How to clean cassette/chainrings without washing away grease?
 

How do you guys clean your cassettes without it wasing away the grease in the wheel hubs/bearings? Same thing with the chainrings and getting cleaner on the BB?

Thanks

I take the cassette off when I clean it. I just use a brush on the chainrings. My BB is a sealed unit, I don't worry about it with normal cleaning.

Simple, unscrew the lockring and remove the cassette from the body, clean the cassette cogs. Put the cogs back on the body and torque the lockring to specs and you are finished. Same is true for the chainrings. Remove the chainring bolts, clean the rings, replace them, insert bolts and torque to specs. If you have the correct tools, all of that should not take very long at all.

Normally, I spray degreaser on the cogs, use a rag to floss between the cogs, then use a brush to wash away any residue. A little water flowin over the cogs isn't going to hurt the grease in the hub bearings. After all, everything gets pretty wet when you ride in the rain.

Maybe twice a year, I'll remove the cassette and clean it off the wheel.

It's easy to remove the cassette for cleaning:
http://bicycletutor.com/replace-cassette-cluster/

I like to bathe it in some solvent, blast it with water for a rinse, then air-dry and re-install.

+1

Not everyone has a lock ring remover, so this is how you clean the cassette without one:

Take the wheel off the bike.

Tilt the wheel over, with the cassette face down.

Spray the cassette with automotive brake cleaner. (this stuff will eat grease faster than anything)

Let it air dry. (dont worry, it evaporates fast)

enjoy :D

Thanks. I wasnt sure how hard cassette removal was but it seems easy enough.