Just wondering if this happens to any of you. I put the bikes on the towbar rack, drive a bit, start riding and the brakes squeal like pigs. I’ve come to the conclusion that oil from the roads is getting thrown up onto the bike’s discs as I drive.
Anyone else? Is this a known thing? Any practical preventive measure? TIA 🙂
Plastic bag and a couple of rubber bands?
Yes. I always carry discbrake cleaner in the car because of this. Clean the discs before anything gets on the pads and you’re good to go.
Not just me then. Thought i wanted to think its my imagination as i cant see myself remembering to clean up after travel.
yes.the self same road grime that gets over your car coats your bike. If it's clear and dry, less of an issue but on a wet day it can make the bike, and the brakes, and everything else, filthy.
I've ended up buying Muc-Off disc covers for this reason. Look silly, cost too much, but seem to do a good job
Yes and always worse after the roads have been gritted.
Not just the pads, driving to visit friends and relatives over Christmas resulted in a lot of rusty bolts and chains - needed to hose the bikes down after every drive. Faff! Miss my T5 and just chucking them inside 🙂
Or, they just screech cos they're wet and cold.
Also check that the exhaust isn't blowing onto your wheels, if exhaust is high and tow rack low this can happen - the black sooty particulate coming out of yr pipes not only kills baby robbins it can stuff your rotors.
Nobeerinthefridge
MemberOr, they just screech cos they’re wet and cold.
2 hours later when they're dry, warm and still screeching (whilst not performing as they should) indicates contamination for me. Especially when they were fine before leaving the house.
Sometimes they clean up, other times they can be ruined.
I've never noticed it. But I only tend to do ~15 mile trips with the bike rack, longer ones the bike tends to go in the car unless it's already full.
2 hours later when they’re dry, warm and still screeching (whilst not performing as they should) indicates contamination for me
Fair enough, can't say I've ever noticed it either, similarly to TINAS, I try to limit car journeys with the bike now. Had 2 bikes on a high mount rack to Holland last year, never noticed it then either, mibbe the higher mount keeps them out the way a bit.
More justification for my impending seasucker purchase!.
Quite likely i'd say, particularly on older vehicles. A car is burning a fossil fuel, so exhaust fume particulates are almost certainly going to contain traces of oil and other chemicals, depending on the fuel you use.
Nobeerinthefridge
MemberFair enough, can’t say I’ve ever noticed it either, similarly to TINAS, I try to limit car journeys with the bike now. Had 2 bikes on a high mount rack to Holland last year, never noticed it then either, mibbe the higher mount keeps them out the way a bit.
More justification for my impending seasucker purchase!.
It's not been a common occurence, and only ever in the depths of winter with salty/grimey/oily roads. Really annoying when it does happen though, so i might as well try and ensure it doesn't
The last time it happened was on a modern turbo petrol too, so it's not restricted to diesels and/or old cars. Just remembered that rack was actually quite high level too
Seems to be an occasional occurrence.
Any contamination seems to burn off after a couple of uses of the brake.
For shorter trips, I just put up with it.
For a couple of longer trips I've wrapped the rotors in clingfilm.
I've been considering some sort of bike cover anyway so will likely go down that route regardless.
I've found this happens noticeably on bikes I ride when roads have been gritted without washing after, so I can believe bad stuff would come on from the bike rack. Never found it too bad in practice though.
Quite likely i’d say, particularly on older vehicles. A car is burning a fossil fuel, so exhaust fume particulates are almost certainly going to contain traces of oil and other chemicals, depending on the fuel you use.
Unless you're going back as far as pre-catalytic converters then that's unlikely. HC levels in exhaust fumes are incredibly low.
More likely to be things like split diesel on the road I'd have thought.
Heard anecdotal evidence from a bike mechanic that he gets to service lots of brakes and hub bearings where people have rear-mounted racks, and less from roof-mounted ones.
Something to do with all the shite on the roads.
I’ll look into the disc covers. Or maybe try the cling film. Good (but bad really) to know it happens to other people.
Hotel shower hair caps FTW?