[Closed] Disc brake cleaner

I hope it's fine, I have used car stuff for years on my bikes!

For some reason, disc brake cleaner never seems to work well for me, it always badly buggered up my brakes. I don't really know why. I did have some clutch cleaner that was basically IPA in a spray can, that worked well.

The best thing I've found for cleaning brakes is just squirting a bit of normal bike cleaner into the caliper, applying brakes a bit (ride up and down if you want to really do it well) and then rinse with water. Much cheaper than buying cans of that stuff and it works.

Normally I use car disc brake cleaner but I have a glut of IPA at the moment for Covid.... So that's used for everything similar to this type of cleaning these days.lol

For some reason, disc brake cleaner never seems to work well for me, it always badly buggered up my brakes. I don’t really know why. I did have some clutch cleaner that was basically IPA in a spray can, that worked well.

The hope stuff is just surfactants without the waxes, polishes etc.

Car disk/clutch cleaner is just IPA in a can (and works really well).

Car disk/clutch cleaner is just IPA in a can

Not the one I have, it has a distinctly not IPA smell and is a mini disaster on cycle brakes.  Can’t remember the brand but it is fine for motorcycle and car brakes maybe because they get hotter?  I just use IPA which has returned to pre COVID prices on eBay

I only use solid one piece rotors, this is so I can hit them with the my Dremel Gas Blowtorch. 1200c gets rid of any muck.

I was told by my lbs to use meths

It's not the same stuff at all - car discs get far hotter so they can burn off the residue whereas it wrecks bike brakes.

To be honest, the only "cleaner" I'd use is just getting them muddy and then spray it off with water, that gets rid of the crap without risking chemicals everywhere.

I have never had such reliable consistent braking for such low price since using bike cleaner in my calipers, because it happens every time I clean the bike and it only takes a few extra seconds. And it's much cheaper than the cans.

It'll be fine, I've used car brake cleaner for years but only if I've managed to get grease on the brakes somehow, or maybe occasionally if I'm changing pads or something. Rumours about car brake cleaner having lubricants in are largely unfounded.

TRIPLE QX Brake and Clutch Cleaner 500ml

This is good and cheap. Great for cleaning drivetrain as well.

I use what ever bike specific stuff I find cheap. Someone on Amazon was selling a big can of Fenwick stuff for £6 a while back, I still have some.

I only ever use it for clean up after bleeding brakes, on the levers and calipers with the pads removed. I wouldn't spray it directly on the rotors or the pads.

Most reliable way I've found to clean rotors is to stick them in the dishwasher.

I use electrical contact cleaner - It's about a half to a 3rd the price of Disc Brake cleaner for bikes and can usually be bought at the same places. It also doesn't have additional ingredients which leave a residue like brake and clutch cleaner can.

I really don't get this I haven't had to clean a disc rotor in about 8 years, what on earth are you doing ?

Klunk
Free Member
I really don’t get this I haven’t had to clean a disc rotor in about 8 years, what on earth are you doing ?

Commuting - in all weathers. The oil, diesel and general crap gets into the rotors (especially the front) and if not cleaned every few weeks will eventually contaminate the pads. 170km per week soon takes its toll.

It's worse in winter due to the wet roads, reduced speed and reduced grip as there aren't many places where you're putting enough energy into the brakes to get them hot enough to burn the shite off the rotors.

I now make sure that I end most of my rides with a decent push and a hard stop to clean the rotors as best as possible before putting the bike away.

It’s not the same stuff at all – car discs get far hotter so they can burn off the residue whereas it wrecks bike brakes.

It also doesn’t have additional ingredients which leave a residue like brake and clutch cleaner can.

I'm really not convinced, I've always used either IPA from a trigger bottle or disk cleaner in an aerosol which is usually either the same or propane (check the label/MSDS).

Never had any problem with residue. The whole point is it leaves no residue. Any residue would lead to a catch 22 of needing to be hot to burn it off, but the residue reduces friction to the point it can't heat up.

The only one I've tried that wasn't is the hope stuff which seems to be a degreaser that you wash off. Which seems superfluous when you can just grab a can of brake cleaner and give them a quick spritz after washing the bike.

I really don’t get this I haven’t had to clean a disc rotor in about 8 years

I never used to. Then I got on my wife's barely ridden bike with the same brakes and found them to be insanely powerful. I found that cleaning them via one of the methods above (except disc brake cleaners that I tried) made a significant improvement in power despite not having noticed anything wrong previously.

LOL 160 single finger endo's how insanely more powerful would you suggest?

I put the rotors in the dishwasher on the rare occasions I think they need it.

Probably a bit of a ballache if you're commuting and need to clean them regularly though.

I put the rotors in the dishwasher on the rare occasions I think they need it.

Does that work? Surely the silicones in the rinse aid would actually make things worse?

Does that work? Surely the silicones in the rinse aid would actually make things worse?

Well I'm not dead yet.

But seriously, I haven't noticed any problems - but then I wash my bikes with Fairy Liquid despite the imnternet doom-mongers saying it'll do all sorts of harm.

Car disc brake cleaner is about £2 for a 500ml can v £10 for a Muc Off 400ml can.

As long as its residue free I have never had any problems with "car" brake cleaner. I do remember some bike brands of disc cleaner not being great.

You can buy 5l of IPA on ebay for £20, and put some in a spray bottle.