Old 09-18-10, 05:47 PM
  #20  
conspiratemus1
Used to be Conspiratemus
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Hamilton ON Canada
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I'll be the devil's advocate and say that if you need to use any kind of liquid degreaser you are over-lubing your parts. Not meaning to start a(nother) chain-lubing thread, but if you lube your chain with tiny drops of heavy rear-end differential oil (SAE 190) thinned with naphtha, the chain will never get so gunky that you feel tempted to soak it in solvent or even run it through those little chain-cleaning machines. (Yes, it will still leave a tattoo on your calf if you touch it, but no, the chain does not wear out in 100 miles.) Everything else can be wiped clean with a dry rag, a cog-cleaning brush (or heavy twine), and a small screwdriver (to scrape the accumulated oil & chain dust off the derailer pulleys.) When you take apart hubs and other bearings to regrease them, just wipe the old grease out of the races, no need to soak in solvent. For a winter commuting bike, you just pour SAE 30 motor oil on everything that moves or could rust, and replenish when the briny splashes have washed it off.

I honestly have not used any kind of degreasing solvent (except a spritz of orange cleaner on handlebar tape and brake lever hoods) in over 10 years. And yes, it rains here.
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