Originally Posted by blue_neon
I've seen them 'cog cleaning' tools in a bike shop. Just a long thin brush, but personally not worth the $$. I still use the good old tooth brush for all of that stuff. I remove the cog intact, and then with soap and water and a brush give it a scrub down. That usually gets all the grime off. But if you want your cog to look like new again, I recommend soaking in some degreaser for about 5 - 10min.
Those cog cleaning brushes have very stiff bristles that reach all the way to the core of the cassette. You can't reach all the way in there on the big cogs with a toothbrush. With a cog brush you can also leave the cassette on the bike and clean it in about three minutes. That's worth $4 to me.
Originally Posted by blue_neon
I actually see no point to cleaning the rear cogs besides the fact that the chain might run that extra bit smoother and it makes the cog look newer and cleaner...
Well, what are you supposed to say to that?
