Derailleur in ultrasonic......Okay?

I did a century(Reach the Beach in Oregon) on Saturday with my good (non rain) bike and got hammered
with a rain/hail storm. Both derailleurs are a mess, gritty and grimy. My question is: will cleaning
these in an ultrasonic cleaner with a med/stong general purpose cleaner be a problem? I have access
to a good ultrasonic at work and regularly clean my chains and cog sets this way. The derailleurs
will probably be okay also, but I though I'd see if there was something I might be missing before I
did it. What's the best type of lube for the moving joints, I was thinking about some sort dry lube?
Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks

John

 

> I did a century(Reach the Beach in Oregon) on Saturday with my good (non rain) bike and got
> hammered with a rain/hail storm. Both derailleurs are a mess, gritty and grimy. My question is:
> will cleaning these in an ultrasonic cleaner with a med/stong general purpose cleaner be a
> problem? I have access to a good ultrasonic at work and regularly clean my chains and cog sets
> this way. The derailleurs will probably be okay also, but I though I'd see if there was something
> I might be missing before I did it. What's the best type of lube for the moving joints, I was
> thinking about some sort dry lube? Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks
>
> John

I see nothing wrong with your plan, but be aware that some cleaners such as Simple Green should not
be allowed to remain in contact with aluminum for long, as the former will begin to eat the latter.

On the other hand, I also live and ride in Portland rain, and unless I want the bike to look pretty,
I just don't bother. I'll bet your derailers work fine with the grit and grime, as it would as long
as the pivots have some lubrication.

Dry lube is OK as long it has some sort of carrier to get it between the relevant surfaces. Wet lube
is fine too, just wipe off any excess. Plain old motor oil works well and is far cheaper than the
little bottles of "bicycle-specific lubricants".

--
Ted Bennett Portland OR

 

Any lightweight lubricant that can work it's way into the bushings will be fine. I use PW's
Tenacious oil and work the deraileur joints a bit to insure it get's all the wain.

May you have the wind at your back. And a really low gear for the hills! Chris

Chris'Z Corner "The Website for the Common Bicyclist": http://www.geocities.com/czcorner

 

"Chris Zacho "The Wheelman"" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Any lightweight lubricant that can work it's way into the bushings will be fine.

If you're ever caught without the lube you prefer, but you're near a Wal Mart, K Mart, or anyplace
else that sells fishing tackle, look for Penn Lube. It's extremely thin oil, almost like sewing
machine lubricant. Seeps easily into tight places and stays put.