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Cleaning and waxing spokes?

wash your spokes then dry, follow up with a mini power ball, they are a small polishing ball that you put in a drill, it gets it clean in every crevice
 
Now that I have a bike with shiny spokes on the front wheel, how do I keep them clean? Can you wax them? How do you clean them easily when they get dirty? I cleaned them once so far and it took a long time...must be an easier way?

I fell into the same catagory as the rest of the people who spent quite a lot of time cleaning spokes. Finally got smart and laced a set of twisted stainless spokes on my rims. Now all I have to do is wash and dry the spokes put some wax on the rims and they look like new.:bigsmiley11:
 
Ya, I totally will go to an aluminum rim wheel someday. I have had them before and they are a lot easier to take care of. But, until the spokes look rubbish I will use them for now...
 
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There was a thread awhile back about internal water and corrosion eating up the spoke wheels from the inside out...so do take the time to maintain your spoke rims. And if you see rust on the outside, be very careful to have the inside inspected for hidden damage. This is a reason why "modern" wheels moved away from spoke wheels...not "just" because of looks.
 
I checked out the power ball and the power cone and they look like they are the answer to cleaning the spokes easily. Next time I get to the auto parts store I am going to buy one.
 
I like the idea of the Powerball which I hadn't come across. Having slaved at cleaning my rims and spokes recently, it sounds a useful labour saver. I like to have my Sporty looking good, not for others to oogle, I'm not into posing, but for me to look at and admire when it's parked or for the parts I can see when I ride. We've had a heck of a lot of rain over the past few months in England and I don't put it away for the winter so it gets a bit grubby from just one ride out. Time before last, I got back, washed her, dried her with Airforce Blaster and then she took the Pledge. A week later when I got back and took the cover off - the brake discs had a lot of rust on them. I was sure I'd dried it well. She squeaked like a rodent as I back her out of the garage :p. Cleaned them up and dried them and I'm using S100 everywhere safe to. Not the brake system obviously. But apart from drying and re-drying, is there a good way to avoid the discs rusting after a wetting?

p.s. Anyone put Pledge on the Powerball??
 
In 1980 i bought a motto guzzi le mans it was fitted with cast iron discs at the first sight of rain they would rust i got a bit of ribbing about it but with the first application of the brakes the rust would be gone
First time i went on a run with the local club at the first stop the club president gatherd all around and warned them to stay well back from me as when my brake lights came on my bike stopped
oriental chromed discs didnt work well at the best of times and were very poor when wet cast iron has good stopping power wet or dry

Brian
 
I find with disk brakes, that after you wash your bike or get the brakes wet, you need to dry the brakes by riding the bike and get the brakes warm by using them. This is the only good way to really get the moisture out of the rotors and pads so they don't rust when you park the bike for a week.
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