Degreaser and Forks. Be warned

[JBK]

Caustic. If there's any caustic in the mix it'll damage it like crazy...

 

Its unlikely that there is, however. But keep in mind very few of the end use brands manufacture their own product and instead have a Toller making the product from a set range. They could have had an issue in packaging the wrong product, or even been out of stock of the normal product and swapped out a replacement. Very common and it's easy for someone to forget that an ingredient is harmful for the application.

Cleen Green MSDS says it has sodium hydroxide in it... They'll probably say that the concentrations will not cause damage but be assured that they will be covered in their instructions guideline...

 

Best to source something that's clearly marked "non corrosive"... For our stuff and the environment...

[Butterbean]

Cleen Green MSDS says it has sodium hydroxide in it... They'll probably say that the concentrations will not cause damage but be assured that they will be covered in their instructions guideline...

 

Best to source something that's clearly marked "non corrosive"... For our stuff and the environment...

Yeah clean green is horrible. It's NOT the same as SIMPLE Green which US forums will recommend. Simple green is great, clean green is a serious degreaser. It shouldn't be on bike unless you're aiming to strip grease off a surface, definitely not for a maintenance clean.

 

Again, I've gotta ask... Do you NEED that bike wash product? 9/10 times your bike is just dusty or muddy, and that'll come off with water without any hassle, and then rest will come off with a little cloth action. The drivetrain should be stripped off the bike for a chemical treatment but again, ask yourself if you really need that soap or if a wipe and go will do just as good?

[RobertWhitehead]

I do not believe that the stanchion wear was caused by any cleaning agent. Let's quickly think about this, the wear sits horizontal on the stanchion, if you hang your bike from a tree or pole then not even then will the cleaning agent pool and or sit on a round, smooth product like a stanchion. Unless it was the same thickness as toothpaste I do not believe it would sit on the stanchion long enough to leave a mark like that. Gravity is our friend so anything that remotely resembles a liquid will just run down.

 

I have also been using clean green for many years but don't have in the home anymore so my next step is car shampoo, I mean surely a product which is being used on way more expensive stuff than my bike will provide a good clean    

 

 

There it is. Can clearly be felt whilst running a finger nail up and down the stanchion. Fork seals also generate significantly more drag when passing over that area

CA53EEF1-CEB8-4D93-AF21-3DF990C4D1C7.jpeg

[MudLark]

There it is. Can clearly be felt whilst running a finger nail up and down the stanchion. Fork seals also generate significantly more drag when passing over that area

 

CA53EEF1-CEB8-4D93-AF21-3DF990C4D1C7.jpeg

 

 

Are you sure that that is concave and not convex (i.e. a coating on top of the anodising/nitride coating)? 

[thebob]

I do not believe that the stanchion wear was caused by any cleaning agent. Let's quickly think about this, the wear sits horizontal on the stanchion, if you hang your bike from a tree or pole then not even then will the cleaning agent pool and or sit on a round, smooth product like a stanchion. Unless it was the same thickness as toothpaste I do not believe it would sit on the stanchion long enough to leave a mark like that. Gravity is our friend so anything that remotely resembles a liquid will just run down.

 

I have also been using clean green for many years but don't have in the home anymore so my next step is car shampoo, I mean surely a product which is being used on way more expensive stuff than my bike will provide a good clean    

 

Put the fork o-ring in the middle of your stanchion. Drip some water around it. Notice how the o-ring pools the water above it and how the water clings beneath it. Also notice the two lines of corrosion in the picture with a line where the o-ring sat where there is no wear.

 

Are you sure that that is concave and not convex (i.e. a coating on top of the anodising/nitride coating)? 

Definitely concave. I ran an oil stone over the area to make sure it wasn't some sort of deposit

Edited October 1, 2020 by the_bob

[arendoog]

I believe any bio-degradable soap or cleaner is safe.

Is this an accurate assumption?

yup

[arendoog]

I think you had dirt under the sag indicator O ring and it rubbed the station. My sag indicator O ring is hard and loose and could easily cause that type of ware.

Me also thinks it is the endpoint of the fork travel ,where the ring protects the surface .The surface beneath the ring is polished by the fork movement and the ring area is not 

[Butterbean]

yup

Not a ****. Many seriously dangerous products break down after use, which is the classification they require. Bio degradable does not mean safe and harmless. Most products, once diluted, then used, given their half life to have the raws break down in function are safe to flush and then will break down in nature into safe compounds.

 

Like I said, neutral detergents will generally be safest, but they will still strip grease. Most products marketed as bio degradable are enzyme based and they will also break down greases on the bike fast. You can't be sure you've rinsed every area perfectly, and even post rinse enzymes will continue to work.