Cleaning Tip for Y'all

[gururug]

Howdy,

Thought i'd share a cleaning technique I have been using as I think some of you may find this handy. This tip relates to the drive train so chain cleaning should also occur after this.

Cotton Buds.

Step 1. Get about 10-20 cotton buds. I you have 9-10 speed you will need to squash the tips of the buds with some pliers.

Step 2. Hold the cotton bud vertically above the back of the cassette and lower it in between each cogset whilst spinning backwards. You should find that the bud is sucked in and all the crapola that sits on your cogs comes out. I find that 1-4 buds per crevice (depending of the filthyness of your drivetrain) is sufficient.

Step 3. Clean, wipe and oil your chain

(note, you can use the buds and a rag on your front chainrings)

[sogood]

Problem with cotton wool is that they flake off. And the number of buds required is a bit wasteful. You are probably better off to just find a narrow brush (if not those special cassette cleaning brush) and re-use it each time.

Those bike specific one often come with chain cleaners.

http://www.parktool.com/products/detail ... em=GSC%2D1



Better still, get a chain whip and a cassette locknut removal tool. Remove the cassette completely and give the area a thorough clean. You can even do a clean and grease repack of your freewheel if you care.

[gururug]

Yeah, I thought it might be a bit wastefull, and you have to watch out that the buds don;t frey but its sure much quicker and cleaner than using solvents. Not sure which would be overall worse for the environment, probrably cotto buds.

[sogood]

In all seriousness, cleaning deep b/n the cogs really doesn't make much functional difference to the running gears. The important part is to get rid of those highly abrasive dirt embedded grease paste off all the moving parts ie. Chain, teeth area of cog/chainrings and jockey wheels. So a degrease whether by degreaser or detergent makes much more sense.

The other potential alternative is a packet of pipe cleaners.

[Mulger bill]

Rough side of a piece of velcro glued to a hacksaw blade, add something for a handle, scrub away

[mikesbytes]

I've heard that someone actually takes the cassette off to clean it.

Burn plenty of Glycogen
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[thm]

Okay. I was just trying to clean my bike today. As it has been covered with sand and dirt and a lot of gunk from my last outing in the mountains. There is literally sand everywhere. Short of disassembling the whole bike, whats the best way of getting all the sand out. I started off using a soapy cloth and after about 30mins into I thought to myself there must be a better way and gave up. You don't notice all the sand on the surface now, but there is still heaps inside the derailleurs, and you can hear it when you spin the chain.

I know the easiest way is probably to get a high pressure hose and hose the whole thing and then use a air compressor to blow it dry. Unfortunately I don't have an air compressor at home. Is there another way besides using an air compressor or taking the bike apart and slowing cleaning everything?

[Kalgrm]

To clean the sand and crud off, just a normal garden hose is best. High pressure hoses are okay as long as you do not point them at any bearings. I've got one, but never use it for the MTB - just a hosing followed by a good lube is enough to clean it most of the time. Wipe with a soft cloth to dry it if you really want. (I don't have a carbon frame, so water doesn't make it explode .... )

Cheers,
Graeme

[thm]

Cheers mate. So it doesn't matter if you don't get all the excess water off the components? For some reason, I've just got the impression that water inside the derailleur is a bad idea. Not sure why. I mean the bikes been submerged before and its still running. Not sure what I'm so worried about.

That's what happens when you don't have a girlfriend you obsess over nothing.