Bike chemistry — index
Everything that comes out of a bottle, can, or jug and goes onto a bike.
Notes in this folder
- Degreasers — chemical families, what’s safe on alu vs steel, how to read an SDS, ultrasonic compatibility
- Oils and lubes — chain lubes (wet/dry/wax), pivot oils, suspension oils
- Grease — bearing greases, assembly greases, anti-seize, threadlockers
- Sprays — penetrating sprays, brake cleaner, silicone, dry lubes, chain wax aerosols
Related notes elsewhere
- Ultrasonic cleaner — process and chemistry for ultrasonic cleaning
- Chain — chain lube comparison & pricing (HLC/Shimano B2B)
- Hazardous waste disposal — disposal of spent chemistry for the non-profit
- HHW disposal - Waterloo — residential HHW disposal
Cheat sheet — which family is which
| You see on the label | Family | Safe on alu? | Flammable? |
|---|---|---|---|
| ”Petroleum distillates,” “naphtha,” “Stoddard,” “d-limonene,” “mineral spirits” | Solvent | depends | yes |
| ”pH 13+,” “sodium hydroxide,” “caustic,” purple color | Caustic alkaline | no | no |
| ”pH neutral,” “aluminum-safe,” “aircraft-safe,” “Pro HD,” “Crystal” | Neutral surfactant | yes | no |
| ”Rust remover,” “delimer,” “pH 2,” “citric/phosphoric/oxalic acid” | Acid | no | no |
See Degreasers for the full breakdown and decision tree.