So I am in the process of adding some new cranks to my bike, and figured I would strip it down and do a thorough cleaning and degreasing. Wondering if you guys have any favorites? I heard good things about Simple Green and Pedro's Oranj Peelz.. any others?

simple green works
citrus stuff works
paint thinner works
kerosene works
gasoline works

I am aware of gasoline, but realistically would it be a good idea to put my bearing cages and soak them in gasoline? Or would it work just fine..

I've done it once, the gasoline will eat up the grease, but I'm not sure I'd do it again.

The Pedro's stuff is a waste of money. Goo Gone works wonderfully.

So basically go for simple green and citrus? Gotcha.

Dont know why I didnt think of this. Excellent!
I have heard it can leave a film on the bearings though, is this true?

Citrus cleaner *if* there are *no* plastic or rubber parts.
Simple Green on any kind of parts.

Essentially all that will be cleaned will be the bearing cages.

what part of the bike are these bearing cages from?

Threadless headset

i recently used dawn dish soap on my bike chain, and the grease came off pretty easily. surprisingly easily, actually.

I have heard of this as well, seeing as Dawn has some kind of de-greaser in it.

i figured that if it was safe enough to use on a surface i eat off of, it's safe enough for metal.
i actually went kind of overboard, since i expect that my chain is near the end of its life anyway. after a thorough cleaning , i put the chain in the dishwasher. it came out hot and clean

Kerosene.

It's cheap from the local store and won't kill your hands too much. Plus it works the best.

Isn't that **** pretty toxic?

Yes, drinking it can kill you. Mind you, maybe we should start a different thread about what degreaser tastes the best. Grease is toxic as well.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kerosene

Simple Green works very well. It is great with full metal parts(chains, bearing, etc.) And it also works well on BB shells,crown races, etc. And if you get some grease on your frame spray some on a rag and wipe it down, which works better than dishsoap, etc.

Breathing fumes from kerosene is a little different than eating grease.

Safety is a superstition. It does not exist in the wild.

If people use Kerosene indoors with poor ventilation then they deserve (more) brain damage. Kerosene is safe to use in your garage or back porch.

Diesel might be most effective. It will degrease your parts, and leave behind oil after vaporization, while many of the others (gas, kerosene, and paint thinner) will leave some water behind instead. While it probably isn't likely to cause any rust problems, might as well use diesel as far as I'm concerned.

In any instance, work in a well ventilated area to stay safe and keep any flame away from any solvent. Also, please dispose of all the removed grease, used diesel, and unused diesel properly. All of these things can end up in the water table easily (especially the solvent) and no one wants that.

Kerosene does not leave water behind. That is why it is preferred. There is simply no other better degreaser for cleaning a chain. Diesel is not as effective as Kerosene, therefore you will use less.

As a motorcyclist, my chain health is critical to me staying alive. As a fixie rider you can appreciate this. If that chain is not lubed and cared for properly it will break, taking the engine case and my left leg with it. Imagine having a chain failure at 300kph. I degreased with kerosene, and then use a proper chain wax. Just like everyone else does and as per manufacturer spec.

I do this on my bicycles. Go ahead use Dawn or some diesel. The grease will come off at some point. Kerosene goes on clean, doesn't stink. Doesn't make your hands numb and evaporates cleanly with no corrosion afterwards. Remember we are talking about white kerosene. Which you buy at the store.

I like this stuff alot.

it works alot better than parktools offering.

I used mineral spirits to clean up super grimy parts on an old bike and to repack the bearings. It worked really well! Haven't used it on a chain, but it should work well. And it's pretty cheap.

that's why I suggested kerosene and gasoline. My dad used to ride motorcycles and would soak the chain the gas if he didn't have his usual cleaner

We use biodiesel with a pump at the co-op I volunteer at, it works pretty well.