Road Cycling - Cassette lube?

I have been using just regular motor oil and letting it drip down into the cassette to lube the cassttes internals, ,without having to take it apart, but would packing it with synthetic grease be best?

What's the best lube for the cassette?

Patriot

Just oil the chain with 1 or 2 drops per link of a good lube (ProLink). Lightly wipe off excess with rag. No need to lube cassette at all.

my wrench tonight gave me a hard time about how much lube I left on the chain. TCR is correct... no need to lube the cassette and wipe all excess off!

I wondering about the internals of the cassette where it rotates over the hub. I have noticed that aftfer riding for a bit, the pawl gets much louder, and as soon as I run some oil into the cassette, it ruunns real smooth and quiet for a while until the lube runs out of it.

I was just wondering if I needed to remove the casstte and pack its internals with grease or not.
But, if oil will do, then oil it is.

Patriot

Patriot

you might have a freewheel then. is your bike an older one?

I have been using just regular motor oil and letting it drip down into the cassette to lube the cassttes internals, ,without having to take it apart, but would packing it with synthetic grease be best?

What's the best lube for the cassette?

Patriot
You don't lube a casette.

I wondering about the internals of the cassette where it rotates over the hub. I have noticed that aftfer riding for a bit, the pawl gets much louder, and as soon as I run some oil into the cassette, it ruunns real smooth and quiet for a while until the lube runs out of it.

I was just wondering if I needed to remove the casstte and pack its internals with grease or not.
But, if oil will do, then oil it is.

Patriot

PatriotThe casette rides on a freehub.There is nothing in a csette to service. The freehub has to be removed to seervice it.

ok, sorry, I was using the wrong name for what i am talking about. What is the differance between a freewheel and a cassette/freehub setup then. I know exactly how this thing works, but am not sure of what the right names are sorry. To get the gears off, there is a ringed nut that is recessed in the gears that needs some type of special Suntour pinned wrench. Kind of like a spanner wrench to loosen it, which I do not have.
The gears rotate over this whole hub underneath, and there is some kind of a pawl or something inside that locks it up when propelling forward and freewheels and clicks when coasting.
Sorry guys, I know mechanics very well, but don't know the technical name for all these bicycle parts.
For example in my line of work, a "bottom bracket", would be called a "crankshaft". LOL

But, to let you know, it is a Centurin Ironman from 1990, and it has Suntour GPX components.

Patriot

ok, sorry, I was using the wrong name for what i am talking about. What is the differance between a freewheel and a cassette/freehub setup then. I know exactly how this thing works, but am not sure of what the right names are sorry. To get the gears off, there is a ringed nut that is recessed in the gears that needs some type of special Suntour pinned wrench. Kind of like a spanner wrench to loosen it, which I do not have.
The gears rotate over this whole hub underneath, and there is some kind of a pawl or something inside that locks it up when propelling forward and freewheels and clicks when coasting.
Sorry guys, I know mechanics very well, but don't know the technical name for all these bicycle parts.
For example in my line of work, a "bottom bracket", would be called a "crankshaft". LOL

But, to let you know, it is a Centurin Ironman from 1990, and it has Suntour GPX components.

Patriot

Oh, now I got ya. I'm no mechanic and not sure so I cheated and looked it up. According to Zinn:
1) Wipe dirt of of the face of the fixed part of the freewheel surrounding the axle.
2) With the wheel lying flat and the cogs facing up, drip lubricant into the crease between the fixed and moving parts of the freewheel or cassette as you spin the cogs in a counterclockwise direction. You will hear the clicking noise inside get smoother as the lubricant seeps in. Keep the flow of lubricant going until old, dirty oil flows out the back side around the hub flange.
3) Wipe off excess oil.

I would guess some type of motor gear oil would be best for this. Perhaps grease if it's not too heavy as that might cause the pawls to stick in cold weather.

How about cleaning a cassette? I have been disolving my hub lube with Simple Green and need a better method. I think a clean cassette is essential to good shifting but i really don't want to have to pack hub bearings every time i clean it.

I took my cassette off the spline and submerged it in a can of carb/parts cleaner for a few minutes. Took it out, scrubbed with a tooth brush, then wipped it off with a rag and reinstalled it after lubing the spline.

You can get the carb/parts cleaner at an auto parts place. It's a gallon paint can with a solvent in it. Inside is a basket where you put the parts and submerge. I think I paid $10 for it a few years ago. I also take some of the solution out and put it in my chain cleaner for that task as well.

Hope this helps.

Park makes a nice little brush that gets inbetween the gears. I use one with Finish Line parts cleaner and then wipe it down with a clean shop rag. I do this after every ride so it doesn't build up. It takes a five minutes and I'm done. I wipe my bike down with Finish Line Bike Polish after every ride so I only have to "wash" it about every 4-6 weeks. I lube the chain before every ride and clean it every 2-4 rides. I've never lubed my freewheel and never had any failures.

TCR, you just explained exactly they way I have been doing it for years. What I am wondering is what is the best lube to use for this? I have been using motor oil and it works good, but is there something better? Something that may work without lubing as frequently? I lube it after every few rides. Or is this normal? One thing about motor oil, is that it is sure is cheap. :)

Patriot

I need a tool to remove my cassette. I just need to figure out which one.