road tar

Lawr

Just finished cleaning my bikes, one my commuter, the other my racer. I've never seen so much road tar stuck to every part of my bikes. Is it me? Or are others experiencing the same phenomenon?

bax4556

You mustnt have cleaned your bike recently ,how in Gods name would melted tar get on your bike at this time of year !!!

Wishbone Ash

bax4556 wrote: »

You mustnt have cleaned your bike recently

He/she just has! :pac:

Lawr wrote: »

Just finished cleaning my bikes

Pablo Rubio

Was going to post the same thing myself. Cleaned bike spotless last week and after a week of training I was cleaning it last night and it looks like someone sprayed it with Tar!!!! Is it something to do with all the salt there putting on the roads nowadays? Nightmare cleaning chain and chainrings and cassette.

Lawr

bax4556 wrote: »

You mustnt have cleaned your bike recently ,how in Gods name would melted tar get on your bike at this time of year !!!

Actually, I am cleaning my bikes pretty regularly. I am saying that I am astounded by thee amount of tar on every inch of my bikes. It is particularly difficult to remove from small components and white paint, and the degreaser isn't cheap. I am especially vexed by tar on my cables.

Anyone else think there is more being kicked up than usual?

Lawr

Pablo Rubio wrote: »

Was going to post the same thing myself. Cleaned bike spotless last week and after a week of training I was cleaning it last night and it looks like someone sprayed it with Tar!!!! Is it something to do with all the salt there putting on the roads nowadays? Nightmare cleaning chain and chainrings and cassette.

I hadn't considered salt, but it could be aa factor. In the west, amounts of rain has to be a consideration.

Ole Rodrigo

Thought it was just me, I seemed to be cleaning the bike as much as cycling it. Staying off the back roads to see if that helps.

Were you cycling faster than 88 miles an hour?

vistafinder

Well around here lads it looks like its the filling for the potholes. Soft tarmac thats just ****ed into the hole and not flattend it sticks to the wheels and hits of the frame.

Marq-dublin

I've found the best way to take it off is with spray lube for your chain, I used Pirana but I'd say there all the same. Put some on a soft cloth and it just wipes off

Lawr

Marq-dublin wrote: »

I've found the best way to take it off is with spray lube for your chain, I used Pirana but I'd say there all the same. Put some on a soft cloth and it just wipes off

Makes sense. Nothing like white wine for getting out red wine stains sort of thing. I assume that by spray lube you mean like 3-in-1 or something like that.

Lawr

Dónal wrote: »

Were you cycling faster than 88 miles an hour?

?

Wicklowrider

Just dampen a folded kitchen roll piece with white spirits. White spirit also removes it from your clothing if you get tar on your jersey or shorts. A few of us were destroyed on a wet road with tar one day. after washing jersey etc the tar stains were still all over.Spirits on a sponge easily removed it.

johnam

WD40 on a cloth removes tar from car paint, I'm sure it would work in this situation too. Just spray a good amount onto a cloth to make it wet, wipe over the tar spots, leave for a few minutes and wipe off, the tougher pieces will need a little scrapping with your nails, but it comes off easy.

Lawr

Thanks for the hints about how to get it off. White spirits is cheapest, for sure. There is something in the back of my head that it takes the oil out of the paint too, which if memory serves is why I do not use white spirits. I will take a crack at WD-40, though. I'm getting cans of that for relatively cheap at Aldi's. Every once in a while they sell it for like 2.59 a can or something like that. I pick up three or four every time. I use it to clean my chain, so why not.

Thanks, again.

longshanks

Dónal wrote: »

Were you cycling faster than 88 miles an hour?

Was your flux capacitor.... eh.... fluxing?

mistermatthew

Not to be annoying but it's bitumen. Just a pet peeve of mine. No tar these days,

macadam

If your local council are filling potholes with Colfix(bitumen) it will not set this time of year will mix with water and destroy anything that drives/rides through it.
Wrong type of material at this time of year.
Diesel or white spirits will clean it off.