best way to clean cassette off the bike?

[eddief]

Yes, I have done it many times. Just wondering if you think you have an efficient, less slimey way. Of late have been using and reusing a small cannister of diesel as a dip and then the tedious rag flossing to take it to sort of clean. The collected wisdom here must know better.

[Hindmost]

I am a fan of solvents and old tooth brushes and rags. Emersion, however, is going to mess with the lubricants in the bearings and rachet assembly.

[bikerboy337]

do your cassettes not come apart? Haven't used anything but campy for years now, so I dont remember shimano/sram...

with campy, the cassette comes apart and i just use simple green and water, soak for 10 minutes, then clean each sprocket and put back together...

the chorus/centaur/record cassetts have some paired sprockets, but I use veloce 10 for the most part and they're individual... takes about 5 minutes total to clean one up... do it every 2 months or so...

[dave thompson]

Ultrasonic cleaner.

[eddief]

you?

I am a fan of solvents and old tooth brushes and rags. Emersion, however, is going to mess with the lubricants in the bearings and rachet assembly.

[monkeybanana86]

do your cassettes not come apart? Haven't used anything but campy for years now, so I dont remember shimano/sram...

with campy, the cassette comes apart and i just use simple green and water, soak for 10 minutes, then clean each sprocket and put back together...

the chorus/centaur/record cassetts have some paired sprockets, but I use veloce 10 for the most part and they're individual... takes about 5 minutes total to clean one up... do it every 2 months or so...

how well do you clean off the simple green? I've read that leaving that stuff on their is not so good but I'd like to hear your experience.
As of now I still have a bottle of T9 so I use that to degrease with a quick wipe and then after cleaning that off I use my favorite lube.

[eddief]

think you have my address. Can you recommend one for home use that make sense? Or are they only for the most macho of garage mechanics with many things to clean? By the way, Merry Christmas to you.

Ultrasonic cleaner.

[Ralph]

I have a 3 gallon partswasher. Use Citrus Cleaner from HD. Caution....do not let these water based cleaners stay on chainrings more than a few minutes before washing off with warm water. They will discolor aluminum chainrings. Great for cassette cogs and chains. I quickly wash in warm water then clean mineral spirits to displace the water.

[dave thompson]

think you have my address. Can you recommend one for home use that make sense? Or are they only for the most macho of garage mechanics with many things to clean? By the way, Merry Christmas to you.

I bought mine used from a jeweler. You only need one big enough to immerse your largest cog, everything else will fit then. Look on eBay, Craiglist, etc. for something used would be my recommendation. I think I paid about $30 for mine.

Happy Holidays to you too!

[palincss]

I am a fan of solvents and old tooth brushes and rags. Emersion, however, is going to mess with the lubricants in the bearings and rachet assembly.

There are no bearings or ratchet assembly in a cassette. All that stuff is in the freehub body. Cassettes are nothing more than sprockets, spacers, and maybe spiders and attachment hardware to hold the sprockets on the spiders. You can immerse them without fear of damage to bearings.

[Hindmost]

Apologies. Brain fart. I had a mental image of an old freewheel going into a bucket.

Please continue.

[Don49]

Can you recommend one for home use that make sense? I'm considering an ultrasonic cleaner for bike cleaning too. Here's a few that I bookmarked to consider:
Still unsure on how big the tank should be for bike use.

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/344021/hornady-lock-n-load-magnum-sonic-cleaner-ultrasonic-case-cleaner-stainless-steel-110-volt
http://www.ebay.com/itm/120976119877?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649
http://www.ebay.com/itm/380131255818?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649

[Ralph]

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200381752_200381752?cm_ven=natural&cm_cat=netconcepts&cm_pla=&cm_ite=

$49.....maybe cheaper on E bay. What I use to clean chains, cassette cogs, and chainrings. Be careful with the chainrings not to discolor. Sorta messy, but really cleans.

[Don49]

Ralph, what degreaser are you using in that parts washer?

[Ralph]

Ralph, what degreaser are you using in that parts washer?

Citrus Cleaner from HD. Been using same cleaner for about 2 years....it's getting a little dirty. Motor hasn't stopped yet. You have to get this stuff off aluminum ASAP though. It will discolor aluminum if left on over night. I clean, dump in warm water aluminum stuff. When clean, dump steel parts in mineral spirits. But use the parts cleaner to get grease off.

Ultrasonic cleaners look interesting, maybe superior, I just didn't want to spend that much.http://reviews.homedepot.com/1999/100676344/128-oz-citrus-heavy-duty-degreaser-reviews/reviews.htm

[wallymann]

generally this is part of washing my whole bike, so I have a big bucket of hot, soapy water at the ready. it reads way more complex than it really is.

- remove wheels from bike
- spritz cogset liberally with WD40
- set aside to soak
- wash rest of bike
- spritz cogset again liberally with WD40
- scrub between cogs vigorously with Park cogset brush
- wash cogset with soapy drivetrain sponge
- set wheel aside to air-dry

feel free to substitute citrus cleaner for WD40.

[biker72]

generally this is part of washing my whole bike, so I have a big bucket of hot, soapy water at the ready. it reads way more complex than it really is.

- remove wheels from bike
- spritz cogset liberally with WD40
- set aside to soak
- wash rest of bike
- spritz cogset again liberally with WD40
- scrub between cogs vigorously with Park cogset brush
- wash cogset with soapy drivetrain sponge
- set wheel aside to air-dry

feel free to substitute citrus cleaner for WD40.

WD40 works great for this....:)

[bikerboy337]

how well do you clean off the simple green? I've read that leaving that stuff on their is not so good but I'd like to hear your experience.
As of now I still have a bottle of T9 so I use that to degrease with a quick wipe and then after cleaning that off I use my favorite lube.

Never had an issue. I pour a few tablespoons into a tub of water. Only soak for about 10 minutes, then wipe clean. I think I've heard of issues when people leave stuff soaking for extended periods ( overnight).. But it's been great for me

[Ralph]

I like to disassemble and clean cassettes. At least once or twice a year. I like my parts to look just like new. Hard to do that on bike. Same for chain and chainrings. Besides....don't want to get water and cleaner in wheel hubs.

Clean surface areas with rag and WD 40.

[Don49]

Citrus Cleaner from HD. Been using same cleaner for about 2 years....it's getting a little dirty. Motor hasn't stopped yet. You have to get this stuff off aluminum ASAP though. It will discolor aluminum if left on over night.http://www.amazon.com/Simple-Green-13406-Aircraft-Precision/dp/B001VXU7OE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1356140626&sr=8-1&keywords=simple+green+aircraft+cleaner Simple Green Aircraft cleaner, supposed to be aluminum safe. Haven't tried it yet but plan to.

[shovelhd]

You get what you pay for with the cheap ultrasonic cleaners. I have a parts washer filled with mineral spirits.

[ergott]

I have a parts washer filled with mineral spirits.

Ditto. Best tool for the job. I'm still using the first 5 gallons for pushing 10 years. I just scoop out the sludge from the bottom every couple of years. Stuff never goes bad.

[BdaGhisallo]

Ultrasonic cleaner with mineral spirits for me. Like dissolves like.

You can filter the spirits when you're done by pouring back into the jug using a cone with a coffee filter in it. That will get most of the crud and grit out of the spirits and you can use the same 1 gallon jug of spirits for a long time.

This method does a great job on chains and I chuck my cassettes in their every few chain wash cycles.

[Ralph]

Where can you find a small parts washer that is designed to use mineral spirits? My cheapo one won't live long with mineral spirits. It's not designed to use that. Would much prefer to use mineral spirits over water based cleaners.

[BdaGhisallo]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Crest-1-2-Gallon-CP200T-Industrial-Ultrasonic-Cleaner-/200860438172?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2ec4370e9c

I have a Crest like this one, except with a heating element. (I couldn't find one of those to show you without a little more searching). It was not cheap, but I have been using it for about 4 years with mineral spirits and it looks as good as new.

When a chain comes out of there after a clean cycle with the heat turned up, it simply sparkles! And, by not employing water in the cleaning process, I don't have to worry about getting it out of there. I put the chain out to dry in the sun or blow it dry with my compressor and it's ready for a new application of lube.

[shovelhd]

This is the modern equivalent of the one I own.

http://www.harborfreight.com/20-gallon-parts-washer-with-general-purpose-pump-7340.html

Mine is almost 30 years old.

If you use mineral spirits, make sure to keep this away from fire, i.e. furnaces, oil burners, stoves, etc. Mineral spirits are flammable.

[Cat3roadracer]

Dish detergent and a tooth brush, in the slop sink in the basement.

[oldpotatoe]

Yes, I have done it many times. Just wondering if you think you have an efficient, less slimey way. Of late have been using and reusing a small cannister of diesel as a dip and then the tedious rag flossing to take it to sort of clean. The collected wisdom here must know better.

How much stuff do you clean?

I use this in the shop-

http://s-kstore.com/index.php/benchtop-parts-washer-model-14.html?SID=7b5accf0eba281c953751bf1d5f7192a

PLUS they come by and swap the fluid every 8 weeks. If ya do a lot of cleaning, great investment.

[veggieburger]

Apparently the old Italian mechanics used diesel. Doesn't harm finishes, and does a brilliant job of getting rid of grease.

[palincss]

But diesel stinks something awful, as does kerosene. Mineral spirits comes in both odorless and stinky varieties. If you want to use it indoors, by all means get the odorless. It costs a little more but it's worth it.

[54ny77]

just buy a new bike. much easier to justify.

;)

[Wilkinson4]

Apparently the old Italian mechanics used diesel. Doesn't harm finishes, and does a brilliant job of getting rid of grease.

+1. On freewheels and chains it wouldn't completly kill them or dry them out completly but you would never soak em. A paint brush, work it in and wipe it off. Kerosene was also used.

Don't forget to floss, purple harry, finish line, or just cut your own

http://www.finishlineusa.com/products/gear-floss.htm

mIKE

[dlui]

I always used lacquer thinner at the body shop I work in. soak cassette, chain in a wide mouthed jar. shake, remove and wipe clean. need to be careful not to get it on plastic or painted parts

[wasfast]

Lacquer thinner works well on homebrew and similar petroleum based oils. It doesn't work hardly at all on PTFE or wax types (Rock and Roll, White Lightning, Motorex). I'm very impressed with the Citrus type degreasers after years of using more "dramatic" solvents for cleaning parts. Great hand cleaner too.