looking for something to clean up rims, cassettes general degreasing

seem to remember people buying some kind of alcohol from e-bay in big bottles

IPA

Isopropyl Alcohol, not India Pale Ale

Stella.

I believe this is what you’re looking for

propan-2-ol

I wouldn’t say it’s a great degreaser – good for wipe-downs but isn’t really a solvent for grease (esp if you really mean grease).

Depends what you’re tyring to achieve. Rubbing road kack off rims, probably good; rinsing a cassette and magically removing all grease (again, depending what you use,I guess), little chance

Yeah, what scaredypants says. It’s good for rims and disc brakes as it pretty much all evaporates but less good as an actual degreaser.

As above. for ‘degreasing’ your drive train I’d suggest meths or white spirit would be better.

Personally I use white spirit, and re-cycle it through a coffee filter.

Paraffin as a degreaser, if yer really pernickety, IPA to remove any paraffin residue.

Not sure what IPA does to rubber though – I seem to recall it ate my tyre sidewall….

Bacardi 151 rum. 75.5% enjoy.

use wd40 as a degreaser

Personally wouldn’t use it to clean drive train, I use below 5 l for a tenner and dilute it up to 50:1, I’ve had it about 2 year and there is still 1/4 left
http://www.screwfix.com/p/swarfega-oil-grease-remover-5ltr/20817?kpid=20817&cm_mmc=Google-_-Product%2520Listing%2520Ads-_-Sales%2520Tracking-_-sales%2520tracking%2520url&gclid=CNy8u-nKstMCFZIaGwodw6sAjA&gclsrc=aw.ds&dclid=CNm_2-nKstMCFdUB0wod9qMJig

I think you are covered above. FWIW I would use white spirit for degreasing. Non polar solvents are better – there is minimal contaminants in DIY white spirit so I wouldn’t bother with any further cleaning. IPA is good for rims but use sparingly on a cloth as it will damage tyres if used excessively.

If everything is in situ then the bike shop degreasers do work really well, apply with a cheap paint brush. Alternatively for rim brakes try an enamel rubber on the rim to remove contamination. Don’t forget the blocks, remove hardlumps of grit and metal, give a good scrub with a scourer.

BlobOnAStick – Member

Not sure what IPA does to rubber though – I seem to recall it ate my tyre sidewall….

Should be fine on tyres, not an aggressive solvent. Quite often used by track riders to clean dirty/new tubs to prevent slipping down the track.

Has no effect on rubber IME – used it extensively for clean and inspect on aircraft engine parts, including rubber bellows.