Sticky Brake Hoods

[bgorton]

The Shimano 105 brake hoods on my 15 year old bike have become sticky. Chalk is messy and short term fix, methylated spirits does not help. Does anyone have suggestion to restore the surface of the hoods ?

[familyguy]

Have had some success with removing gummy residue with dish washing liquid, or baby wipes. Then apply corn starch or talcum powder once dry. Seems to work better if they're warm for whatever reason.

But once they start breaking down like it seems yours are, all you're doing is prolonging the inevitable. Sometimes they're just beyond saving and the only thing for it is replacement.

[stevenaaus]

If you've used Metho , they're probably wrecked Never tried talc though ^^^^
The 10 speed hoods (?) aren't too hard to replace in my experience.

[Duck!]

Once they start going gungy they're on their way out and will need replacing sooner or later. There is a bit of a knack to replacing hoods, but it's not a particularly difficult process.

[bgorton]

Thanks for your replies, it looks like replacements are the way to go.

Cheers.