Ultrasonic cleaners – any good for bike bits? Specifically transmission parts like chains and cassettes. I’d like to stop using degreasers as much as possible and these seem like they might be a good thing.

Any experiences?

Thanks

I’d like to stop using degreasers as much as possible

Why?

My mate has got one in his bike shop. More for cleaning vintage parts for display purposes I think. Don’t think if uses it when servicing bikes.

Industrial tanks that cost a fortune are pretty good (and five years on,i’m still pi**ed that somebody chucked our no longer used one in the skip without asking if anybody wanted it), cheap little ones from supermarkets, less so. You’d still need to use some sort of degreaser though, maybe invest in a degreasing tank from Machine Mart or similar, which will allow you to re-use it over and over.

Dishwasher does a cracking job, just wait till the missus goes out and load it up on a hot wash

Just make sure you remember to get them out before she returns

Dishwasher? No thanks, for some reason I don’t want to wash steel bike parts with hot salty water…

So has anyone used a small ultrasonic cleaner for bike bits?

Thanks

Dishwasher? No thanks, for some reason I don’t want to wash steel bike parts with hot salty water…

I used to work in an engine factory and that’s exactly what they did pre assembly, not quite a dishwasher but the same chemicals
Maybe you know something they don’t? 😉

Or would this be better?

http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/product/details/cw2d-bench-mounted-parts-washer#reviews

That’s just a clean way of degreasing things… You still need a degreaser.

I’ve got one of the little ones that Aldi were selling a while ago. Great for getting grit etc out of chains, but you still need a degreaser for the proper tough muck, especially if it’s oil based.

Then again, if you use the right lube (like Rock’n’Roll Gold in my case), drivetrain bits don’t get greasy. My chainrings and cassette just get a dry brushing to get the mud/dust off. The chain just gets luned (and it cleans at the same time) an occasionally gets popped in the cleaner with come water to get the grit out of the rollers/plates.

If your after cleaner advice, have a look at these two: –

http://www.safetykleen.co.uk/plantilla1.php?id=4&len=uk

Aqueous Parts Washers

I used to work for the first one selling/servicing industrial parts washers. They were mostly solvent based but were starting to move into water based.

2nd one is run by a lad i used to work with who went off on his own.

Both systems are to big for home use. Think you’d be better off with the Machinemart/Sealey tank with a degreaser in it, be that solvent or waterbased.

The sub £100 ultrasonic cleaners from Maplin are generally cr@p.
I purchased one to clean my watches and bike parts but they still required much scrubbing to remove grime.

If I still need to clean by hand then why bother with the tank?

I found my old electric toothbrush and washing up liquid the best option.

Look for a second hand laboratory one. But as above you will still need a degreaser. Probably also very good for getting lube back into a chain – especially the heated versions you get for labs.

We used to use a small one in when I worked in the print for cleaning printing ink out of various mechanical parts.

You will still need to use a degreaser of some sort (we used to use a mixture of white spirit and various evil industrial solvents (MEK was a favorite)
If you just use water or water/washing up liquid it’ll take forever and won’t do a very good job…

When I do a service on my old M4s (2 part calipers) I run them through the dishwasher. Sparkly and clean every time 🙂

when I was a lab monkey I used ours to clean bike bits. Chains etc come out new but its a bath, you still need a solvent to fill it with to clean the component. I used acetone or ethanol which we had in the lab for that very purpose.

If you don’t like solvents/degreasers just get a biodegradeable one?

The Aldi small ones are great for jewlery, but poor for bike bits.
I think on and ons idea of leccy toothbrush and washing up liquid is best.
Personally I have stopped using degreaser on my bike. If I want to disolve grease I attack it with WD40 and vast quantities of kitchen roll. This waters down the grease to make it removable, but then evaporates if left. With degreasers I always have a concern that if you don’t get rid of every last bit of it then you have something remaining that is very unhelpful to the new lube/grease.

I have stopped using degreaser on my bike

If I want to disolve grease I attack it with WD40

😆

Crashtest, I assume you think these statement contradict each other?
Let me explain why they don’t. Degreasers are normally surfactants that attack and encapsulate the grease in bipolar molecules. WD40 on the otherhand is chemically just a very thin oil that dilutes the grease making it thinner.

I fail to see how dousing your chain in WD40 is preferable to using a ‘proper’ degreaser 😕

I personally just use washing up liquid and a Grunge Brush, brings things up all shiny.

For a quick clean. Douse chain in WD40 to loosen everthing up. Use lots of kitchen roll to wipe the chain clean and remove all the gunk and WD40. The WD40 gets into the links and drives out most of the grit.
I then apply a proper lube and leave. The WD40 evporates before the next ride.

WD is a solvent, therefore it acts as a degreaser. I understood what you were getting at, but Ive seen as many components compromised by liberal use of WD40 as I have “degreaser” products. Making grease thinner will remove it from a BB or hub as well as any other chemical process.

I actually think it makes an ideal chain cleaner, many people use it as a lube too which I think is pushing its oil content a bit far. WD doesnt fully evaporate it leaves a thin residue, which would dilute any grease or oil you add if not cleaned/dried properly.

Yeah, should have been clearer! I never spray wd40 anywhere near bearings. But for chains, chainrings and jockey wheels its an ideal cleaner and I would rather put a solvent on like WD40 that evaporates to a residue than a degreaser.