Component Cleaning / Lubrication Tips and Tricks

[Dface]

That’s straight out of the jar so not bad. I’ll give them a soapy rinse. Pads want binning I know

 

[minor_LEGEND]

Cleaning an oiled chain, I have a square clip0lok sandwich container which is the perfect size. Fill with warm water & degreaser, shake & agitate. Rinse - repeat. Seriously clean chains with minimal effort.
As for the preliminary oiling, apply plenty to get the lube right into the rollers etc then wipe off any excess. I Hot-Wax now but that's how I did it for years.

 

[Lucidone]

View attachment 829985View attachment 829986View attachment 829987

That’s straight out of the jar so not bad. I’ll give them a soapy rinse. Pads want binning I know

Looks like a win to me!

 

[fettler]

A few years ago I only had room for either a sand blasting cabinet or a parts washer, I went with the blast cabinet. Old gerry tin above is what I use for cleaning most bike components. Leave the spout on and you can pour your solvent back into a tin for future use.

 

[TheAntsPants]

Perhaps not so relevant for a retrobike, but has anyone tried diy grease guard on cartridge bearings? I am wondering if it is worth drilling a hole in the metal/rubber seal that you can often remove from cartridge bearings. If you have a spare cartridge bearing, you could switch seals when regreasing.

I know someone is going to say, "just pop off the seal and smear some more grease on", but that does not flush old grease/crap out. And it would be much easier than taking bearings off to soak, then regrease. I'm thinking external BBs in particular.

 

[fettler]

diy grease guard on cartridge bearings

When grease guard was introduced it was on cup and cone bearings so maintenance and replacement was a bit more involved, nowadays cartridge bearings are cheap and I don't consider it worth the faff. Just knock them out and put a new one in for a couple of quid.

 

[Tootyred]

Major degrease....petrol and baking tray (outside obvs).

Rust killer....white vinegar and baking powder....often with a dash of citric acid is chrome needs a good clean too......yummmmy.

 

[provdes]

I collect and wash plastic takeaway curry tubs for general work trays and degreasing duties. After being very disappointed with some cycling specific citrus degreaser I've been using methylated spirits to remove the greasy grime, then a final rub over with GT-85.

Old toothbrushes and non-scratch dish washing scrubbing pads, plus some plastic mobile phone repair pry tools for scraping gunk out of hard to reach places. Have some small hard bristle brushes for cleaning bb threads with.

 

[Gtpulse]

I use G101 or equivalent multi purpose cleaner. It works for most stuff just by changing the concentration. I buy in 5 litres and dilute in a spray bottle, using warm water seems to help.

I’ve used it on everything from post ride clean of bike at about 20% concentration to degreasing cogs etc using it neat. It’s also good for car cleaning inside and out again if you vary the concentration. Lemon smelling and water soluble.

 

[Lucidone]

I collect and wash plastic takeaway curry tubs for general work trays and degreasing duties. After being very disappointed with some cycling specific citrus degreaser I've been using methylated spirits to remove the greasy grime, then a final rub over with GT-85.

Old toothbrushes and non-scratch dish washing scrubbing pads, plus some plastic mobile phone repair pry tools for scraping gunk out of hard to reach places. Have some small hard bristle brushes for cleaning bb threads with.

Great use of the small pry tools - will definitely go for this!