Dirty Discs, how do I get them shiny?

[red5]

Hello,
My bike has some dirty discs, recently bought it, the front ones have a sort of blacky tinge, they look grubby but aren't worn out.

Is there any way I can get them shiny again - is this a sign that my pads are glazed and don't have enough bite as this would clear surface marks wouldn't it?.

Cheers

[wyrdness]

You could try autosol (it's a metal polish).

[Mike1234]

Hello,
My bike has some dirty discs, recently bought it, the front ones have a sort of blacky tinge, they look grubby but aren't worn out.

Is there any way I can get them shiny again - is this a sign that my pads are glazed and don't have enough bite as this would clear surface marks wouldn't it?.

Cheers

Are you talking about the disc carrier (inner) or the brake disc (outer) itself?

[BURNER]

Steel wool or a pot scourer is what I use. Dunno why your discs would be black tho.

[JakeRS]

Give the whole thing a heavy helping of WD40... :lol:

[jonboy]

I see you've been reading the Chronicles of Andrew Charnley. :lol:



.

[Warren]

seriously,

the black stuff is brake dust. the leftover of your brakepads mixed with dirt from the road.

to get them shiny again. get some brake cleaner.

its only cheap and does a good job,

spray it on liberally, use an old rag to polish em, spray and polish til their nice and shiny.
spray some brake cleaner on the pads , scrub em a tiny bit with a wire brush to remove the glazing.

while your down there - press all your pistons as far back into the calipars as poss, (to press any air out) and apply some copper grease to the backs of your pads.

re- assemble,

your brakes will feel brand new again :)

[Mike1234]

seriously,

the black stuff is brake dust. the leftover of your brakepads mixed with dirt from the road.

to get them shiny again. get some brake cleaner.

its only cheap and does a good job,

spray it on liberally, use an old rag to polish em, spray and polish til their nice and shiny.
spray some brake cleaner on the pads , scrub em a tiny bit with a wire brush to remove the glazing.

while your down there - press all your pistons as far back into the calipars as poss, (to press any air out) and apply some copper grease to the backs of your pads.

re- assemble,

your brakes will feel brand new again :)

Brake cleaner and an old toothbrush is the best things for cleaning calipers, discs and pistons that I've found.

To clean or deglaze brake pads remove them from the bike and rub them on a concrete surface in a figure of eight motion a few times. Should clean off the top surface evenly - Be careful as it will leave marks on the concrete so don't do it anywhere important.

[Warren]

seriously,

the black stuff is brake dust. the leftover of your brakepads mixed with dirt from the road.

to get them shiny again. get some brake cleaner.

its only cheap and does a good job,

spray it on liberally, use an old rag to polish em, spray and polish til their nice and shiny.
spray some brake cleaner on the pads , scrub em a tiny bit with a wire brush to remove the glazing.

while your down there - press all your pistons as far back into the calipars as poss, (to press any air out) and apply some copper grease to the backs of your pads.

re- assemble,

your brakes will feel brand new again :)

Brake cleaner and an old toothbrush is the best things for cleaning calipers, discs and pistons that I've found.

To clean or deglaze brake pads remove them from the bike and rub them on a concrete surface in a figure of eight motion a few times. Should clean off the top surface evenly - Be careful as it will leave marks on the concrete so don't do it anywhere important.

good idea, i found it hard to get round the bolts using rag and brake cleaner.

BTW - as much as the brake cleaner smells like vodka, its not - so dont drink it.

[northwind]

Why do they make deadly things smell nice? I was just using some wheel cleaner stuff the other day, it's basically soap and hydrochloric acid... But they made it smell lemon fresh! Nice- but by the time you can smell it, you've also got acid in your eyes.

Don't ask me how I know...