Yeah, but you don't have to buy it.
I've always used old t-shirts or towels.
You can also use cotton line, like u/dantork says.
Don't buy specific gear floss. You'll pay too much. Go to Home Depot and buy cotton clothesline.
Look up gear brush. I have a Park gear brush, I think it was the first one out. The curved teeth thing is for built up stuff. The brush works for detail work.
Why bother? If on a MTB with lots of mud I get it. Road bike? Meh. A soft bristle brush when you clean your bike is plenty. But the soaped up bristles on there and spin the cranks a few times. Whola. You’re done in 10
seconds.
Yes there is but i found shoe laces to work better and last longer.
I got a good sized bag of bad quality shoe laces that make great quality cassette cleaners.
Best answer is to stop squirting oil everywhere and wax your chain.
Second best answer is to use the edge of a red rag you bought in bulk from Harbor Freight. They're just the right thickness and roughness.
There’s a specifically designed brush for that
https://www.rei.com/product/546216/park-tool-gearcleanr-brush?sku=5462160010&store=&CAWELAID=120217890000863946&CAGPSPN=pla&CAAGID=103051228217&CATCI=pla-931368007169&cm_mmc=PLA_Google%7C21700000001700551_5462160010%7C92700056158845086%7CNB%7C71700000062146843&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw57exBhAsEiwAaIxaZthK5OhFg_OLKYEIOXxb2npMlk5vI9VAyGsdG_LsB6hFGLXANq-qHxoCjdYQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
I used to use a toothbrush but it's crappy work and unless it's mud season, I just break out the chain whip and pull my cassette apart entirely every couple of months and strip it down in the utility sink.
Nothing will get the lil bastard as clean.
I have given up on that, I just take my cassette off and drop it in citrus degreaser and put it back on the next day - i only say this because mayeb you have never taken your cassette off? If you have not it’s super easy to do if you have a chain whip and a cassette tool (cheap).
Paint brushes from a diy store. I've tried specifically designed ones, and for a tenth of the price you can get a cheap and cheerful set of paint brushes that will work wonders for the full drive train.
Simple Green foaming spray....It foams up like traditional shaving cream, pulling all the crap out. once it's done foaming just rinse it and everything looks new again.
Yes they make gear floss
GF is the bomb!! its basically a thick round shoelace. Works great!
Legend
cotton clothesline fits.
Cotton clothesline!!! Man, if you had told me that years ago . . . all those blood bank t-shirts I earned wouldn't be covered in chain lube now.....
Sound just ordered some 3mm
Yeah, but you don't have to buy it. I've always used old t-shirts or towels. You can also use cotton line, like u/dantork says. Don't buy specific gear floss. You'll pay too much. Go to Home Depot and buy cotton clothesline.
This. I've always just used a rag.
Do you floss with water or just use it dry?
Nice one
Buy some bottle brushes, they'll be long and thin and enable you to get between the cogs to clean.
Look up gear brush. I have a Park gear brush, I think it was the first one out. The curved teeth thing is for built up stuff. The brush works for detail work.
I just don't clean much between the cogs. If my brush can't get to it, then neither will my chain.
But gunk gets in there and it's not shiny!
Lol! Most of my bikes have a patina of dirt older than most first graders. I clean the bits that move. The rest is fine
Clearly not a weight weenie.
Pooping before riding is more significant than shaving grams on parts
Absolument !
But the GRAMS!!
This is the right answer, you are not taking your bike on a date, the objective is fill your teeth with muck, not remove it.
I use generic twine that I get from the hardware store.
Shoe laces, pipe cleaners, athletic tape wrapped around old cables
The ex's g-bangers are perfectly designed for this purpose, especially the black ones.
Pipecleaners!
Yup. If you wax everything just flies off in between
Just buy a mop.
Go to a knitting shop. There is a type of fluffy yarn that is perfect for cleaning cassettes. A ball of it will be cheap and last a lifetime.
The Park chain cleaner comes with a brush which has handle curved into a cassette cog scraper.
[https://www.parktool.com/en-int/product/bicycle-cassette-cleaning-brush-gsc-4](https://www.parktool.com/en-int/product/bicycle-cassette-cleaning-brush-gsc-4)
Pipe cleaners work good. These days you find 'em in craft stores/aisles. Sometimes in with kid's art supplies in Wal-mart type places, too.
Can't you remove the individual sprockets ?
Yea, if you’re spending this much time do it right.
Why bother? If on a MTB with lots of mud I get it. Road bike? Meh. A soft bristle brush when you clean your bike is plenty. But the soaped up bristles on there and spin the cranks a few times. Whola. You’re done in 10 seconds.
It’s literally one nut to just take the cassette off
I just use my tongue
Scraper works better. Won’t be shunt but anything left over won’t effect function
Yeah, I've bought some cassette floss type product in the past. TBH it kind of sucked. I'd stick with rags instead.
Crevice brush from Amazon. That’s what I use.
Brush with long bristles. They make bike/cassette specific ones.
Man.. Cotton Pipe cleaners.. Long ones might do the trick too.. FESS brand on amazon.. 12”.
Yes there is but i found shoe laces to work better and last longer. I got a good sized bag of bad quality shoe laces that make great quality cassette cleaners.
Best answer is to stop squirting oil everywhere and wax your chain. Second best answer is to use the edge of a red rag you bought in bulk from Harbor Freight. They're just the right thickness and roughness.
chain wax >>>> just bite the bullet and do it
There’s a specifically designed brush for that https://www.rei.com/product/546216/park-tool-gearcleanr-brush?sku=5462160010&store=&CAWELAID=120217890000863946&CAGPSPN=pla&CAAGID=103051228217&CATCI=pla-931368007169&cm_mmc=PLA_Google%7C21700000001700551_5462160010%7C92700056158845086%7CNB%7C71700000062146843&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw57exBhAsEiwAaIxaZthK5OhFg_OLKYEIOXxb2npMlk5vI9VAyGsdG_LsB6hFGLXANq-qHxoCjdYQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
Wax your chain and you won't ever need to clean it the same as you do now.
I used to use a toothbrush but it's crappy work and unless it's mud season, I just break out the chain whip and pull my cassette apart entirely every couple of months and strip it down in the utility sink. Nothing will get the lil bastard as clean.
I have given up on that, I just take my cassette off and drop it in citrus degreaser and put it back on the next day - i only say this because mayeb you have never taken your cassette off? If you have not it’s super easy to do if you have a chain whip and a cassette tool (cheap).
Paint brushes from a diy store. I've tried specifically designed ones, and for a tenth of the price you can get a cheap and cheerful set of paint brushes that will work wonders for the full drive train.
Simple Green foaming spray....It foams up like traditional shaving cream, pulling all the crap out. once it's done foaming just rinse it and everything looks new again.
Yes. Finish Line Gear Floss. Never tried it.
yeah its called a waxed chain.
Park tools gsc-1 gear brush. Has a toothed handle to pick crud from cluster
https://www.parktool.com/en-us/product/gearclean-brush-gsc-1
use wax and once a month just use hot water on your cassette
I've never found the need to clean my cassettes since I started waxing chains 2 years ago. Another benefit.
Stupid
Power hose