That new guy at the shop told me I was wasting time cleaning cables with isopropyl.

He said just spray it with WD-40 and wipe, but after 12 years of doing it my way I tried his method and it actually worked better on a grimy Ultegra groupset - has anyone else switched to a faster degreaser and regretted it later?

3 comments

3 Comments

thompson.reese8d ago

So I tried the WD-40 thing last month on an old Campy gruppo I was rebuilding and honestly it worked way better than I expected too. The crud just melted off compared to my usual Simple Green soak. But here's the thing - I used it on some aluminum shifters and noticed the plastic bits felt a little greasy afterwards even after wiping them down. Like the WD-40 soaked into the rubber hoods a bit. I'm probably overthinking it but now I'm wondering if this stuff is gonna mess with the seals over time.

torres.grant8d ago

Yeah I had almost the exact same thing happen with a set of old Shimano 105 brifters. The WD-40 worked great on the metal parts but those rubber hoods felt kind of tacky and weird for a few days after. I just let them air out for like a week and the greasy feeling mostly went away. I think the key is to be really careful not to spray it directly on any plastic or rubber, just hit the metal bits and let it drip off. For the seals I'd probably stick with something gentler like a citrus degreaser if you're worried about long term damage.

leo_fisher22h ago

WD-40 soaking into rubber is a real thing. Its the same reason you never spray it on door seals or weatherstripping around your house, it makes them swell up and get soft. I had a pair of old hiking boots where I accidentally hit the rubber rand with some WD-40 to free a stuck buckle and that spot never felt the same, just got sticky and weird. Your mileage may vary on the shifter seals, but in my experience anything petroleum based has a way of finding its way into rubber and plastic pores and staying there.