cleaning disc brakes with white spirit ?

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007fair

Senior Member
Location
Glasgow Brr ..
Hi All My sons bike had squeaky disc brakes and I thought I had read somewhere that you can use white spirit to clean the disc and the pads - so did. The squeaking has gone and I was able to tighten them also but their effectiveness is less than it was. Is white spirit the wrong thing to use? If so can I re clean them with something else?

Also I noticed that the pads are just held on by magnets. On my Kona MTB these pads are linked with a small pin but on my sons much cheaper bike there is no link. When the brakes are fully on there is a bit of movement of the pads - a few mm - which does not seem right even for cheaper end brakes. Is there a pin missing or is this the way cheaper disc brakes work?


Thanks!
 

HovR

Über Member
Location
Plymouth
Also I noticed that the pads are just held on by magnets. On my Kona MTB these pads are linked with a small pin but on my sons much cheaper bike there is no link. When the brakes are fully on there is a bit of movement of the pads - a few mm - which does not seem right even for cheaper end brakes. Is there a pin missing or is this the way cheaper disc brakes work?

Cheaper calipers do tend to just hold the pads in with magnets. The bike I use for commuting short distances in wet weather also uses these cheaper types of disc brakes, and I haven't had any issues with them - Even when slowing down to 10mph from 35ish for a horse and rider that stepped out of a field gate whilst descending a hill.

As for the cleaning, I've cleaned my disc brakes with ethanol before, and it hasn't effected the braking power. Not sure about white spirit. One issue I've had with cheaper discs is that after a while the pads and disc take on a glassy, almost polished surface, which reduced my braking power. I fixed this by taking the rotor off, and pads out, and resurfacing them with a bit of sand paper. This worked well for me.
 

Smokin Joe

Legendary Member
Clean the discs with white spirit by all means, but you should never touch the pads with any sort of cleaner. The material will absorb it and as you've discovered, it will have a detrimental effect.
 

Pauluk

Senior Member
Location
Leicester
You can use isopropyl alcohol, which you can buy cheaply online, to clean your discs and it doesn't harm your pads at all. I wouldn't use surgical spirit (sometimes sold as isopropyl ) from the chemist as it sometimes has additives like castor oil. Halfords sell a disc brake cleaner spray can (about £5) that I've found effective, again it doesn't harm the pads.
 
why on earth would you want to clean a critical braking surface with an oil derivative..?? If your brakes are squeaking, cleaning the disk will make sod all difference anyway...
 

Linford

Guest
White spirit has likely knackered the pads. I'd go to a motor factors or Halfords, buy a can of brake cleaner from them,give the pads a very good dousing with it (like the whole can), and when it dries you 'might' just get away with it. I'd not want my kids having a runaway and a resulting accident because I compromised the brakes on their bikes.
 
That's why people start threads in 'Know How' so that some smart arse can come along and slag them off

Well, I guess one person's smart arse is another person's 'incredulous commentator'. Oil and brakes are not a good combination - I assumed that was universally understood...?
 

asterix

Comrade Member
Location
Limoges or York
Well, I guess one person's smart arse is another person's 'incredulous commentator'. Oil and brakes are not a good combination - I assumed that was universally understood...?

The clue is in the name. White Spirit. Easily confused with, say methylated spirit WRT cleaning properties. I have often cleaned wheel rims with white spirit and it has had no detrimental effect on braking although I do dry off the spirit carefully. Last time I did so was probably preparing a bike for the Raid Pyrenean during which there was one 32km descent. The dual pivot brakes performed perfectly.
It's surprising that brake components are so critical of contaminants - after all they must collect a lot of all sorts of road crap.

And, never assume anything is universally understood, that is the point of 'Know how'.
 
OP
OP
007fair

007fair

Senior Member
Location
Glasgow Brr ..
Guys thanks for the replies! Live and learn.. As the for Oil comment .. of course I understand oil and brakes are not a good match but didn't think white spirit was in that 'family' My mistake was not asking first.
 
White spirit has likely knackered the pads. I'd go to a motor factors or Halfords, buy a can of brake cleaner from them,give the pads a very good dousing with it (like the whole can), and when it dries you 'might' just get away with it. I'd not want my kids having a runaway and a resulting accident because I compromised the brakes on their bikes.
Wrong. You shouldn't use automotive disc brake cleaner on bicycle brakes. Because they also contain oil as a surface protector. Car brakes being iron and all.
 

Howard

Senior Member
If you think the pads have been knackered by the white spirit you could try removing them then putting them in a naked flame (i.e. the hob) for a few seconds to burn it off.

Worked for me with Shimano pads that had been contaminated with brake fluid after a messy bleed. YMMV.
 

subaqua

What’s the point
Location
Leytonstone
Wrong. You shouldn't use automotive disc brake cleaner on bicycle brakes. Because they also contain oil as a surface protector. Car brakes being iron and all.


what the same metal as the discs on my MTB . the friction material is the same too.

i reaaly can't see a manufacturer of brake cleaner adding oil.
 

MacB

Lover of things that come in 3's
Well, I guess one person's smart arse is another person's 'incredulous commentator'. Oil and brakes are not a good combination - I assumed that was universally understood...?

I've long since ceased to be amazed at what others don't know and the things that I find I don't know even when I thought I did. I'll also talk internet 'smack' with the best of them I just don't think it's great on this section of the site. I know you can ask a question on other sites and be abused to high heaven, from your basic UTFS to specualtion about your immediate ancestry, and you can see that sort of traffic die right off on those sites.

Just my take on it, you don't need to agree
 
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