For the rims and spocks and sprockets I used hand cleaner. You would not believe how good it worked. The stuff I used was safe for all surfaces and good for your hands too. Here is some pictures to show you how well it cleaned off 27 years of goo from my vintage bike and the last pic is of the cleaner used for reference.
I was trying to clean off years of built up grease, chain lube, dirt and goo off of my rims/sprockets because I got them back from Paparo all trued up and new tire on the front. After many attempts of degreaser and simple green and car wash/dish detergent I had accomplished removing much crud but was still only smearing the chain/lube/goo/grease mixture around and was starting to get mad. I tried some WD-40 and it was getting it off but it would have taken a week.
So then I got to thinking, when we work on cars/bikes and our hands are all caked with the nastiest goo that will not come off with soap and water, what do we use? Mechanics hand cleaner! This stuff literally melts away any kind of grime you have on your hands. So I thought, hmmm.... why not try it on the rims? It works like a charm! Lube up your hands real good and get in there with your fingers and go. Turning the tire as you work your way around. It took minimal effort, moisturized my hands in the process and cleaned all that junk off like it was dust!
Before cleaning, you can't really see the rear sprocket here but I assure you it is black!
After cleaning, scroll down for both pics:
Front rim:
The magic goop
I imagine mostly any good hand cleaner like GOJO or others will work as well but this was a real time saver and was so easy on my hands that I didn't even need to wear gloves. Remember to rinse well with water after you do this and I like to blow dry with the air compressor then dry towel it.
