Spokes and Cleaning
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Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 2,152
Likes: 406
From: Hurdle Mills NC
Spokes and Cleaning
I know the spokes are going to be a pita to keep clean. But I bought this bike because the spokes and wide whites make the bike pop.
Anyway .. Ive read a bunch of the threads.
Im thinking .. rinse, simple greeen, rinse, blow dry, hand dry. Then Polishing with White Diamond. ... dont know if I have the patience to do every spoke individually though. MIght have to bite the bullet and pay someone.
Anyway .. Ive read a bunch of the threads.
Im thinking .. rinse, simple greeen, rinse, blow dry, hand dry. Then Polishing with White Diamond. ... dont know if I have the patience to do every spoke individually though. MIght have to bite the bullet and pay someone.
Road Warrior
Joined: Oct 2017
Posts: 1,883
Likes: 809
From: Ormond Beach, Florida
I know the spokes are going to be a pita to keep clean. But I bought this bike because the spokes and wide whites make the bike pop.
Anyway .. Ive read a bunch of the threads.
Im thinking .. rinse, simple greeen, rinse, blow dry, hand dry. Then Polishing with White Diamond. ... dont know if I have the patience to do every spoke individually though. MIght have to bite the bullet and pay someone.
Anyway .. Ive read a bunch of the threads.
Im thinking .. rinse, simple greeen, rinse, blow dry, hand dry. Then Polishing with White Diamond. ... dont know if I have the patience to do every spoke individually though. MIght have to bite the bullet and pay someone.
The stuck on road grime does not come off with out some elbow grease (that is actually wide shoe laces dipped in crome polish and worked back and forth on each spoke). After a good scrubing, rince and dry...wipe each down with some never dull.
Better figure a good 4 hours and sore fingers to get it done well.
You know, the idea of paying someone to do it is starting to look better and better, but I betcha I could not afford what it would cost.
Road Warrior
Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 1,584
Likes: 520
From: VA
Best solution I have found is to forget about them. I clean the rims ever few rides but don't worry about the spokes. During the winter I will clean them, but other than that its not worth the effort to me.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 13,107
Likes: 13,054
From: Texas, USA
It is a pain in the *** for sure. When I detail the bike, the spokes and whitewalls together easily take a couple of hours. The rear wheel is a bear because you have the rear sprocket on one side and the brake rotor on the other. It takes patience, time and beer.
Frank gave excellent advice. I use a wide shoelace as well.
Frank gave excellent advice. I use a wide shoelace as well.
When you do, you have to get up on a stand so you can rotate the wheels. Even then, getting to the spokes behind the rotors is one PITA.
The stuck on road grime does not come off with out some elbow grease (that is actually wide shoe laces dipped in crome polish and worked back and forth on each spoke). After a good scrubing, rince and dry...wipe each down with some never dull.
Better figure a good 4 hours and sore fingers to get it done well.
You know, the idea of paying someone to do it is starting to look better and better, but I betcha I could not afford what it would cost.
The stuck on road grime does not come off with out some elbow grease (that is actually wide shoe laces dipped in crome polish and worked back and forth on each spoke). After a good scrubing, rince and dry...wipe each down with some never dull.
Better figure a good 4 hours and sore fingers to get it done well.
You know, the idea of paying someone to do it is starting to look better and better, but I betcha I could not afford what it would cost.
Road Captain
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 679
Likes: 120
From: Fairbanks, AK.
Get wheel spoke brush. Use as is or remove handle and insert metal stem in battery drill motor. Raise bike on lift under engine so tires can turn. Brush the dirt away after soaking with cleaner. I use whitewall cleaner: https://www.blackmagicshine.com/tire...-tire-cleaner/ Then wash bike and blow dry with battery (Dewalt brand) or gas leaf blower.
Road Master
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 779
Likes: 31
From: Earth
I just use a spray-on cleaner like s200, let it sit and hose it off. As long as you do it often enough, the chrome spokes should be fine. What I can tell you as someone who had WW for many years, nothing cleans them like Mr. Clean Magic Eraser and Bleche White. Just rinse and rinse and rinse as quickly as possible. I have a 16 Heritage with blackwalls now and I'm often tempted to put WW on it...... Nothing like them for adding pop to the bike. Good luck!
Road Captain
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 679
Likes: 120
From: Fairbanks, AK.
That Bleche-white cleaner I linked can be rough on bare aluminum and paint. See their ad: https://www.blackmagicshine.com/tire...-tire-cleaner/ I like to spray it on the bottom of the tire only and then rotate the tire to cover the rest. Keep it away from nearby stuff and rinse off soon after scrubbing.
S200 acts similar and can stain some so test before using. Simple Green is tough on bare metal like aluminum too.
S200 acts similar and can stain some so test before using. Simple Green is tough on bare metal like aluminum too.
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