New rims in 20 minutes!

[lkm]

(repost from my blog at: http://sgbikerboy.com/2016/06/05/new-rims-autoglym-bumper-and-trim-gel/)

 

No Sunday ride today as I was feeling a little under the weather. Perhaps due to not sleeping well lately. So, I took the opportunity to do some bike maintenance instead.

 

After the usual washing and drying, I noticed some black parts of the bike were beginning to look faded. So I whipped out my bottle of Autoglym Bumper and Trim gel and started to apply it on the various matte black areas of the bike – especially the top box and panniers.

 

And then I noticed the rims looking a little dull too. I know better not to have any slippery product on the brakes and wheels. But being a gel, the application was direct and precise – applied with an old sock. So no messy over-sprays.

 

Wow! I’m super impressed. It does indeed looked like a completely new set of rims!! Well, the product made my top box, panniers and mud guards looked good too. But those weren’t as faded as my rims, and thus the biggest magic was on the rims itself!

 

So, the next time you intend to sell your bike, you know what to get to make it look brand new! A little bit of effort will make you bike look amazing – enabling a faster sale or even a higher price!

 

Now I just wonder how long this will last…

 

Before:

 

After:

[teambhp2]

please don't apply on your tires

[lkm]

please don't apply on your tires

 

Nah... I have no intentions of laying the bike on the ground with slippery tires.

[mechwira]

i dun see anything to be excited about. a can of brasso would have achieved the same finish, tried and tested.

 

be smart about what products would achieve a difference compared to cheap generic alternatives. for example, a proper car shampoo or wash&wax is definitely better than mama lemon.

[lkm]

Brasso is a metal polish. I wouldn't use that anywhere near a painted surface.

[duo]

This just motivated me to wash and shine my bike too. But then again it always rains after that. No wash and shine for me. Maybe just wipe it with a rag and lube the chain.

[teambhp]

Brasso is a metal polish. I wouldn't use that anywhere near a painted surface.

Some people just don't know their stuff

 

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[KILROY68]

Thumbs up for your rims!

 

Yes brasso is a metal polisher.. used it during my boys' brigade days.

 

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[mechwira]

yes i know brasso is a metal polisher.

 

and i've used it on my rims for years.

 

if you think its not suitable, heck i'm not forcing anyone. none of my rims from three different models of my riding career has ever melted from brasso and collapsed during use.

 

 

**Edit**

 

you know what, on hindsight i better declare that among the three bike models whose rims i've used brasso on, one was silver/chrome and the other two were matt black natural, similar to the pic shown by TS. and they all turned out fine.

 

it had not occurred to me that if you rims are clearly colour-painted, brasso will ruin the paint. i was thinking of my black rims with TS pics.

 

so to end any hoo-haa about wateva i said about brasso on rims, i will acknowledge my mistake and agree that brasso is not a good idea on color-painted rims.

Edited June 12, 2016 by mechwira

[duo]

I use Coca Cola to remove rust.

[Hydher]

looks great.. matte surface? often i use gt85 or wd40

[mechwira]

looks great.. matte surface? often i use gt85 or wd40

 

yeah on a matt surface all you really need is a good degreaser to get the gunk off, especially on rear rims where most of the gunk is from chain lube fling. i've not had experience with gt85 but i think wd40 would work fine too. although i wouldn recommend autosol coz i think its too abrasive. once all that gunk is off, a matt surface will look like new. i'm guessing you need specialised cleaners only on colour painted rims, coz of the gloss paint finish.

[lkm]

yeah on a matt surface all you really need is a good degreaser to get the gunk off, especially on rear rims where most of the gunk is from chain lube fling. i've not had experience with gt85 but i think wd40 would work fine too. although i wouldn recommend autosol coz i think its too abrasive. once all that gunk is off, a matt surface will look like new. i'm guessing you need specialised cleaners only on colour painted rims, coz of the gloss paint finish.

 

Hmmm.. never thought of using WD40. Perhaps I'll try - after I finish my bottle of Autoglym.

[lkm]

yes i know brasso is a metal polisher.

 

and i've used it on my rims for years.

 

if you think its not suitable, heck i'm not forcing anyone. none of my rims from three different models of my riding career has ever melted from brasso and collapsed during use.

 

Sigh... While Brasso is abrasive, it's NOT *corrosive*. It won't melt metals. Ever. Really.

[mechwira]

apparently sarcasm is not always obvious.