I got caught in the rain and as a result I needed to detail my bike. During that process I got around to the cassette part of the job, I clean it with a rag jammed in between each cog, spinning the cluster and cleaning each gog one at a time. If there is a better way, please share.

That's the way I do it on a regular basis. If it happens to get really crudy after a ride, I'll take something like Simple Green, spray some on the cassette, let soak for a few minutes and then rinse well with gentle water flow while leaning the bike over so as to keep the water from running into the hub bearing area as much as possible. I'll follow that up with the flossing with a rag between each cog. After dealing with the chain, let everything dry, apply fresh lube and your good as new.

I did the "spray with simple green" method 5-6 times on a MTB. I dissolve the entire content of the grease inside the hub ruining it within 2 months. My shop owner taught me how to use a chain whip and cassette tool and I've not done it any other way since. It doesn't take long and you can do a thorough job when it's off the bike and accessible.

I use citrus degreaser from Home Depot since it's cheap and non corrosive. I put the cassette (and chain) in a baby wipe box with 50% citrus / water and shake, then scrub with a brush and finally rinse with water. Simple green is supposedly corrosive to Aluminum alloys, but short term use has been highly debated here. I'd rather skip the issue.

Some of my aluminum parts have been discolored when I used Simple Green. Looking back, I may have not diluted the SG enough, and let it sit on the parts far too long before rinsing.

I've been using this stuff when cleaning my drivetrain without any adverse affects.
http://www.gunk.com/product_images/SM_CEB1.JPG

WD-40 sprayed on the cogs followed with a folded over rag with one edge held taut - saw back and forth between each cog sort of like flossing.

please note this method is a little toxic and has to be done outdoors, but works super great. I remove the cassette and spray it 3M Brake Clean, (automotive disc brake cleaner) it comes in a highly pressurized can, smells awful and cleans the cassette to the point of looking new in a matter of seconds. However you have to do it outside, otherwise you will have a headache in a few minutes and the house will smell like an auto garage. Anyway, it's a great way to degrease, just stay away from bearings and nice finishes, I only use for chainrings and cassettes. The stuff is like $3 a can. But i have found nothing that cleans faster or removes grease better. Just not all that safe or nice to the environment.

I use Simple Green. Spray it on, let it soak for a few min., then use a Park brush. Lastly...wipe it off.

I've used 3M Brake Cleaner and other brands, doesn't matter. Absolutely the best and fastest cleaner, Brake Cleaner and spray carb cleaner both work about the same. The difference, brake cleaner has no petroleum residues therefore doesn't leave any petroleum residue. Carb cleaner is a petroleum product. For cleaning purposes and then relubing, I don't know if it matters.

Gunk Citrus Engine Degreaser - the citrus component is marketing, it's just a synthetic based fragrance added to the liquid to give it a nice smell. I have a local Advanced Auto supply store and use their house brand as they give me more product for less money. Big Lots has engine degreaser for $1.00 per can, also a good buy. This is what I use, engine degreaser, spray on the chainring, cassette, derailleur, and chain, let sit, then hose off with a jet stream setting. I then use my air compressor and immediately spray off the water and re-lube. I use DuraLube spray to re-lube the derailleur and pivot points. It's the best that I've found so far as it thin to get into tight spots and also leaves a residue. WD 40 and other similar products lube only very temporarily. Some such as Valvoline SynTech spray is to sticky and would leave too much of that type of residue and would attract dirt.

I also periodically use a chain cleaning machine using paint thinner in it but prior to doing this I spray it with engine degreaser. My bike and chain are new so I don't have a removable link in it. I've measured my chain, at 4,000 miles, it shows very little stretch.

They also make a cassette cleaning brush, it's long and thin to get inside the cogs. I have one and it works pretty good but since I clean my cassette regularly, there's almost no need for it. It's best to be used for gunky cassettes.

I've never seen the need for removing the cassette to clean it.

Another vote for the removal

Go to your LBS and ask them to show you how to remove and install the cassette. Then purchase the tools from them.

The tools are not expensive and you will need them eventually to change out a cassette. A chain whip and a cassette removal tool is all you will need.

Then when at home remove the cassette one piece at a time and clean it with mineral spirits, lay them out on a dry rag in the order they come off as you go and then put it together in the reverse order after applying a small amount of grease on the hub.

Before you know it you will be an old pro at it and then ready to take on more cleaning or repair tasks. A clean drive chain will extend the components life; make for smooth shifting, and a more enjoyable ride. I wipe down and lube my drive train weekly and try to tear it down monthly for a good cleaning and I have never regretted it.

If you are not comfortable with asking your LBS then check out the Park Tools (http://www.parktool.com) website they have a repair help section that has step by step instructions and make recommendations on the tools required so you can purchase them online if not available at your LBS. This is a link to the park tool cassette removal instructions: Cassette Removal (http://www.parktool.com/repair/readhowto.asp?id=48)

Most importantly have some fun learning about the mechanics and maintenance of your ride and it will give you many hour of pleasure back for pampering it a little.

As for the LBS mechanics and owners out there I’m not trying to take business away from you. I would rather spend my hard earned cash on accessories, clothes, new gear, more bikes etc. Teaching someone how to maintain their bike will create a life long customer as it has for me, my son, by brother, and many friends. I buy everything I can afford from my LBS and I do have them perform maintenance that takes special tools and skills like facing the BB, aligning the DR hanger, etc and I appreciate and respect there abilities, advise and guidance.

Have a happy holiday

I used to do the removal deal all the time, but I commute and this became a royal PITA since I'm on the road 3 days during the week and then a group ride on the weekend. Now I will typically do the WD-40 on a rag and floss routine and when it really needs a cleaning, I do the Simple Greeen or citrus cleaner routine. About 4 times a year, I'll take the cassette off and do the tear down and scrub. One way or another, my drivetrain is always clean, lubed and running smooth.

It's not like I'm the maintenance king--my motto is, "if it works, it's good enough"--but I've never had to clean anything off a cassette that wouldn't come off by flossing with a dry rag, or perhaps with a LIGHT misting of something like WD-40. I'm reluctant to soak any lubricated parts in any kind of solvent because I don't want to wash out the grease, but the stuff that gets on a cassette usually just wipes off. Might be a factor that I lube my chain with Pro-Link, which is pretty clean.

Cleans the crap out of grease. Take the chain off put some in a small tupperware container, put the chain in, shake, rinse thoroughly. Take the casette off, do the same. take a rag, clean the hub. YOu can use it straight or cut it 1/2 with water. Either way, it's way cheaper and works better than SG or citris degreaser.

I've used it for a few years now without noticing any additional corrosive effects.

BT

I agree with Cory. I also use Pro-Link which has self cleaning properties.
If you take off the cassette prior to cleaning that should eliminate the possibility
of flushing the lube from freewheel. I find I can clean cassette well enough without removing it. Takes about 5-10mins.

I view cassette cleaning as part of general bike cleaning. So this response is a bit of a hijack. My apologies, on the front end.

I too am a big fan of mineral spirits (paint thinner) for drive train cleaning. I lube my chain with “home brew” so every time I lube my chain amounts to a “mini-cleaning” of the drive train. About every once a month I do a deep cleaning of the whole bike as follows.

1. Clean Chain: I “triple wash” mine in a mason jar as follows. Admittedly some may consider my technique overkill, but it works.

Remove chain from bike, place in jar.
Cover with mineral spirits, an inch or two will do, put lid on the jar.
Agitate for a minute or so.
Remove the chain from the jar and drain off the mineral spirits.
Rinse jar with a splash more mineral spirits if needed to remove debris from the jar.
Put chain back in jar and repeat the above steps twice for a triple wash.
Wipe off the chain and hang it in the sun to dry completely.

The third wash mineral spirits remain very clean. This confirms that the chain is squeaky clean. While this process sounds complicated, it is really quite simple and quick. Remove chain from the bike and soak in a jar covered with mineral spirits

2. Scrub Chainrings and Cassette: I use a tooth brush and the mineral spirits from the last rinse of the chain to scrub the chain rings and cassette. This removes any build-up of greasy dirt quickly.

3. Wash the Bike: I use diluted Simple Green or Dawn dishwashing liquid to wash the bike with a rag or sponge. I am careful to avoid getting detergent into the bearings. I rinse the bike with a quick gentle spray from a garden hose. I am careful to avoid getting detergent or the rinse spray into the bearings.

4. Dry bike completely: I use soft terry cloth for this. At this point I usually “floss” the cassette.

5. Lube all Pivot Points: Everything that pivots gets Tri Flow. I include the jockey wheels in this. I am careful to wipe off the excess.

6. Polish Bike with Lemon Pledge: Spray on terry cloth and polish bike.

7. Reinstall Chain and Lube: I lube the chain on the bike using a “home brew” mix of 4 parts mineral spirits to 1 part 90w gear oil. I wipe as much back off the chain as I can and wipe down the chainrings and cassette again.

While this process sounds involved, it takes less than an hour once you have the routine down.

Side note:
I recycle my mineral spirits by draining the used spirits into a second jug. Yes, mineral spirits are cheap but they are still a solvent that needs to be properly disposed of. Reusing them cuts down on the volume of hazardous waste. Just let them settle and they get remarkably clear and the debris settles to the bottom. Just be careful not to stir them up too much when pouring from the recycled jug. I usually use “grey spirits” for the first two washes, but always clean “virgin spirits” for the final wash.

when commuting in wet weather, this is what I do:
- nightly wipe down with a rag(s) and add a little bit of lube to chain.
- weekly, disassemble and clean cassette unassembled. (along with a full clean, lube, polish of entire bike).
I use the mineral spirits in a jar method too for the weekly cleanings of the chain.

I agree with Cory. I also use Pro-Link which has self cleaning properties.
If you take off the cassette prior to cleaning that should eliminate the possibility
of flushing the lube from freewheel. I find I can clean cassette well enough without removing it. Takes about 5-10mins.
And one must be more careful in doing that cleaning, [but with a bike-specific brush] when it be be a C-F wheel. I spread a torn-up grocery bag(s) around the cassette, so to catch the excessive degreaser from flowing between the Hub/Cassete. And contacting the c-f rim/hoop; spokes.

I got caught in the rain and as a result I needed to detail my bike. During that process I got around to the cassette part of the job, I clean it with a rag jammed in between each cog, spinning the cluster and cleaning each gog one at a time. If there is a better way, please share.
Easy, fast fix.
Simple Green. I generally soak it in for about 10 minutes.
Then, come back with a hose. Spray it directly at the cassette, slightly away from the hub (your hub will stay mostly dry, it won't get screwed up by this.). When you spray it put your thumb over the hose to make it spray stronger (everyone's done this as kids, I'm sure you have too.). The force will be enough that unless your wheel's really "tight" (often the case with newer wheels, until they have around a thousand miles), the freewheel will engage. When the freewheel engages, your cassette will start spinning. This will spin the gunk out, as well as spray all of the cassette down with water. I find this gets my cassettes super clean, and all of my hubs are working just fine after 3 years of this.
-estone2

Assuming we're talking road riding, use the following technique for successful ProLink or homebrew lube (1 part motor oil to 3-4 parts odorless mineral spirits) application and use:

1 - wipe the chain, cogs, pulleys, and chainrings clean with a rag.
2 - drip on lube while pedaling (forward is better) so that the chain just starts to drip lube. Aim the lube between the side plates and between the bushings and the side plates.
3 - run through all the gears several times, front and back.
4 - wipe the chain, cogs, pulleys, and chainrings clean with a rag.
5 - repeat steps 2-4 if the chain was really dirty

If you do this every 300 miles or so (or when you get caught in the rain), you will not get any significant gunky buildup, and you won't have to clean the chain or the cassette.

No lube is "perfect." A brite shiny chain that is clean to the touch but is well lubed and gives long mileage is still not possible. IMO, ProLink is the best compromise.