# Alcohol type to clean rotors



## Deartist7 (Sep 28, 2014)

So I have this "Menthol Clinical Alcohol" bottle, 70° GL.

Since i'm not feeling like going to the drugstore (believe or not, i haven't checked if there's one around since i moved to this house), i want to use this one i found.
It's on spanish, so everything i said is actually translated.

Behind it says Menthol ethyl alcohol at 70° GL. 
It aso says denaturing ethyl alcohol.

Alright, it seems like i got the right one to clean my rotors, but what it's itching me is that "menthol" thing. Does that affect at all? Or should I pass it and buy isopropyl alcohol? (whatever that's called in spanish)
I want to clean them cause on my first ride, I bedded the pads in, and my rear brake ended up working pretty good. But my front still feels weak, unless i squeeze really really hard it feels "kinda" like the rear with normal squeeze.
Both brakes were "bedded in" at the same time, and both have pretty much the same cable tension, so it has to be a pad-rotor friction problem. Not bedded in yet? Or just contaminated, so i want to try and clean it to see if it improves.

So that's the question. I know I should clean the pads as well, but that's another question. So that first, can I use this alcohol? It's basically the one doctors use.




And just to say how it's been going (not related to question)

Had my first ride on the DB Hook at the University's XC course that we raced some months ago. It was horribly maintained (or wasn't at all), and it's been raining a lot lately so the vegetation was so grown that it was actually hard to see were the original course was. I guess there won't be any more races this year. 
It was slippery, confusing, there were a lot of fallen branches, broken glass, and even a small tree on the middle of a flat section. Maybe that's a new feature? For bunnyhopping? Idk. I think that mother nature put that feature there, for some reason.

So my front tire got a flat after 15 mins of riding, right after a couple downhills. On my first ride. I didn't bring patches, so that was the end of that ride. 

I got three punctures, two caused by very very little thorns, and one that was so little I couldn't detect it until i pumped the tires back to normal.
Three micro punctures. Three patches on the first day. FIRST RIDE.
I'm still looking for a good pump that measures PSI so that day I had my tires pumped "till they hard". Which didn't work out so well, so i'm not gonna blame the Nevegal X's just yet.

DAMN. Alright, still getting used to the bike, so i'm looking up to the second ride, specially since i didn't get to play around adjusting it on the first one. 
I will try to avoid fallen branches this time. Word.


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## Cayenne_Pepa (Dec 18, 2007)

Get 90% or higher rubbing alcohol, or pure denatured alcohol. 70% means the rest is 30% water.


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## Deartist7 (Sep 28, 2014)

But water doesn't contaminate anything, so is it just a less powerful cleaner?

Call me lazy, but i really want to get away from having to look for a drugstore around xD


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## banditpowdercoat (Aug 13, 2015)

Just go for a bike ride and see lol. Really 70% will be fine. 


Sent from my iPhone while my Heli plays with the gophers


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## Deartist7 (Sep 28, 2014)

Alright, I just cleaned them both. Some black stuff came off from them.
Can't go for a test ride now (it's 2 am duh) but I hope that works.

Anyway, should I clean the pads as well? I think I should do it, but the "bolt" that holds the pads doesn't seem to be a "bolt" at all. I will as about this as well.

That "bolt" looks more like a twisted piece of metal bent at one end so it doesn't let go of the pads. 
On the manual it says BOLT. That's not a bolt. C'mon, I learned what a bolt was several years ago.















Whatever that is, I can't remove it at all. And if i break it trying to remove it, what should i replace it with?
I tried to straighten the bent end so it can slide out but no luck.

So what? I need to get rid of that to remove the pads. 
Since its a new bike i don't want to mess up, so i'll skip testing it tomorrow as long as i can clean everything properly if it's necessary. Without ruining anything


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## Mr Pig (Jun 25, 2008)

Deartist7 said:


> I tried to straighten the bent end so it can slide out but no luck.


That's what you do, you straighten the bent end so it can slide out. It won't break. Just squash the end with pliers and you'll be able to pull it out and reuse it. They are called split pins and if you do break it you can buy them in auto/hardware shops.

Printers use IPA by the gallon, they buy it in huge drums. So if you pop into a local printers and ask if they could fill up your little bottle there's a good chance they won't even charge you for it ;0)


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## Deartist7 (Sep 28, 2014)

Mr Pig said:


> That's what you do, you straighten the bent end so it can slide out. It won't break. Just squash the end with pliers and you'll be able to pull it out and reuse it. They are called split pins and if you do break it you can buy them in auto/hardware shops.
> 
> Printers use IPA by the gallon, they buy it in huge drums. So if you pop into a local printers and ask if they could fill up your little bottle there's a good chance they won't even charge you for it ;0)


Yeah, I haven't tried with pliers because...like I said, it's 2 am, and my plier is in my room past my sister's room, and God protect me if i wake her up accidentally (she's the mad type).

Gonna try tomorrow, lol. 
Didn't know about the printers though, and best of all, i DO know where to find one. I'll ask them tomorrow.

So lets say I remove the pads.
I read somewhere that just cleaning them with alcohol should work, but i read that once.
Heating them up with a torch or in the oven, toaster, etc, seems to be the most recommended solution by the majority of people.

So i read that i have to heat them up until they stop smoking. Am I in the right path? 
I don't have a blowtorch so i would be trying that on an old oven that we don't use for cooking.


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## Mr Pig (Jun 25, 2008)

Just wipe the pads with IPA or brake cleaner and you should be good. They get stupid hot in use so they don't really need baked. Try swapping the pads from the back into the front as that will let you know if it's a pad problem or not. By bet is that it isn't, I reckon you'll need to bleed your front brake.


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## TiGeo (Jul 31, 2008)

My bottle is 70%...no issues. I buy a big bottle from CVS then have a small sprayer I got there too...travel size for hair spray I suppose...I use that. Works great.


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## Mr Pig (Jun 25, 2008)

Yeah, I've got sot IPA in a spray bottle, that work well. 

Most IPA is not pure. For cleaning stuff it doesn't make any difference.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

I use isopropyl in 70% and it works fine. Only difference for our purposes is that with a higher water content for the 70%, it evaporates more slowly (not much) than 90%.

Not sure what "menthol clinical alcohol" really is (what is the actual Spanish for that?), though it appears that menthol itself has some useful medicinal properties. It seems to operate as somewhat of a pain reliever itself, and it seems to be some topical antibacterial properties. It looks like it has a boiling point even higher than water, so there's some residue potential there. I'd probably avoid using that "menthol clinical alcohol" on your rotors.


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## Legbacon (Jan 20, 2004)

In my world IPA = India Pale Ale. I cleaned my rotors with it but now there is a sticky residue and the stink a bit. ????


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## banditpowdercoat (Aug 13, 2015)

Clean pads and rotors with your ipa and let dry. Take for a ride. Remember pads may need a few stops to re conform to rotors. More if you swapped front to rear. They wear little grooves in them to match rotor and untill those grooves are matched the braking power is reduced. A dozen hard stops should do. 


Sent from my iPhone while my Heli plays with the gophers


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## BobbyFord (Oct 11, 2015)

I would just use automotive brake cleaner.


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## Barman1 (Jan 8, 2014)

BobbyFord said:


> I would just use automotive brake cleaner.


Yep. Brakleen.


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## borabora (Feb 16, 2011)

Travis Bickle said:


> In my world IPA = India Pale Ale. I cleaned my rotors with it but now there is a sticky residue and the stink a bit. ????


You can use Lagavulin 16 to get the IPA residue off your rotors. If your IPA was less than 5% ABV then Laphroiag will do.


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## Deartist7 (Sep 28, 2014)

Mr Pig said:


> Just wipe the pads with IPA or brake cleaner and you should be good. They get stupid hot in use so they don't really need baked. Try swapping the pads from the back into the front as that will let you know if it's a pad problem or not. By bet is that it isn't, I reckon you'll need to bleed your front brake.


These are mechanicals...


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## Deartist7 (Sep 28, 2014)

Harold said:


> I use isopropyl in 70% and it works fine. Only difference for our purposes is that with a higher water content for the 70%, it evaporates more slowly (not much) than 90%.
> 
> Not sure what "menthol clinical alcohol" really is (what is the actual Spanish for that?), though it appears that menthol itself has some useful medicinal properties. It seems to operate as somewhat of a pain reliever itself, and it seems to be some topical antibacterial properties. It looks like it has a boiling point even higher than water, so there's some residue potential there. I'd probably avoid using that "menthol clinical alcohol" on your rotors.


It is "Alcohol Clínico Mentolado". Well, it is used to clean areas where something might get infected. For example, it's what i would use if I hit my shin with the pedal and i get a pretty bad wound. So I would clean that up to prevent getting it infected.

I already wiped the rotors with it, and couldn't test it today either due to lack of free time, but I might try it when I go the the bike shop on monday, i need to get some stuff anyway. I will test out the brakes by then.

For now, I will try cleaning the pads with the same alcohol I used for the rotors like Mr.Pig said.


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## gmcttr (Oct 7, 2006)

I would be leery of the "menthol" content as others have noted and not use this product. Why risk contaminating your pads?


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## Deartist7 (Sep 28, 2014)

Then I'll be getting specific Isopropyl alcohol 70% or automotive brake cleaner. I would like to clean them now cause I already got this kind of alcohol, and I could test it on monday, but whatever.

These are the pads. I don't know if you can tell anything out of ordinary just by looking at them, but here you go.


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## Kiwiplague (Jul 22, 2011)

gmcttr said:


> I would be leery of the "menthol" content as others have noted and not use this product. Why risk contaminating your pads?


Agreed. Menthol is an oily product that comes from mint (the plant), so who knows what sort of residue it will leave on your rotors?


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## BuickGN (Aug 25, 2008)

One of those pads is not bedded in yet judging by the picture. 

Don't bother trying to clean pads with alcohol or anything else. Torch them and if you don't have a torch, bake them at no less than 400F for no less than 15 minutes. 500F would be better if your oven goes that high. My resin pads have been over 600F in service so you're not going to hurt them in the oven. 

I think you mentioned running through vegetation. Vegitation can leave an oily residue in (not on) the pads. It's impossible for alcohol to remove all oils in the pores of the pads, that's why heat is needed to burn it out. 

Keep in mind, rotors are not supposed to be super clean and shiny. They are supposed to have a transfer layer of brake pad material laid down on the surface that dulls down the otherwise mirror finish. Without this layer the pads and rotors will wear quicker, they will be noisier, and will lose power. 

About the flat tires, that's the main reason I went tubeless. There are other benefits that are well known but I got sick of every tiny sticker ruining my ride. There are so many around here, it was nearly every ride. I've literally never had a single flat since going tubeless.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

Deartist7 said:


> It is "Alcohol Clínico Mentolado". Well, it is used to clean areas where something might get infected. For example, it's what i would use if I hit my shin with the pedal and i get a pretty bad wound. So I would clean that up to prevent getting it infected.
> 
> I already wiped the rotors with it, and couldn't test it today either due to lack of free time, but I might try it when I go the the bike shop on monday, i need to get some stuff anyway. I will test out the brakes by then.
> 
> For now, I will try cleaning the pads with the same alcohol I used for the rotors like Mr.Pig said.


Here's more or less what amounts to a material safety data sheet for the stuff. Definitely contains a small amount of menthol, which is a contamination risk. Keep it FAR from your brakes in the future, and clean with something that evaporates clean before you ride it again.

http://www.isphc.org/modulos/mod_descargas/descargas.php?f=Soluciones-20111207-104316.pdf


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## Deartist7 (Sep 28, 2014)

Harold said:


> Here's more or less what amounts to a material safety data sheet for the stuff. Definitely contains a small amount of menthol, which is a contamination risk. Keep it FAR from your brakes in the future, and clean with something that evaporates clean before you ride it again.
> 
> http://www.isphc.org/modulos/mod_descargas/descargas.php?f=Soluciones-20111207-104316.pdf


Well crap. Will do, thanks!


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## Deartist7 (Sep 28, 2014)

BuickGN said:


> One of those pads is not bedded in yet judging by the picture.
> 
> Don't bother trying to clean pads with alcohol or anything else. Torch them and if you don't have a torch, bake them at no less than 400F for no less than 15 minutes. 500F would be better if your oven goes that high. My resin pads have been over 600F in service so you're not going to hurt them in the oven.
> 
> ...


Now that's interesting. I did go through a lot of vegetation, and even my a cassette got some stuff stuck. My front rotor definitely got some as well.
It could be that black stuff i found when cleaning it the first time.


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## Deartist7 (Sep 28, 2014)

Alright, I already have my pads in a safe place, and I will clean the rotors again as well.
Since my local shop that sells brake cleaner is closed due to floodings, I'll look for a drugstore and get pure denatured alcohol.
Should be ok, right?

Then I'll try the oven thing. Will update for that later. 

Thanks a lot for the help guys!


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

Deartist7 said:


> Alright, I already have my pads in a safe place, and I will clean the rotors again as well.
> Since my local shop that sells brake cleaner is closed due to floodings, I'll look for a drugstore and get pure denatured alcohol.
> Should be ok, right?
> 
> ...


I can't recall seeing denatured alcohol at the drugstore. I've bought it at hardware stores, typically. It's found in the paint section along with the paint thinner.

Isopropyl alcohol is always available at drugstores.


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## TiGeo (Jul 31, 2008)

Just get regular old rubbing alcohol or get a can of Brake Cleaner from the auto parts store.


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## Deartist7 (Sep 28, 2014)

Well, I did find denatured alcohol Harold 

It's the same exact brand, but it doesn't say absolutely anything else than just "alcohol" at 70° GL. No menthol, no excipients of any kind. I did ask for Isopropyl alcohol, and I'm not sure if they just didn't have it, or don't understand by that term.
I also asked for "rubbing" alcohol and they didn't understand either. I bet there's a different name for that in spanish, but who cares.

It's still %30 water, but it's free of excipients, so it's the best I got for now that should work. It's a really small bottle. 
Already cleaned my rotors with it, and it seems like it dried much faster. Next are heating up the pads.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

Deartist7 said:


> Well, I did find denatured alcohol Harold
> 
> It's the same exact brand, but it doesn't say absolutely anything else than just "alcohol" at 70° GL. No menthol, no excipients of any kind. I did ask for Isopropyl alcohol, and I'm not sure if they just didn't have it, or don't understand by that term.
> I also asked for "rubbing" alcohol and they didn't understand either. I bet there's a different name for that in spanish, but who cares.
> ...


Denatured alcohol is ethanol with additives to make it toxic and disgusting. Isopropyl alcohol commonly comes in 70% variety. I bet that is what you have. The language barrier can be tricky.


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## Deartist7 (Sep 28, 2014)

Harold said:


> Denatured alcohol is ethanol with additives to make it toxic and disgusting. Isopropyl alcohol commonly comes in 70% variety. I bet that is what you have. The language barrier can be tricky.


IT IS TRICKY.

I mean. This thing says Denatured alcohol, and "no excipients" at the same time. So...
Ugh...
I don't know anymore honestly. I re-translated the word, and it is actualling "Denaturing" alcohol. Does that make a difference?


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## cptjack (Jan 14, 2004)

Deartist,
I admire you for riding in Honduras and wish you the best of luck.


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## Deartist7 (Sep 28, 2014)

cptjack said:


> Deartist,
> I admire you for riding in Honduras and wish you the best of luck.


Thanks. You should wish my bike better luck so it never gets stolen. 
But thanks haha


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## One Pivot (Nov 20, 2009)

Is it possible that you have _methanol_ alcohol, not menthol? If it doesnt smell like toothpaste, its probably methanol, not menthol.

Regular old iso alcohol doesnt have that stink, thats a big plus side of using it over denatured/methanol.

Acetone from the hardware store is very cheap, and will strip clean the living hell out of anything you use it on.

You can also clean all your brake components with regular old dish soap, which works surprisingly well. Rinse and dry with a paper towel, and they'll be spotless.


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## Deartist7 (Sep 28, 2014)

One Pivot said:


> Is it possible that you have _methanol_ alcohol, not menthol? If it doesnt smell like toothpaste, its probably methanol, not menthol.
> 
> Regular old iso alcohol doesnt have that stink, thats a big plus side of using it over denatured/methanol.
> 
> ...


Well, it doesn't smell like toothpaste, but it DOES say MENTOL. In english that's supposed to be MENTHOL.
Maybe we're having a little language misunderstanding here. Actually, I'm sure we do.
Acetone is what I'd use to clean a blackboard.

Yeah? Regular dish soap? C'mon, if that's true I feel like a fool now. I have a whole lot of dish soap, like for 1 year more of washing dishes. 
I already cleaned the heck out of the rotors and pads anyway. Haven't tried them yet though.


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## tualmbr (Jul 18, 2015)

Travis Bickle said:


> In my world IPA = India Pale Ale. I cleaned my rotors with it but now there is a sticky residue and the stink a bit. ????


Same here, the IPA should be what you're drinking while spraying non chlorinated brake cleaner onto your rotors and pads.

It was also mentioned that one of the pads is not fully seated in - and you mentioned you have a mechanical brake rather than hydraulic. If one pad is fully seated in and the other is not - you may have something binding in the caliper, too. This would cause the side that is fully seated in to be overheating and glazing which would account for the noise.

Personally I would throw any Tektro brakes where they go - in the garbage. You're going to spend more time and money trying to fix a bottom of the line piece of junk ( tektro aries ) than it's worth. Change to a better brand, or save up a few months and upgrade to hydraulic.


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## Deartist7 (Sep 28, 2014)

tualmbr said:


> Same here, the IPA should be what you're drinking while spraying non chlorinated brake cleaner onto your rotors and pads.
> 
> It was also mentioned that one of the pads is not fully seated in - and you mentioned you have a mechanical brake rather than hydraulic. If one pad is fully seated in and the other is not - you may have something binding in the caliper, too. This would cause the side that is fully seated in to be overheating and glazing which would account for the noise.
> 
> Personally I would throw any Tektro brakes where they go - in the garbage. You're going to spend more time and money trying to fix a bottom of the line piece of junk ( tektro aries ) than it's worth. Change to a better brand, or save up a few months and upgrade to hydraulic.


Well, coming from off-brand V-brakes I don't think they are junk. These brakes still work better than the ones in my upgraded-to-hell walmart bike. 
I DO know that hydros are waaaay better, but i can't afford hydraulics right now. I think better pedals and proper mtb shoes are more important since the stock ones suck and my actual riding shoes have been glued together like 5 times, they won't hold up much longer. So hydro brakes are kind of third or fourth in my list.

I could save up more and upgrade to hydros after buying the pedals and the shoes, but i don't think it's really worth it lose that much riding time, so i want to get the best performance I can from these mechanicals WHILE I save up. That way I still can learn some skills dealing on with mechanicals brakes, and still have better braking power than I ever needed.

You mean like one side is getting most of the "friction" or something like that? What I did to adjust them was pretty much just follow the Tektro manual, which in short would be:
1. Adjust the caliper so the rotor is around 0.3mm from the hub side pad. 
2. Adjust the cable so the other pad is as well around 0.3 mm from the rotor.
3. Then use the...uh...tension barrels? The ones that you turn around to adjust brake cable tension.

I left it exactly the same as the rear one, and adjusted the tension of both brakes so at the minimal touch of the levers they made contact and started braking. 
Since both were setup almost perfectly the same way, why would be the rear one working properly?
If they don't feel better tomorrow (hopefully i'll be able to ride it and re-start the bedding in process), I guess I could switch calipers to test that out (they are identical).


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