So I’m pretty sure my rotor and pads have had lube sprayed all over them. Luckily the pads are almost gone so they’re straight in the bin but I need to ensure the rotor is clean before the new pads touch it. So, what’s the best way?

Spray with isopropyl and wipe down? Scrub with wire wool too? Attack with a gas burner?

If I have the rotor off the wheel, I fill a Quality Street box lid with about 2mm deep of meths and soak the rotor in that.

APF

Scrub with cream cleaner and rinse off with boiling water.

I fill a Quality Street box lid with about 2mm deep of meths and soak the rotor in that.

i wouldn’t use meths. leaves a residue. IPA is better.

Normal dish washing soapy bubbles will remove the contamination. Followed by a wipe with IPA and some blue-roll.

Dishwasher.

Meths is cheaper

APF

The thing is, always in the back of your mind will be, “It doesn’t feel quite as good as before. Or does it? Have I really decontaminated this rotor? I’m not sure. No, it’s good. Would I have more stopping power if I’d binned it and bought another?…”

1. Be careful applying lube, although a lot of people don’t realise GT85 or WD40 is actually a degreser.

2. I use either £1 Nail polish remover which is acetone or £2.39 http://www.eurocarparts.com/ecp/p/car-accessories/car-maintenance-accessories/maintenance-fluids-and-greases/maintenance-fluids/?NOR2897333500&0&cc5_858&gclid=CKeN2t_r7dQCFfEK0wod8OsNWA

3. Always wipe down with an absorbent cloth eg paper towel or poundshop jiffy cloth.

4. Finally, ride bike down a wee hill repeatedly till brake disc hot to burn off any residue.

I usually use a shallow baking tray, a good slug of Trichloroethylene (Basically a industrial alcohol cleaning agent) then set light to it (stand well back and best done outdoors) till it’s all burned up. Wait till it’s cooled and then pop the disk in the oven at max for 10min…hasn’t failed me yet and leaves no residue…other than the wife smacking me over the head as her nice baking tray is toasted 😉

Trichloroethylene is a very effective degreaser but banned due health risks! So if you use it take care.

It’s the only way to be sure…

Soak it in coke.

I use brake cleaner , radical or what.

If you think it’s still not right after degreasing try the old motorcycle trials trick of dragging them until hot then spraying with neat water. Restores the bite quite well.

In my experience, having tried all sorts of things, muc-off works best – or similar bike cleaner.

Lube and grease is not hard to get rid of, no need to over-think this. And that’s me saying that.

Lighter fluid, lighter.

Job jobbed.
p.s. It gets hot. Like, really hot. Hence the pliers.

My experience of what finally worked sorting out brake-fluid contaminated* rotor and pads living in non-hilly areas**.

1. Set oven to it’s hottest setting (230C ish?)
2. Put rotor and pads in washing up bowl.
3. Pour on boiling hot water fresh from the kettle
4. Add washing up liquid
5. Wash ’em – careful now it’s pretty hot
6. Repeat maybe – I did
7. Rinse parts in normal tap and then finaly boiling water
8. Put parts on (non-greasy) rack
9. Put parts in oven for 15 mins or so
10. Take out
11. Most important part – WAIT 10 mins or so
12. Refit to bike.
13. Ride

* – Which idiot designed brake systems such that brake fluid effectively ruins brake components ???????

** – There is an alternative to this. Live somewhere hilly. When I was in the south downs my solution was to ride for a couple of hours – some energetic desceding just burned off any conaminants – problem solves – happy days.

Blowtorch on the rotors. Just be careful to avoid the spokes.

IPA

IPA

That’s just a waste. Carlsberg will do.

Singletrack is definitely failing. Only 21 replies on how to clean a brake rotor 😀 I was expecting at least 6 pages by now!

The thread is only 15h old – you need to give it time to mature. Like a fineMILF wine.

Degreaser, then dishwasher.

Mine will be going in the oven this evening. It has always worked for me.

I recently used some Iron Rain which is a deposit remover for car body work then used halfords brake cleaner and they are much better, plus quite a lot shinier which is nice.

IRON RAIN v3 Fallout Remover

http://www.halfords.com/motoring/engine-oils-fluids/brake-clutch-fluid/halfords-brake-cleaner-500ml

squirting lighter fluid on a burning disk…I had a bottle of meths explode in my hand doing something similar. luckily meths is quite a cool flame and they put me out quite fast 😯

I use Halfords clutch and brake cleaner.

Cheaper then the bike specific stuff and better IMO

Fire sounds fun though

alexpalacefan – Member

Meths is cheaper

APF
So you’d rather gets something that does a less than perfect job to save a few pennies.
Do you save them up for when you need new teeth?

no need to over-think this

Plenty of people are though!

Brake cleaner, possibly new pads but even they can be decontaminated, then go and get them hot is all that needs doing. Anybody who bins a perfectly good brake disc because it’s got a bit of brake fluid, oil, grease etc on it must have more money than sense 😆

Take it off and put it in the dishwasher.

I’m going for new pads as the old ones are barely there, and the rotor just came out the dishwasher. 🙂

Brake cleaner

I have always found that brake cleaner ruins them. Clutch cleaner on the other hand is great but expenisve.