I am looking to keep my alum rims clean and in good shape. I have heard people recommend scotch brite, emery cloth, ect what say you Bicyclists out there. Thanks
I wouldn't use anything abrasive, just a shop towel moistened with a little water - or maybe some mild soapy water.
Water, sometimes with a little detergent, and wipe clean. No need for abrasives,
Thank you hikermor
thank you for the info:) that makes the best sense
Yep, I agree with the rest, I try to wash my bike more than I would think is necessary, every two or three rides and I hit the rims with a little soapy water before I hose them clean.
Hi, more of the same thoughts from me but a slight twist. After a wet towel and dry I firmly wipe my rims with alcohol, 70-90%,whatever you have. And, always always run a rough towel over your brake pads to clean them up, gets rid of tiny abrasion sources like sand and dirt. 🙂.
I live in an upstairs apartment, and I wipe the tires with a wet paper towel and let them dry before bringing my bicycle inside across the carpeting to its decorative wall mount. When it rains I wipe the entire bicycle down with several shop towels, (we get about 4 inches of rain on average, last several years it has been less).
Occasionally I will drive to one of the major bicycle trails and when I come home the tires are cleaner, not having a lot of black deposits on a wet towel as I experience when riding a route that consists of street pavement.
About every three/four rides I also wipe the rims, spokes and bottom of the down tube and seat stays clean to remove the dust that can accumulate in less than a week. Once or twice a year I use a biodegradable spray bicycle cleaner and wipe & polish my bicycles spending a day cleaning and adjusting several bicycles at the same time.
Scotch Brite brand is a good product to scratch surfaces getting them ready to paint, but far to aggressive for cleaning a bicycle or wheels in my opinion.
JR
Since I store bikes in garage or basement, I rarely clean the wheels. Just wipe with dry rag when I do clean them. If you have rim brakes, just wipe off the brake tracks, no chemicals or waxes.