Cleaning chain/cassette

[rubywagon]

http://www.rei.com/product/722253

I use this tool for cleaning my chain, with a degreaser. Gets my chain as clean and shiny as the day I bought it, in about 10 minutes. Then, I wipe the chain down with a rag, wait 24 hours, and apply lube to each link, and wipe off the excess. I do this every other week.

To clean my cassette, I use this, with warm water and simple green:

http://www.rei.com/product/697481

Degreasing cleans all of the grease and grime from your chain/cassette. Lubing helps protect from the grease and grime.

[rubywagon]

There are many "how to" videos on youtube, that give step by step instructions on how to clean your chain and cassette. I have learned a lot by watching them.

[smilingcat]

A common mistake after cleaning is to apply extra grease on the chain thinking that it will protect the chain and the components.

Take a rag and remove extra grease off the chain else the extra grease on the outside of the chain will just collect the sand/dirt/grime. the sand on the chain is a sure way of wearing out the deraillures, rings, and cassetts.

[rubywagon]

I only apply lube on my chain, never grease. I save the grease for seat post bolts, etc. Am I doing this wrong, smilingcat?

[smilingcat]

getting late and I'm not quite here past my bed time (I'm up by 5:30AM). yes lube.

Just make sure its for chains and not for bearings.

[OakLeaf]

Park Tool has a cassette brush that's narrow enough to get between the cogs.

Some people remove their cassettes for cleaning. I think that's nuts, personally. But when I swap cassettes, the one I'm putting into storage does get a thorough cleaning while it's apart.

Don't neglect your rear derailleur. Jockey wheels collect a LOT of crud.

There are differences of opinion on solvents. It's a quick and easy way to clean. But they do strip the lubrication between the chain plates and pins, so it's a balancing act. If you know you're not going to take the time to clean your drivetrain often enough with soap and water, then it's probably best to get the external crud off with a solvent. If you're the kind of person who never puts your bike away dirty, use soap and water.

If you use Simple Green or any other acidic cleaner, make sure you rinse well. Whether you use a solvent or water, be sure to dry your chain THOROUGHLY before re-lubricating (air compressor is helpful here).

It does take some time and attention to get that middle chainring clean. Other time-consuming places to clean are between the arms of the brake calipers, and around the insides of the pivot points of the derailleurs. Needs to happen at least once in a while.