Cleaning brake dust from the wheels

[StinkyPete]

Hi all,
How can I clean the brake dust from my wheels?   Hot water and detergent, RP7, or turps won't touch it.  The rest of the bike scrubs up nice, but the wheels look like crap.
Pete

[Tackleberry]

Get some Mother from Woolies or similar.  Not the drink neither, it is a mag polish product: 

http://www.mothers.com/02_products/05100-05101.html 

We use it to prepare bikes for parades. 

[hobs]

I used car cutting compound to get the crudd off my wheels when restoring my bike. Then followed up with polish and buffed, worked ok for me. Have attached a before and after photos for you to see the result.

Cheers,
Hobs

[StinkyPete]

This is a bit old, but I've resurrected it anyway.

Hobs has hailed it in his reply above.   I used a automotive cut polish today on the rims, and years of stuck on staining from brake dust and other crap that I thought were a permanent fixture, disappeared in just one or two wipes.   Where petrol, turps, metho, hot water & detergent and everything else I tried have failed, a car polish removed the ingrained brake dust very easily.   

[alans1100]

I used some of that Meguiars mag wheel cleaner when I did my last tyre change and it seemed to work ok. It was part of a car cleaning kit Heather inherited so may as well use the stuff.

[HunterTodd]

This is a bit old, but I've resurrected it anyway.

Hobs has hailed it in his reply above.   I used a automotive cut polish today on the rims, and years of stuck on staining from brake dust and other crap that I thought were a permanent fixture, disappeared in just one or two wipes.   Where petrol, turps, metho, hot water & detergent and everything else I tried have failed, a car polish removed the ingrained brake dust very easily.   

Hi Pete,

Did it work on the rough cast sections of the wheel like the spokes?   My wheels are pretty good but the spokes are starting to get a blackish tinge.

Thanks.

[StinkyPete]

Hi Pete,
Did it work on the rough cast sections of the wheel like the spokes?   My wheels are pretty good but the spokes are starting to get a blackish tinge.
Thanks.

Yep....  I used a cream cut polish and it needed a bit more of a scrub than the smooth rims, but worked a treat.

[HunterTodd]

Bewdy I'll give it a go!

Thanks Pete

[Abe]

Yeah thanks StinkyPete,
Now I have to wash the bike after Ballarat and polish the rims 

I'll try this on my alloy car rims as well, thanks for the info 

[johnnyYTED]

 
when my cush rubbers and inserts arrive from USA I'll polish up my rims when I inSTall them ..
Abe you havent wash your  bike since Ballarat?   

[Old Steve]

Abe you havent wash your  bike since Ballarat?

He's probably been riding it!

Bikes aren't for cleaning, a brisk airflow over the bike at about open road speed removes all the dirt that needs to be removed.  Anything that isn't removed isn't a wory.

[saaz]

I have noticed that all those who used to rag me about not washing the bike much are now doing the same. They must be getting wisdom with age, or at least very slack...

[Brock]

You can clean a bike?????

 

Must give it a try when it stops raining..

[Grumpy]

I'm with those that don't wash the bike. It only gets dirty going in and out the dirt driveway anyway. Only keep the screen and lights clean.

Still looks good in the sunshine.