Cassette cleaning

[jay clock]

I had the pleasure of cleaning my son in laws bike. He had a new chain for it and the cassette was black with muck. I find white spirit is ideal but didn't have any.

So I dissolved a dishwasher tab in boiling water and left a few minutes. Scrubbed each cog for a few seconds and job done. Now looking silver again

 

[Slick]

I've always felt it's quite cathartic cleaning a cassette.

 

[sleuthey]

I take mine off the hub, put it in a plastic bowl and scrub with a brush and white spirit. If I had none to hand I would use paraffin or diesel.

 

[figbat]

Whatever light oily substance I can lay my hands on. WD40, GT85, brake cleaner, metal parts cleaner...

There are two different cleaning methods - oil-based or water-based. Oil-based essentially just mixes with the oily residue, loosens it and allows it to be removed - like a solvent. Water-based needs a detergent which lifts the oily reside off of the surface, encapsulates it and carries it into the water phase. I tend to prefer the oily route, although this does have disposal challenges.

 

[Milkfloat]

So I dissolved a dishwasher tab in boiling water and left a few minutes. Scrubbed each cog for a few seconds and job done. Now looking silver again

You could have saved a few minutes and just put it in the dishwasher with your breakfast bowls.

 

[MTPWild]

Hello People, I have a Mountain bike with a shimano rear cassette. It was black but stupid me thought it was ment to be chrome/silver. It needed a clean so I went at it with a wire brush and then cleaned it with a degreaser. After 5 mins I have noticed it has turned a greeny colour like rust. Is this due to me going through the protective coat. If so can anyone suggest any types or spray that may stop that happening.

Thank you

 

[Eric Olthwaite]

Life's too short to waste some of it cleaning the parts of a cassette that the chain doesn't touch.

 

[MTPWild]

Life's too short to waste some of it cleaning the parts of a cassette that the chain doesn't touch.

Okay 🤣🤣🤣

 

[Chislenko]

Brake cleaner, 30 seconds job done.

 

[Gunk]

I take mine off the hub, put it in a plastic bowl and scrub with a brush and white spirit. If I had none to hand I would use paraffin or diesel.

I also prefer to remove them from the hub, clean each cog and spacer separately, they come up like new.

 

[RoubaixCube]

I normally just use a dish brush like one of these.

The bristles are pretty firm and long enough to get right down to the core so you get it pretty clean. I use a bit of mucc off bike cleaner and warm water and all the dirt comes off pretty quickly.

 

[Tenacious Sloth]

I take my cassette off the bike and melt it down to liquid, enabling me to scrape the oily residue off the surface.

I was gifted a set of Shimano cassette moulds for Christmas that I use to re-form the cogs

 

[tyred]

Oh that type of cassette! I was going to suggest a bit of cotton wool and some alcohol to remove dust and tape residue from the head....

 

[Ajax Bay]

Is this due to me going through the protective coat. If so can anyone suggest any types or spray that may stop that happening.

Probably, but any steel sprocket is liable to suffer rust where there is wear. You wire brushing has just increased the vulnerable area and made it a bit more visible.
If you keep it dry it will not rust (much). A regular spray of WD40 or similar will disperse any water and make any surface oxidation much less visible (especially if there's a residue of good chain lube on the teeth). After a wet ride worth drying roughly with some paper towel (say) and then spraying.
This is not a substitute for chain lubricant.

 

[PK99]

Try here:

https://tinyurl.com/yfxtqhtx