rim cleaning - mavic eraser?

[vqdriver]

what is the material? kinda looks like a pumice stone
worth the $30?

[maximus]

Yes. They really are magic.

I cleaned a set of silver mavic rims to a like-new finish.

Also great for cleaning white leather saddles and matte/flat house paint ;)

Just use lightly.

[Ken Robb]

you can buy an identical product with a different label sold at equestrian supply sites for MUCH less. They are used to polish horses' hooves.

[LegendRider]

Sandflex medium works like a charm.

http://toolmonger.com/2009/03/04/sandflex-sanding-blocks/

[Ahneida Ride]

you can buy an identical product with a different label sold at equestrian supply sites for MUCH less. They are used to polish horses' hooves.

Yes ..... they are worth the 30 frn

BUT the equestrian version works as well and costs a lot less.

[Bob Ross]

Yes. They really are magic.

I cleaned a set of silver mavic rims to a like-new finish.

Also great for cleaning white leather saddles and matte/flat house paint ;)

Just use lightly.


This is so completely antithetical to my experience with the Mavic Magic Eraser Rim Sponge Thingy that I suspect one of us is on drugs! :)

I should clarify: The Mavic Soft Stone Rim Cleaner is neither a "Magic Eraser" (that's a registered trademark for a Proctor & Gamble/Mr. Clean product made from Basotect® V3012, a specially-cured melamine foam) nor is it a solid chunk of pumice. It's a sponge coated with pumice dust or some pumice-like abrasive dirt.

"Just use lightly"?!?! I found that unless you apply significant elbow grease (i.e., high pressure), it didn't do a damn thing to my rims. And when I did use it heavily, it was hardly "magic", and the results weren't much better than if I used Simple Green, a 3M pad, and a very light touch.

In short, I found the Mavic Soft Stone to require way more effort than warranted by the results. But like I said, I could be on drugs. (Beer's a drug, right?)

[LegendRider]

This rim was cleaned with the Sandflex product:

http://i1165.photobucket.com/albums/q599/MWTrimble/Joe%20Young%20wheels/Youngwheels3.jpg

[maximus]

This is so completely antithetical to my experience with the Mavic Magic Eraser Rim Sponge Thingy that I suspect one of us is on drugs! :)

I should clarify: The Mavic Soft Stone Rim Cleaner is neither a "Magic Eraser" (that's a registered trademark for a Proctor & Gamble/Mr. Clean product made from Basotect® V3012, a specially-cured melamine foam) nor is it a solid chunk of pumice. It's a sponge coated with pumice dust or some pumice-like abrasive dirt.

"Just use lightly"?!?! I found that unless you apply significant elbow grease (i.e., high pressure), it didn't do a damn thing to my rims. And when I did use it heavily, it was hardly "magic", and the results weren't much better than if I used Simple Green, a 3M pad, and a very light touch.

In short, I found the Mavic Soft Stone to require way more effort than warranted by the results. But like I said, I could be on drugs. (Beer's a drug, right?)


HAHA - that was my fault. I thought you might have just typed it wrong. I wasn't aware of an actual product made by Mavic.

That said... Using a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser has yielded damn good results for my rims. I have also cleaned out the brake surface with a light application of polishing compound (Simichrome / Autosol). Wipe with the grain and the brake pad "residue" will come out. I usually go over it a few times afterwards with a degreaser to make sure there is no film left over by the compound that would inhibit good braking.

[DHallerman]

Sandflex medium works like a charm.

http://toolmonger.com/2009/03/04/sandflex-sanding-blocks/

I see they come in fine, medium and coarse, like here (http://www.amazon.com/Sandflex-Sanding-Block-3-Pack/dp/B000GACU1Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1353368275&sr=8-1&keywords=sandflex+block) at Amazon.

I'm guessing the fine is the one for rims.

Am I right?

Or is a combo of medium and fine best?

[LegendRider]

I see they come in fine, medium and coarse, like here (http://www.amazon.com/Sandflex-Sanding-Block-3-Pack/dp/B000GACU1Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1353368275&sr=8-1&keywords=sandflex+block) at Amazon.

I'm guessing the fine is the one for rims.

Am I right?

Or is a combo of medium and fine best?

Medium is the way to go IMO.

[temeyone]

Why are you guys cleaning your rims to begin with? A worn-in rim brakes better and more consistently in my experience. Is it for aesthetics only?

Seriously curious.

[gone]

Why are you guys cleaning your rims to begin with? A worn-in rim brakes better and more consistently in my experience. Is it for aesthetics only?

Seriously curious.

After riding in the rain my brake pads and rims are so coated with oil and grit that it sounds like sandpaper when I apply the brakes - a surefire recipe for wearing out the braking surface in very few miles.

[54ny77]

a rim cleaning product?

how about a quick wipe w/a piece of 400 grit sandpaper and a final cleaning wipedown with a paper towel and rubbing alcohol.

that costs approx $.13.

or maybe $0.10 if you buy in bulk....:p

[gone]

OK, I admit I'm a lazy 'murrican. If there was a pill I could take for cleaning my brake surfaces I'd probably use it but there's not :mad:

I've tried various ways of cleaning them up including the Hozan block, Mavic eraser, etc. By far the easiest way that I've found that produces the best results fastest is as follows:

Deflate the tire.
Ideally, put the wheel on a truing stand but can also be done with the bike on a shop stand or even with the bike turned upside down on the ground. The only important things are that the wheel be stable and able to rotate freely.
Put a scotchbrite wheel on a cordless drill.
Hold a scotchbrite green pad in your other hand.
Lightly touch the wheel to the brake surface on one side and lightly press the pad (folded so it's only touching the brake surface) to the other side to regulate speed.
Let 'er spin until you're happy with how they look

The key is not to use too much pressure - you don't want to be grinding away at the brake surface, only abrading it lightly enough to clean it.

Works great and only takes a few minutes of setup and less than that to do it.

[maximus]

duplicate post - sorry.

[FL_MarkD]

Mr Clean Magic Eraser is a great solution for a lot of tough cleaning problems. Certainly works great for cleaning the rim brake surface.

Mark

[maximus]

my white leather sneakers stay looking new

[eippo1]

HAHA - that was my fault. I thought you might have just typed it wrong. I wasn't aware of an actual product made by Mavic.

That said... Using a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser has yielded damn good results for my rims. I have also cleaned out the brake surface with a light application of polishing compound (Simichrome / Autosol). Wipe with the grain and the brake pad "residue" will come out. I usually go over it a few times afterwards with a degreaser to make sure there is no film left over by the compound that would inhibit good braking.

Yup, have used Mr. Clean as well and it works very well.

[johnniecakes]

I have used light machine oil and Ajax or Comet and they clean up real well. Just remember to clean the oil off wel before use

[dave thompson]

A ScotchBrite green pad and alcohol works very well!