Bicycle Mechanics - maintainence Question

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kcirtap
06-30-05, 11:36 PM
my bike has gone a long time without a good wash and I'm throwing the drivtrain in a degreaser bucket tonight. is there anything that I shouln't put in their? I bought some teflon dry lube, should I use it on everything after the cleaning. it it ok to leave it degreasing overnight in the simple green? thanks in advance for the info.

Raiyn
06-30-05, 11:41 PM
Simple Green does have a nasty habit of being harsh on Aluminum parts. Rather than tossing everything in a bucket (fine for chains and cassettes) why not just spend a couple minutes with an old toothbrush and a couple rags?
rmfnla
07-01-05, 05:13 PM
Don't put your cat in; they hate that.

ivan_yulaev
07-02-05, 01:40 AM
Toss in chain and let that soak; give your cassette a quick bath as well. I usually use brake cleaner for the cranks, and a rag for the deralleur pulleys.

Remember to hose the chain down with a stream of water afterwards, this goes miles towards having a clean chain...
Doctor Morbius
07-03-05, 10:13 PM
Just as an FYI for drivetrain maintenance...

Here are the definitive words on chain maintenance and when to replace a chain. This should really be a sticky due to so many chain questions.

Sheldon Brown:
http://sheldonbrown.com/chains.html

Lennard Zinn - Everything you ever wanted to know about dirty chains:
http://www.velonews.com/tech/report/articles/5610.0.html
Very good article! Suggests replacing at 1/16" stretch.

Lennard Zinn - Chain wear:
http://www.velonews.com/tech/report/articles/5457.0.html
Suggests replacing at 1,500 miles and before 1/8" stretch.

Park Tool - CC-3 Chain Checker:
http://www.parktool.com/tools/CC_3.shtml
The CC-3 is a "Go, No-Go" gauge designed to accurately indicate when a chain reaches 0.75% and 1% wear.

CC-3 here for $10:
http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?category=99&subcategory=1234&brand=&sku=11164&storetype=&estoreid=&pagename=