haighter

Which way do you all prefer to clean out a grimy, hairy rear derailleur?

I read that soaking it is bad as it'll remove grease from tough-to-reach pivots and places.

I have simple green and a toothbrush and I'm wondering whether to take it apart anyways, even with all the work. It's not terribly dirty, but there is some hair which (I guess) could get tangled around moving parts.

mzeffex 

take out the pulleys. Easy. Allen key in most cases.

neil0502

One option: hose it down with WD-40 (or the SG, odorless mineral spirits, or nearly any other cleaner/degreaser), then let it dry, and then lube the pivots.

I use my parts washer (1:4 Simple Green:water) without taking the der apart.

I'm not sure how much upside there is to tearing it down.

Skinny tweezers should allow you to depilate the sucker well enough.

operator

Don't soak anything with moving parts in a parts cleaner. You won't ever be able to regrease/lube parts of it. I clean a lot of bikes, i've yet to see one that can't be cleaned propery with a rag and pedros degreaser and a little bit of time.

We clean bikes on tune-ups to showroom clean with only rags and degreaser.

neil0502

I don't disagree with you, as a general point*, but ... I think it has to be looked at on a case-by-case basis.

I won't stick a chain in there, for example, but ... something like FDs or RDs ... I just haven't had a problem with the lube getting where the lube needs to be. Pivot points just aren't that inaccessible. I use a pin oiler most of the time, anyway, and the extension 'tubes' on spray lubes the rest of the time.

*I've always said that ... if you clean a chain OFF the bike, then you really 'must' lube it OFF the bike (a soaking method), too ... for the same reason.

Panthers007

I drop them in a plastic-tub partially submerged in Charcoal-Lighter fluid. Cap the tub and swirl it for a bit, then open the tub and flip it. Repeat until shiny. Then let the fluid evaporate totally.

Then lube every pivot, pin, and bearing with a Teflon-based oil like TriFlow. Works fine, and the Charcoal-Lighter is cheap.

JonathanGennick 

I've seen people use an air-compressor to good effect to blast the dirt and gunk from the spring.

Al1943

A rag and some mineral spirits, on the bike. No need to remove it.

Al

une_vitesse

the pivot spring on the rear der has to be lubed with something more viscous than oil. grease is what i use, and disassembly is necessary.
on nicer derailers, i will take the sucker apart (jockey wheels, cage, pivot) and clean and lube.

Panthers007

I've been using TriFlow-oil for years - no problems. Including on the spring - as long as you're able to remember to do it rather more often. Sealed-bearings in upper-tier RD's negate the need for taking apart any jockey & pulley wheels.