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Ok so when my mrs said il wash the bikes I though nice il go get a shower. When I came down she had put wd40 all over the discs and pads bless her:(
No the brakes are near enough useless. What's the best way to get my babies back working again pls?
Any help much appreciated.
have you considered building a nice patio with really solid foundations?
clean the rotors, bin the pads.
Not your problem really. just give 'em back to the missus and tell her to "get them working like they were before".
do a roast spud.
put the parts in with it.
Take the discs off and soak them in her nail varnish remover. All of it. And the bottle she buys to replace that one. Then take her "hair" money and buy a new set of pads.
😯
Scrub rotors with washing up liquid and hot water then pour boiling water over, a splash of ethanol if you've got any. Hold the business end of the pads on the jets of the cooker to burn off the wd40 then sand the top off just to be sure - you might get away with that.
The big question is how do you broach the subject with the wife? "Look love I appreciate you tried but you ****ed it right up leave my bike alone in future" probably won't cut it and if you're anything like me your "oh yeah thanks for helping" won't have looked sincere what with the dismayed look on your face as you viewed the carnage. tricky one.
IPA for the rotors. You could try bunging the pads in the oven for 30 mins on high and then roughing the surfaces back up with sandpaper. Chuck em if they still don't work after that
Pads will be ****ed now... You can try heating them in the oven and having the house smelling of WD40.
As for rotors, clean them with meths/nail varnish remover or do a proper job and use IPA.
Think about your next steps quite carefully, much depends on whether-
a) bless her she was only trying to help.
b) she wants to see you painfully mutilated and killed under the wheels of a articulated truck driven by her new boyfriend.
I think she now owes you a 'special favour'.
I'd be concerned about the seals if she gave it a proper soaking. The dust covers on my hope pro levers used to perish really quickly if I used wd40 on the pivots.
Yes, that's right - it was "the missus". 😉 😆
It's a simple mistake if she really wasn't wise to it. So the more concerning question really is...
Did she know what she was doing? 😯
Sell all of her shoes, buy some Bombers.
Good God this is the oldest trick in book. Do something so badly that you never get asked to do it again. I haven't got away with this for years. Let her know that you know what her game is and she'd better not try it on again unless she wants some retribution. "Lovely cashere sweater that, be a shame if it went in the boil wash" should do the trick.
🙂
fingerbike - MemberSell all of her shoes
Who'll want to buy them when they're full of wee?
D.I.V.O.R.C.E
Go out for a ride and burn it off. The non-porous materials that make up both the pads and the disk will only have a light coating of WD40 on them. Far less than if you took them out for a ride on a nice wet road.
Hold the business end of the pads on the jets of the cooker to burn off the wd40 then sand the top off just to be sure - you might get away with that.
Or the heat might sufficiently degrade the glue holding the pad material to the backing plates just enough, so that although the brakes feel fine when you set out for a ride, the pad material separates from the backing plate halfway through the ride, on a steep downhill. Both front and rear.
Isn't WD40 more solvent than oil? Could the oil sufficiently soak the pads to render them useless? Or would only the surface of the pad material be affected?
Poor woman, she was probably only trying to help. Reminds me of my dad using a pot-scourer on my mum's brand new non-stick frying pan.
Hold the business end of the pads on the jets of the cooker to burn off the wd40 then sand the top off just to be sure - you might get away with that.
Or the heat might sufficiently degrade the glue holding the pad material to the backing plates just enough, so that although the brakes feel fine when you set out for a ride, the pad material separates from the backing plate halfway through the ride, on a steep downhill. Both front and rear.
Isn't WD40 more solvent than oil? Could the oil sufficiently soak the pads to render them useless? Or would only the surface of the pad material be affected?
Poor woman, she was probably only trying to help. Reminds me of my dad using a pot-scourer on my mum's brand new non-stick frying pan.
Not likely, brake pads get pretty damn hot in use.
Not likely, brake pads get pretty damn hot in use.
Not quite as hot as being held over a gas flame though. I do speak from actual experience here.
Lower the seat and send her out on it down the steepest local hill you can find, with a bit of luck they might start working before the bottom !!! Dont`t forget to video it for a possible £250 tv pay out which will go somewhere towards replacement set!!!
Cast your mind back. You didn't recently helpfully stick the washing on with her best jumpers on a boil setting did you?
Or did you just show her that road bike trials video and wonder why she didn't look more like the burds sticking the WD40 on the bike at the end?
Going to try the oven for the pads. Where can I get ipa and what is it?
Dont worry she's in deep trouble concrete sounds good!
my mate have a set of Formulas that were squeaking. i non-chalantly said " you should put some oil on them", so when we got home we cleaned the bikes. we oiled the chains and then iturn around to see him dropping oil onto the discs!!! and he blamed me for it!
isopropyl alcohol aka propanol
You can buy IPA over the counter in most decent hardware shops.
And pubs, although it's best not to confuse the two types.[img] 
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Were you using a gas cooker or a blowtorch? You'd struggle to get above 250 degrees or so with a gas hob, even if you're leaving it in the hot part of the flame for extended periods, and that's not an excessive heat for a brake. Btu a gas axe is different.
I'd use brake cleaner on the discs - and bin the pads.
Were you using a gas cooker or a blowtorch? You'd struggle to get above 250 degrees or so with a gas hob, even if you're leaving it in the hot part of the flame for extended periods, and that's not an excessive heat for a brake.
Gas cooker flame. You stick to your cod science, i'll stick to what i know from experience, if it's all the same.
Genuine question for you- if you get your brakes to heat fade, or your rotors to discolour from heat, do you throw the pads away? Because both of those situations require more heat than it takes to burn oil off a pad.
People have all sorts of bizzare rituals for cleaning disks and pads, amongst the most bizzare are using any kind of solvent then burning it off. Most solvents from the chemist are a long way from pure (sticking IPA or ethanol from the chemists in my trangia leaves an oily residue which won't burn at trangia temperatures) so not only are you adding more oil to it, the process is unlikely to 'burn' off the existing contaminant!
Wash the disks in a strong solution of washing up liquid and a clean cloth pad (avoid anything expensive which implies it leaves a residue (anything that smells or sparkels) and rinse with plenty of warm water.
Bin the pads. 800degC during braking wont clean them, so 250 in your oven wont touch them either.
Clean the callipers out with lots of warm soapy water, rinse, allow to dry then lube the pistons with whatever brake fluid is appropriate by pumpin them out a bit, smearing some fluid on, then pressing them back in. Repeat if you feel it's necesary.
Just throw the pads and get some new ones. Forget all this baking them PITA.
Double post.
i've found holding contaminated pads over a flame until they catch fire normally works, and it's fun
Has she recently suggested that you increase your life insurance premiums?
What samuri said.
Just find a nice big hill, apply them hard a few times and they will be just as good as they were before.
And if anyone diagrees, for £50 I'll happilly spray my brakes with a can and prove it.
hence me suggesting just flash heating the pad side rather than bunging them in the oven for half an hour. Done it a few times when pads have got contaminated haven't had them come unglued and died in a fireball crash yet, but yes i guess other pads may differ. Only suggested ethanol coz I've heard other people use it, my chemist won't sell me any anyway or 100ml syringes for bleeding my brakes, maybe I look dodgy. Sounds like chemist's ethanol is no good anywayOr the heat might sufficiently degrade the glue holding the pad material
Use them as is. They'll soon sort themselves out, either that or you'll learn how to corner really really fast.
douse the missus in petrol, set her alight and put the discs on top to burn off the WD-40. Use the insurance money to buy new pads. Sorted.
(*Disclaimer - best not to actually do that)
I'm pretty sure that's attempted murder.
I'm pretty sure that's attempted murder.
What, setting your missus on fire, or oiling your husbands brakes until they don't work?
No kevin1911 just oiling brakes. I often set fire to Mrs PUDD, dirty old cow loves it.
Proper weird.
I did something similar recently. Yes, I know, dumbass..
I found just riding around my village a few times and going down the hills with the brakes on cleared it up pretty well. They're now as good as they were before I let my inner muppet out to play!
This is why I like STW. Amongst the bitching and squabbling we get some class posts like this 🙂
@OP I'm pretty sure steak and BJ day is approaching.
Mud is your friend.
just go for a muddy ride and they will be pretty clean after .
just look at how mud degreases your chain
I'm keen to know why using a solvent such as acetone to clean off oil is a bizarre method.
See that 'I honestly think I'm ok/Rampage' vid? get you and your bike to the exact same spot and just go for it - your brakes will be fine.
Thank me later.
pour mud all over the brakes, do a few stops. Rinse repeat till they work. Usually takes 3 times sometimes 5. I've done this with some horribly contaminated setups.
don't ask why...
Ok I've slapped her about abit and let her read this thread let's say she won't be doing it again 🙂
Thanks for the help I think I've sorted it but can't get the front wheel to go on properly without making a tiny rubbing noise (on the pads I think) I'm going to take it the local bike shop to sort it in the morning.
I'm keen to know why using a solvent such as acetone to clean off oil is a bizarre method.
Disadvantages:
Not really any better than water+surfactant
It dries quickly, so you're left with rotors which are now covered in the original gunk, plus whatever fragrances and oils the company put in the nail polish remover.
It's crap for the environment.
it's more expensive than the other option.
Advantages of acetone:
It smells of pear drops
"have you considered building a nice patio with really solid foundations? "
PMSL B-)
is she one of the ladies who casually lunbed Martyn Ashtons rim(s) and polished his rig in the road bike / trials video the other day? I could forgive them.
FFS even my wife is not that stupid.
Don't complicate the situation and mark the face, just concentrate on body shots.