Best ways of removing caked on grease/oil from cassette??

After the pretty rubbish weather so far this year I’ve sort of left my chain and cassette to get pretty covered in oil/lube. To the point now where it’s not easily coming off with a spray of degreaser. Are there any ways where I can just leave it in a vat of degreaser or something and over time it will get rid of it?

I was thinking of getting something like Jizer or an equivalent. Having tried already I’m not being very successful apart from getting lots of other things also covered in grease. An effective way of sticking it in a tub of something would be perfect. Admittedly I should have kept on top of things and I wouldn’t have got to this point!

I’d appreciate any recommendations. Cheers

Do you have a dishwasher? 😉

ultrasonic cleaner

Paraffin.

And then afterward, use a lube that doesn’t end up thick and caked.

A bucket of hot water, a good squirt of washing-up liguid and a brush. Scrub, rinse, repeat as necessary.

I use a detail brush and a little fairy liquid.

Soak overnight in a tub of degreaser and then a stiff, long-bristled brush to get in the gaps. Never failed for me for any grim components.

As already said remove cassette, lots of washing up liquid and hot water and a good scrubbing brush will get it nice and clean, do the same to the chain whilst your at it

I’ve left cassettes in petrol overnight before and then scrubbed with an old toothbrush and rinsed as required, normally does the trick

I use a scrubbing brush and degreaser solution.

Is this on a road bike? I find I can get away with the gunkier oils on MTB in winter as the drivetrain gets such a soaking anyway, but I try to use a better quality lube on my road bikes to prevent the dreaded black gunk.

old hacksaw blade (or an nhs fork) to get worst off then wire brush

Cheers for the help. It’s my winter mtn bike that the cassette is on. I’ve been giving it a sort of spring overhaul and didn’t realise just how bad it had got. New chain is being fitted as the old one has been on a while although isn’t showing too much wear on the measuring tool, but that could be because it’s also caked in gunk.

Apologies if I’m teaching you to suck eggs here, but it’s worth wiping the chain off with a rag after each ride if you don’t already.To keep the gunk under control.

Something like http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/muc-off-claw-brush/rp-prod40764 and sprayed on Muc Off degreaser works for me, five mins of agitation, rinse off and dry.

Road bike done last weekend, Wazoo to be tackled in very near future.

Those recommending a petrol/paraffin solution – how do you dispose of the contaminated fuel?

Most of the degreaser stuff I use works a treat and can be flushed down a drain as it’s pretty much just citric acid based.

(Genuine q, not trying to start a row)

Those recommending a petrol/paraffin solution – how do you dispose of the contaminated fuel?

Rozone parts washer.

not this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O01qH3zeMQQ

Scrape what you can off then spray with WD-40 agitate with a brush then your preferred de greaser. I use mucoff 😀

Citrus degreaser is dope. Get some of that from a cleaning supplies place. Warm water and that plus scrubbing a bit.

Heated parts washer is the best.

At home if normal degreaser wont touch it I would use a “proper” solvent based degreaser (if it smells toxic it tends to work well). Diesel and petrol are useful solvents, though use with care.

Elbow grease and old tooth brush.

Always working fine for me.

Cheers!

I.

Take cassette off.
Drop into sink.
Spray with a load of Hope Shit Shifter. Do NOT use Muc-Off, it’s nowhere near strong enough.
Run the hot tap and give the cassette a good scrubbing with an old toothbrush. Give it lots of extra degreaser on the brush and the cassette while you’re doing all this. Dry, give it a spray with WD40 or similar. Remount on wheel.

If the chain is that caked in crap it’s worth just binning it.

You’ll have to clean the chainrings and jockey wheels as well, they will also be covered in it and if you put a new chain on it’ll just pick up all the old crap off the jockey wheels and spread it around te place again.

And don’t use wet lube, it’s a nightmare for turning everything into a greasy black gunk.

Varnish carpet moose….. Leave for 5 minutes then hose clean…….

100% works every time. Just take the wheel off the bike 1st. It litteraly lifts the dirt off, no scrubbing required.

Go for a proper muddy ride, so the whole drivetrain is caked with mud. Leave overnight. Clean the bike. Voilà!

Just gave the Scrfewfix degreaser a whirl by just spraying it on. Didn’t do much. I was hoping to not have to scrub at it, but perhaps a bit of “agitating” will get it to work

Second for an initial spray with WD-40 to loosen the gunk – then the degreaser works better. I just use a cheap one from my local garage – 5L for £10, then slap it on with a paintbrush liberally. Definitely need to give it some elbow grease as well!

Degreaser and hot water is good, boiling water is even better. Observing health and safety obviously…

Gunk degreaser – big can £10 from Halfords, lasts for ages (not the aerosol).

I always have a couple of cans of carb cleaner around, it’ll clean anything. Possibly causes birth defects apparently but I don’t understand the problem there as I’ve already been born.

TBH though giving it a good scrape is more important, the really claggy sticky stuff that forms over the long run is apex muck, it’s survived endless washes and soaking wet rides and come through stronger.

“Those recommending a petrol/paraffin solution – how do you dispose of the contaminated fuel?”

With paraffin, you don’t need to dispose of it- you can let the muck settle then pour off clean fluid and reuse. The actual wastage is really low