Cleaning the cassette
 

After giving my bike a complete "end of season" cleaning, i was not satisfied on how clean the cassette was. So I decided to buy a inexpensive ultrasonic cleaner (i can also used it for small car parts). So I thought i'd share the results.

This is already after I did my "normal" weekly cleaning.
http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r..._092311367.jpg
http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r..._092336634.jpg

This is after 5 minutes in the ultrasonic cleaner with 1:10 Simple Green and water.
http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r..._101019056.jpg
http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r..._101034168.jpg

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r..._101215759.jpg

$64 on ebay
http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r..._101652887.jpg

Clean your chain in there.

I've thought of that but i'm concerned that it will remove all the lube, even between the rollers and applying fresh lube might not get into the tight places and cause more wear.

Honestly, I have 4000 miles on my chain and while using the Park tool, it does drop in the .5, it does not drop in the .75.

I might just change it anyway.

Looks good but not quite perfect. Am I right? IMO a more concentrated Simple Green solution would do a better job.

If you dry the chain thoroughly (e.g. low temperature oven) after a water-based wash, you don't have to worry about the fresh lube penetrating all the nooks and crannies. Capillary action will pull it right in. Water that stays in the crevices could keep lube out, but if you get rid of that, you are golden.

It will also remove the Grit and give it a longer life.

Friend does that and gets 20,000 mi from his chains.

There are rubber "bands" between the cogs and when trying it with the compressor, some grease that was trapped under it came out. I thought of removing them, but not sure I can get replacements if they get damaged.

Since my chain has 4000 miles and has already stretched (worn), i'm not too worried about replacing it soon.

What is the make/model of your ultrasonic cleaner? Is it heated?

I've been looking at the one sold by Harbor Freight for $78.

Ultrasonic Cleaner - 2.5 Liter

Yes.. heated.

Professional Stainless Steel 2L Ultrasonic Cleaner Heater Timer Bracket Jewelry | eBay

Does anyone know how important those big O-rings are? Noise abatement? I don't get any noise from my older, solid Red cassettes with the appropriate chain choice (KMC). Could the perforated ones actually be noisier and require those rubber bands?

Interesting. Appears to be all-metal, as opposed to the plastic body of the Harbor Freight unit I have.
What are the options when setting the timer?
I get annoyed at the maximum 480 seconds of the HF unit which almost always requires repeated settings to get the job done.

And I thought I was being anal by flossing my cassette with a soapy rag while mounted on the wheel last weekend.

I know you work on cars and pulling a cassette/chain/whatever for weekly cleaning is probably easy and pleasing for you, but for me it seems that the total time spent cleaning and re-lubing bits and pieces of the drivetrain just isn't worth the slightly higher cost over the lifespan of a bike if you have to replace things a few thousand miles sooner.

As long as it looks pretty clean, shifts smoothly, and doesn't make any unusual noises I'm happy and that is accomplished with a wipe 'n lube every week or so on the chain and the occasional cog-floss and wipedown on the chainrings.

I pull the cassette for cleaning, maybe, once every 1,000 miles. Usually on a rainy Saturday while I watch some lame movie on Netflix. I'll strip my whole bike down and do a thorough cleaning.

Thanks. Looks like a small strainer might be needed for smaller parts. Price is right tho. Mouse hovering over the "buy it now" button... :)



Yeah, it really isn't that big of a deal to get the cassette off. I've used KMC Missing Links on my chains for over a decade without issue and so the chain comes off without tools. It's the perfect time to wash and wax, check tires for cuts, clean derailleur pulleys, etc.

Taking the cassette off, dropping it into an ultrasonic cleaner and putting it back on has to be easier than flossing.

I never planned on removing it weekly. This was a "after season" cleaning and it has 4000 miles. I do clean my drivetrain about once a week which is about 150 miles, but nothing more than the usual spray and wipe off. Now that i have this, I might do a "mid season" cleaning since it only takes a few minutes to do it.

Easy enough to drop a finer strainer inside the provided one.

You had to go and do that. Another toy for my collection.

Thanks, gonna grab one now.

I've taken my cassette off a couple of times, and always worry I am putting it on too tight. Do you use a torque wrench?

Tools are not toys. That's how people get hurt.

Just act all serious when you say that and people will believe you.

So... Err... What's with the obsession with cassette cleanliness?

There is zero basis for assuming anyone is obsessed with anything.

OP was just sharing something he found that does a great job and we were discussing, that's all. The device cleans more than cassettes and the OP mentioned using it for car parts as well.

That hardly makes for an obsession.

Clean Feels Faster.

If cleaning it once a year after 4000 miles is obssessive, then taking a shower more than once a month is also an obsession. ;)

It sounds like you're obsessed with Brian's opinion of OP's cassette cleanliness. Please clarify your reasons. It's a little unsettling.

I'm sure someone else will chime in with real advice, but I'm pretty sure it's hard to exceed the max specified torque on cassette lockrings by hand using a normal lockring tool and wrench. Then again, you want to be able to get it off in the future without breaking anything, so don't kill yourself trying to tighten it, but it should be on really, really firm.