I have to weigh in on this. I say no no no to brake fluid. Here's my .01 cent.
Quite by accident, when washing a set of hoods which were on levers, the warm water loosened them up enough that they slid off the levers quite nicely, even though I didn't want to take them off. As an experiment, I took the hoods off of the levers and ran cold water over them to cool them down. Then, I gave 'em a warm water dose to soften them up, slid them back on the levers slick as you know what, let them cool, and voila! No stretching, tearing, or anxiety that I WOULD tear them as I installed them. And these were 20 year old hoods. So, my suggestion....wet and warm. And no petrochemicals to break down the hoods. Try it and let me know if it works for you. Jay Sexton Sebastopol, CA
Brake fluid. Been keeping my ol gummies alive for years with just a very thin coating of the stuff. Desert dryness and UV does a number on them here.
Craig Montgomery in Tucson
From: "r cielec" <teaat4p@yahoo.com>
>> Ahoy !
>> OK, I admit, a very uptight question.
>> As many modern dishwashing soaps and laundry detergents are formulated to
>
>
disintergrate organic matter, and many oils and greases are formulated to
resist disintegration, what are some good lubricants to assist with safely
installing gum hoods onto brake levers?
>> I was going to use basic Castille bath soap.
>> In a lather,
>> Richard Cielec
>> Chicago, Illinois