I’m finally in the market for a new bike. It’s been a long time since I got my last one (I’m pretty sure 10-speed cassettes were just being thought about at that time) and a lot has changed.
I’ve always been pretty OCD about keeping my bikes clean and I plan on waxing chains on the new one, but what has me confused is ultrasonic cleaning. Just by reading the forums, it seems that the chain usually needs a quick wipe down after most rides without a problem, but should I clean the chain, cassette, and chainrings too?
I don’t wax but I use my ultrasonic cleaner for my regular chain cleaning. If you use quick links it take as quick as any other method and less messy. You can reuse the fluid for several cleanings so its just drop the chain in, hit start and run it for a couple minutes. I use a little disposable aluminum pan to carry the chain to the sink for rinsing. Start to finishing up the clean chain relube on the bike is around 10 minutes or so. once you invest in the ultrasonic cleaner, waxing to me does not seem worth the effort.
The cleaner is great for cassettes too but I only do that a couple times a year out of laziness. It would be great for chain rings too but you need a pretty big one (e.g. expensive) for them to fit.
You don’t need to ultrasonically clean the cassetee/chainring. Soapy water and a brush will get it cleaned just fine. If you want to do it, that’s fine, but I’d say it’s more trouble than it’s worth with all the bolts and things. The chain only needs to be run through the u-s bath when it’s new and before rewaxing a gritty/sandy chain.
