterless hand cleaner (no pumice) on most of the lower crud.
small sprits of WD40 broke it right up and it just whiped off with a rag no hassle and that was about a year+ of build up
 
#6 · (Edited)
The easiest solution is non petroleum based degreaser in a spray bottle you can hose off with water. It's potentially also cheaper than WD-40. I removes 95% without even scrubbing. Be careful with hand cleaners, almost all contain abrasive particles that will dull the paint on the rims like rubbing with 1000 grit sandpaper.

The more I use my Grease Ninja for lubing the chain, the more I like it; no over spray on rims or bike and evenly distributes lube on inside and outside of chain which is hard to do.
 
#16 ·
With the exceptioin of using Dawn to remove oil/grease from your hands, dishwashing soap has no business near cars/bikes.

Dish soap will strip the protective waxes from the painted surfaces.
I would use a car soap (I like Turtle Wax and McGuiars)...but any automotive soap/carwash/shampoo will be fine. For your rims use car wash or the Honda Shine or Original Bike Spirits (Cycle Gear) work fine..

And Dawn is great for BBQ's!
 
#11 ·
I use the same Mcguiers I use to wash the bike...inbetween jobs I use "Original Bike Spirits" found at cycle gear...great bike cleaner/polish. Perfect for helmets including lenses, spray on, let set for minute, wipe with micro fiber....

Also, I switched from 90w gear oil to No-Toil Bio chain wax...Very little flinging from the chain...
 
#12 ·
I have used both Simple Green and WD-40. The WD-40 seems to require less elbow grease. And it might then provide a slicker surface so that the chain gunge won't adhere so well for the next cleaning.

Sometimes I will hit the rims will Simple Green during the bike wash, and then follow up with WD-40 to get the tough grease spots out.

I get a large amount of bug splats on the front rim, that I need to occasionally scrub off. Using "Bugs Be Gone" helps.
 
#14 ·
oh also take in mind again this was the rims first cleaning as of me owning him,

and for lube i personally use WD40 and bar oil
 
#15 ·
I've had good luck with Honda Spay Polish and Cleaner or similar. Motul makes one, too. Cleans the chain lube off. Safe for paint. I like the Maxima chain lube as it seems to fly off less. Last trip I used pj black label. What a mess I had to clean. So did my partner, who was following me.
 
#17 · (Edited)
Hey V-ers,
Here is how I solved the chain goop issue. It's best to not use the typical chain lube. Use brake cleaner and a chain cleaning brush then hold a clean rag around chain while spinning the rear tire. Then generously spray WD-40 on all sides and wipe up the excess with a clean rag. A lot of times I let it sit for a while even over night. If I ride over night, especially on dirty terrain I bring those two items with me. You will find that your wheels, swing arm, plastic, etc. will stay clean. All's you have to do is keep your chain clean, rust free and the o rings from drying out. Chain and sprockets will last a long time. Been doing this for 20 years on all my dirt and street bikes. Chain lube is a thing of the past. Even for non-o-ring chains I still used WD40.
 
#20 ·
I don't mean to single you out KaVersys but I strongly disagree with you're promotion of WD40 as the be-all and end-all of chain maintenance. Whether or not WD40 is a good chain cleaner is an age old argument by now. The reason for that is there are still data against it. Go to sprocketsunlimited.com for example. Also, chain lube is a thing of the future, not the past.

You're love of WD40 is totally your business. Truth is you might be wrong.
 
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