Covering rotors when cleaning bike

I’ve never bothered doing this. Am I actually likely to notice a difference if I did? At the moment I usually wash the bike in the stand, wheels on while I’m using either Fenwicks foaming stuff and/or a chain bath on the chain, and some bike cleaning spray for everything else. Lots of potential for the cleaning spray to get on the rotors I guess, but does that matter? I’m fairly careful applying lube so little chance of any of that getting on the rotors. Hose rather than jet wash to finish.

I’ve never worried but I get the occasional advert popup for a cover to put on your rotors while cleaning so you could be the target market

Prompted to ask because I was in my LBS yesterday and while I was waiting I saw they had some of the Muc-Off rotor cover things. I don’t think I’ll be buying anything like that but I was just curious as to how much of a thing covering them up is really.

I use the Muc Off covers when transporting bikes behind my van. They’re great for keeping road grease and diesel fumes off the rotors. I never use them when washing the bike though. There’s simply no need.

I use disposable shower caps eBay 100 £5

I bought some fancy orange plastic contraption that’s supposed to slide behind the cassette and protect the rotors as well as catching degreaser etc from the chain

It’s utter crap.

Rarely stays in place. All the degreaser gathered can’t be easily disposed of without spilling it everywhere. Absolutely garbage gadget

Get yourself a micro flambé torch and roast those contaminants to hells.

never bothered, never had a problem. Just apply anything with caution, spraying, etc.

^ the disposable shower cap idea just adds to more crap in landfill!

Never have covered the discs and never had any problems that I’ve noticed.

But then I only wash my bike when really necessary, and if I do I only use water and a brush, I never use GT85 or any spray products and I lube the chain with Squirt wax based lube.

I bought some fancy orange plastic contraption that’s supposed to slide behind the cassette and protect the rotors as well as catching degreaser etc from the chain

It’s utter crap.

Rarely stays in place. All the degreaser gathered can’t be easily disposed of without spilling it everywhere. Absolutely garbage gadget

I have one of those and love it. 🙂 Mainly for use on my rim braked road bike though. I use Rock n Roll lube which splashes on, and tends to go in the rims otherwise. In case you’re interested in giving it another try – it’ll stay in place perfectly if you hook the hooky thing at the top onto a spoke. I don’t use mine for degreasing / cleaning so I can imagine that if you fill the collector at the bottom right up then it might be hard to carry without spilling, but for some dribbles of lube it’s no issue.

If it’s just for protecting rotors though, I reckon something that just goes over the rotor would be simpler.

I thought rotor covers were supposed to be for when transporting a bike on a car rack, cos of all the road salt and oil, etc.

Of course you wash them along with the rest of the bike, or do you want a lovely clean bike except for the brakes which must remain coated in grit and shite?

Hose them off, dry them off and maybe apply some brake cleaner if you like, but gritty rotors are horrible… 

Never needed them and never understood why they’d be needed other than having something to to make profit from. Yeah, bikes get manky on the back of a car but a few pulls of the brakes in the car park and they are all sorted.

No need when cleaning, lots of need when lubing with a spray lube. 80% of brake issues I used to see in the workshop were spray lube related

Never needed them and never understood why they’d be needed other than having something to to make profit from. Yeah, bikes get manky on the back of a car but a few pulls of the brakes in the car park and they are all sorted.

I think it’s the kind of thing where you wouldn’t really notice because they get 0.5% worse after every cycle of doing that.

We wouldn’t take a cloth, wipe some road grime off the back of the car, and then rub it all over our rotors would we.

a few pulls of the brakes in the car park and they are all sorted.

Not in my experience .

I sometimes use a piece of cereal box with a slit in it behind the rotor if I’m spraying lots of GT85 or similar when cleaning the drive train. But usually I don’t bother and am just careful

I cover the rear rotor. No need up front.

Muc-off rotor cover – £18.

Shower cap – About £1 each. Usually get packs of 3 or 4 for 3 quid.

Basically its the same thing.

I use the Muc Off covers when transporting bikes behind my van. They’re great for keeping road grease and diesel fumes off the rotors

Never thought of this 🤔 And now I am 😆 Bike is about to go on a long journey…. Hmm

I mucked about with plastic bags and tape a few times but the wind tends to rip them off. The Muc Off covers have been absolutely solid.

If you need a cover for the rotors when cleaning your bike because you’re worried about getting the cleaning chemically stuff you’re using from contaminating them, the problem is the cleaning chemically stuff.

1) Hose off the worst of the crud. There’s a strong chance you can skip to step four from here

2) If you want a thorough clean, use a spray bottle with water/washing up liquid mix in it, spray all over (avoiding rotors, obvs, but it doesn’t mater too much), rub down with a cloth/brush

3) Rinse with hose

4) Quick, small, careful squirt of WD40/GT85 on mech pivots and jockey wheels. Use the straw thing so it’s only going where it’s supposed to.

Done.

All the degreaser gathered can’t be easily disposed of without spilling it everywhere. Absolutely garbage gadget

You solve this problem by putting some workshop paper towels in the collector before degreasing, so it just gets absorbed.

I just take the wheels off the bike to clean it. Much easier to clean linkages and rear triangle and no contamination issues

I think things like this – wind-up chain cleaners, plastic gubbins to protect your rotors, Those little handlebar stands you can use if you put your bike upside down) all fall in the “This seems like a way of making money for a product that really adds little to the experience of owning a bike” category of stuff that folks buy you for Xmas if they know you’re a cyclist

Water, fairy liquid, sponge, are not going to harm your rotors. I’d even say that Muc-Off probably won’t harm your rotors either.

In defence of wind up chain cleaners, I’ve had a Park Tools one for years and years and it has a place for me. Stuff like the rotor covers though, those are absolutely in the category of cheap-ish “accessory” that I try and avoid. Agree with @nickc they are usually just little bits of tat with limited uses hanging around your garage.

I was interested to see if people generally are taking the rotors thing seriously. Up to now I’ve assumed that as long as I’m not spraying lube or WD40 on them that it’s basically all good, and I’ll carry on like that.

 I’m not spraying lube or WD40 on them that it’s basically all good

Yep, If I’m being extra diligent and putting lube on the knukles of the mech – not that it really needs it, then use a spray lube that has a long nozzle.

I use dilute washing up liquid for bike cleaning and it has zero effect on the rotors. I do wonder how much chain lube is being applied (and how) that it could be splashing onto a disc rotor anyway.

 I do wonder how much chain lube is being applied (and how) that it could be splashing onto a disc rotor anyway.

I very carefully apply a drop to each link, and then merrily spin the cranks backwards through a cloth to get rid of the excess. It’s probably going all over the place… 🤣