Drivetrain cleaning help

[sonicpentatonic]

What do you guys use to clean up your drive trains? I just got a smoking deal on a used Trek 2100ZR off of eBay and the drivetrain is horribly dirty. There is far too much road gunk built up around the teeth, in the rear cassette, and around the brakes. I want to take the whole thing apart, degrease it, and relube it all up to clean everything up and make it look like new again.

So, what do you all suggest?


TIA,
Matthew

 

[rwinthenorth]

What do you guys use to clean up your drive trains? I just got a smoking deal on a used Trek 2100ZR off of eBay and the drivetrain is horribly dirty. There is far too much road gunk built up around the teeth, in the rear cassette, and around the brakes. I want to take the whole thing apart, degrease it, and relube it all up to clean everything up and make it look like new again.

So, what do you all suggest?


TIA,
Matthew

Simple Green biodegradable foaming spray. Spray it on and let it sit. It does the work for you. I've been using Pete's chain lube for lubing it back up. My 2¢....

 

[sonicpentatonic]

Simple Green biodegradable foaming spray. Spray it on and let it sit. It does the work for you. I've been using Pete's chain lube for lubing it back up. My 2¢....

So you just take everything apart, hit it with Simple Green, let it sit, rinse it off with water, relube and reassemble?

Sounds simple enough.

 

[kdelong]

Simple Green is good for cleaning. My lube of choice is Pro Link Gold. Apply it about every 200 miles and it cleans and lubes at the same time. Doesn't get much easier than that. It's a pain in teh butt to find it locally around here so I have to order it from mail order houses. Our LBS must own stock in Trilube as that is primarily what they carry and what they recommend. Along with that they also sell a Park Chain Cleaning machine and Park Chain Brite. Guess that's better for the bottom line.

 

[rwinthenorth]

So you just take everything apart, hit it with Simple Green, let it sit, rinse it off with water, relube and reassemble?

Sounds simple enough.

It depends on how bad it is. I hate anything that requires the words "take it apart". I just leave everything on and spray away. It makes a dirty dripping foam on your floor, so if you care, put a drop cloth down. Afterwards I brush with a nylon scrub brush (cassette,etc...) and hand dry with paper towel or clean rags. You can rinse down with water, but there are so many parts you don't want to get water into, I wouldn't recommend it. If there are parts still dirty (and I doubt there will) hit it again and repeat. Getting it back to "new" is overrated seeing you will take it out and get it dirty again anyway!

 

[vlad]

I bought a new Trek 8000 in Sep 2003.

I clean it at the car wash taking care to avoid getting water into the bearings. I powerwash the sprockets inline with the chain..

It works for me. So far no problemo.

 

[sonicpentatonic]

It depends on how bad it is. I hate anything that requires the words "take it apart". I just leave everything on and spray away. It makes a dirty dripping foam on your floor, so if you care, put a drop cloth down. Afterwards I brush with a nylon scrub brush (cassette,etc...) and hand dry with paper towel or clean rags. You can rinse down with water, but there are so many parts you don't want to get water into, I wouldn't recommend it. If there are parts still dirty (and I doubt there will) hit it again and repeat. Getting it back to "new" is overrated seeing you will take it out and get it dirty again anyway!

I hit it once today, and that cleaned a lot of it off. I will hit it again tomorrow to remove the gummy build up that is on the cassette and little sprockets in the rear derailleur.

If that doesn't do it, I will leave it be and just ride it as is for the rest of the season.

 

[Camilo]

What do you guys use to clean up your drive trains? I just got a smoking deal on a used Trek 2100ZR off of eBay and the drivetrain is horribly dirty. There is far too much road gunk built up around the teeth, in the rear cassette, and around the brakes. I want to take the whole thing apart, degrease it, and relube it all up to clean everything up and make it look like new again.

So, what do you all suggest?


TIA,
Matthew

I recently bought a cleaning tool for about US$6, I think it's called a Spin Doctor cog brush, which I have found very useful. It's got a hooked plastic part that is used to clean brush and mud out of a cassette. Attached to the same unit it also has 3 or 4 different kind of brushes to reach in to clean various parts. I have found it very handy for scrubbing out cassette, chain wheels, derailleur, chain, tight angles on the frame, etc. etc.

 

[willocrew]

I just use an old rag, and a piece of hard cardboard, the type that you get when you buy bike accessroies.

Just put the rag over the cardboard piece, slide it between the cogs and use your hand to turn the cranks. Obviously you need to have the rear wheel lifted off with a bikestand, repair stand etc.

It is a 5 minute job or less if you do it regulary.

 

[gregkeller]

Just had a discussion about this on another forum, check out the thread.

http://www.westwoodvelo.com/showthread.php?t=1702

a bunch of good info about this specific thing.

 

[garage sale GT]

WD40 makes a good, safe degreaser and will prevent rust to boot.

I like the cardboard idea; I normally just stretch a rag between cogs but will probably try the cardboard now.

Break your chain and get a power link to put it back together; then you can pop it off whenever it gets really sandy.