Cleaning question - Rims and Cogs
 

I have a couple of questions about cleaning.

First, my braking surface is kinda black. I'm changing my brakes and my cables over, and I want to do all I can to help it out by having a clean rim too. I've seen a lot of people recommend the red scotchbrite. I don't have any of that , but have a fair bit of the green. Would that work instead with some soap and water? What's the difference between the two? Abrasiveness?

Also, I've cleaned my chain several times, but it always comes back gunky. Part of that is the weather (and possibly where I store my bike), but I think it's also that I don't do enough to clean my cogs/chainrings so the gunk just gets transfered back and forth. I don't have a freewheel tool (it's a 6-speed, so I think that means free wheel, no?) so is the best way just to pop the wheel off and go at it with a cog brush and a bucket of soapy water? I use a finishline chain cleaner thing to clean my chain without taking it off (as I don't know how), so, if I were to keep using that, do I clean the chain before or after the cogs? Would the citrus cleaner I use on my chain be better to clean the cogs?

By the way, I don't have a bike repair stand, but I do have a greenfield stabilizer kickstand which makes using the chain cleaner really easy as it doesn't interfere with my pedal movement like my old kickstand mounted at the bottom bracket did (not that that matters to you, but just that I like using the chain cleaner as it's pretty easy in this setup, just doesn't do a good job if there's still gunk on my cogs).

Rims, just clean with bike cleaner / degreaser & water, have never needed to scotchbrite or any abrasive on them, make sure you clean the brake pads as well.

Chains, you will get lots of opinions from Simply Green to Petrol & diesel. I use a foaming degreaser, similar to this http://industrial.simplegreen.com/in...ystal_foam.php and find it works well, as I don't need to remove the chain or casette / cogs from the bike; adjitate then was off. each to their own on this.

I take the wheel off and fold a rag in half. Brace the wheel against the bench cogs side up and zip the rag between the cogs then the chain. If it's a mountain bike with a lot of junk between the cogs a small screwdriver can dig most of the grit out first.

Yeah there's a lot of junk in there that I need to get out. I did some scraping with the screw driever last time, I need to do more of that. It's a bike I bought off CL and the previous owner apparently wasn't much better about cleaning it than I am. Looks like the cogs are showing some wear, so I'd like to clean it to slow that from getting worse and just get it back in proper mechanical shape and take better care of it in the future. I figure once I get it really clean a regular cleaning in the future should be faster/easier.

Auto detailing brushes work well for cleaning cassettes. You can get a pack of three (one angled plasticy bristle, two with metal bristles) for a buck and a half if they're on sale at target. Just take the wheel off, pour a little degreaser into a cup, then fill another cup with clean water. For degreasers take your pick, my latest favorite is Roundy's Green (the store-brand Simple Green at my grocery store). For the chain: if you want to make it a big hassle then you can take it off and soak it in degreaser but it's easier and works just as well to put some degreaser on a rag and run the chain through it several times making sure to scrub all of the gunk off out of the outside.

+1 on the methodology. After you are done, more frequent cleanings will make it easier. Green pad on rims are fine.

Take your bike to the car wash use the power sprayer. Most car washes have hot water, hot water should help dissolve grease and crud from your freewheel and chain. I also use an old toothbrush to get in those hard to reach places. Try using a fine steel wool pad to brighten up your rims, spokes and aluminium parts.

Very, very bad idea. You shouldn't even use a nozzle on a garden hose and you use a car wash? Many saw you shouldn't use a hose period. You will ruin the hub bearings and bottom bracket, even if it is sealed. If it's a freewheel or freehub, it will be toast too very soon.

Use some degreaser, and you can pick up some brushes made just for cleaning the cogs for pretty cheap.

Yes, you have a freewheel, if you have six cogs.

He is right about the hubs and make sure you don't get degreaser in there too

The vast majority of 6-speeds are freewheels. Shimano did build Uniglide 5-speed and 6-speed cassettes in the late 70's and 80's according to Sheldon Brown. I have worked on my brother-in-law's 6-speed cassette.
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/k7.html

Nothing like 1500 to 2000 psi to wash out that nasty grease in the hubs, headset and BB.'s.

I use soap and water on the bike. When I rinse it I am careful not to use the spay stream, but the softer setting.
To clean between the cogs when the chain is off of the bike I fold a cloth rag or paper towel around a thin ruler and rotate the wheel backwards with the rag between the cogs. Works on the front too.
The chain is removed every 750 miles and cleaned in an ultrasonic cleaner. You can use a plastic jar with solvent or SimpleGreen and shake it for a few minutes to get it clean.

Don't know what I was thinking about - I bought a Schwinn Super LeTour in 1979 that came with a six speed freehub.
Of course, most six speeds were freewheels.

+1 I would add that rather than a bench I lay the wheel over a gargage can. I makes the operation a bit cleaner. I spray WD-40 on the folded rag as well.