Black sludge

bluecow
bluecow Posts: 306
edited January 2009 in Road beginners
What is that black sludgey stuff that sticks to my wheel rims, eventually dries to a chalky substance? Is it just road grime or dried brake pad rubber?
Its a bugger to clean off, is there anything i can do to reduce it? Or is it just a result of rubbish brake pads?

Comments

  • gkerr4
    gkerr4 Posts: 3,408
    it's aluminium oxide from your rims I think - plus the usual road grime and sludge of course - but I think the black stuff is your rims slowly corroding away as an indication of how harsh winter is to your bike!
  • John.T
    John.T Posts: 3,698
    Wash it off with soap and water after each ride. Clean the blocks as well. It is a mixture of road grime and allu from the rims and is the best grinding paste known to man for destroying allu rims.
    My Fleet.
  • bluecow
    bluecow Posts: 306
    I usually scrub it off with lots and lots of hot soapy water and a the scrubby side of a sponge scourer. Turns the water BLACK. Sounds like it cant be avoided anyway, good job its my cheapo winter bike... :roll:
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    Judging by the amount I get on my brakes it must mean my rims are wearing down like mad.

    It seems the brake blocks wear down too quickly too.

    How do I clean the break blocks? I find this hard to do.
  • gkerr4
    gkerr4 Posts: 3,408
    willhub wrote:
    Judging by the amount I get on my brakes it must mean my rims are wearing down like mad.

    It seems the brake blocks wear down too quickly too.

    How do I clean the break blocks? I find this hard to do.

    unfortunately you really need to take them off - push them out if they are cartridges or take the whole block off - pick the aluminium bits and swarf out of the pads and just clean them up with soapy water - spend a bit of time getting the alignment right when you put them back

    I would also strongly recommend the salmon coloured pads from Koolstop - about £6 a pair (so £12 all-in) they make a great upgrade to the braking system and they don't pick up any swarf at all!
  • redddraggon
    redddraggon Posts: 10,862
    It's definitely possible to clean brake pads on the bike, I seem to manage, just take the wheels off.
    I like bikes...

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  • John.T
    John.T Posts: 3,698
    +1 on the Salmons. They seem to last a lot longer than most and do not tear the rims up so much. Better in the wet as well.
    My Fleet.
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    John.T wrote:
    +1 on the Salmons. They seem to last a lot longer than most and do not tear the rims up so much. Better in the wet as well.

    I plan on getting those after I used the 8 pads that I ordered with 4 cartridges off ebay... if they do come that is... :\

    Going on a ride with the wheelers tomoz and I'm going to use some of my old break pads I replaced as the rear one is almost gone now and one of my old ones actually has enough left on it.
  • woodywmb
    woodywmb Posts: 669
    Dip a rag in meths and run it round your rims, pushing into the tyre. The hard bristle part of a bike cleaning brush (the small bristles at the top in the picture below) can be pushed into the rim where it meets the tyre. This aggravates the gunk and loosens it, leaving your wheel rims and tyre rims spotless. You can even wrap the bristles in a meths soaked rag to ensure your clean-up lifts off all the dirt. Cleans up brake blocks too. A bottle of meths is only a couple of pounds from the chemist or Halfords - and lasts for ages.

    http://www.weldtite.co.uk/productdetail ... brush.aspx
    http://www.pinkbike.com/photo/1296598/
  • k-dog
    k-dog Posts: 1,652
    redddraggon wrote:
    It's definitely possible to clean brake pads on the bike, I seem to manage, just take the wheels off.

    Works for me too - you need to take the wheels off to get them really clean anyway.
    John.T wrote:
    Wash it off with soap and water after each ride.

    Yeah. right. When it's dark and cold when I get home there is no way they get cleaned every day. Once a week is difficult when it gets dark at 4:00.
    I'm left handed, if that matters.
  • Nuggs
    Nuggs Posts: 1,804
    I just picked up one of the Mavic Softstone Rim Cleaning Blocks - does a great job of cleaning right into the grooves.

    I find it easy enough to clean the blocks in situ. I usually use a bug shifter pad from Halfords or a scourer if the blocks are really gummed up.
  • fuzzynavel
    fuzzynavel Posts: 718
    k-dog wrote:
    Yeah. right. When it's dark and cold when I get home there is no way they get cleaned every day. Once a week is difficult when it gets dark at 4:00.

    I feel your pain.....I tend to just wash the bike down with the pressure washer to get rid of all the salty crap and then spray with WD40 to get rid of the water from chainset etc when I get home from my evening rides.
    I do also wash the whole bike properly on a saturday afternoon after a club run though.
    17 Stone down to 12.5 now raring to get back on the bike!
  • John.T
    John.T Posts: 3,698
    Yeah. right. When it's dark and cold when I get home there is no way they get cleaned every day. Once a week is difficult when it gets dark at 4:00.

    I did not say it was easy but if you want to get rid of the sludge and keep your rims that is the best way. I don't always do it either.
    My Fleet.

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