looking for something under $100 preferable under $70. a cleaner that can fit a cassette as I’m mainly looking to clean my chains and cassettes.
get some an old coffee tin or clean paint bucket, an old sander, and some jewelry cleaner. Not my image but there you go:
I have this one from amazon. It works pretty well, I do have to change the water and degreaser a few times to get the parts completely clean though. It can fit an 11-28 cassette and chain no problem.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01EM5BYGC/ref=oh_aui_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
That is awesome. I’m tempted to throw my Harbor Freight Ultrasonic in the trash and make this.
looking for something under $100 preferable under $70. a cleaner that can fit a cassette as I’m mainly looking to clean my chains and cassettes.
I really like the one I have. It was $79 when I bought, now $99. I can do a couple of chains at once. Think I have packed about 3 of them in at once and 1 cassette at a time. Careful of the jewelry cleaners, they are way smaller than they look so keep in mind the capacity and you need it deep enough for the cassette. I have the 1.5 liter fwiw. Not really a traditional inexpensive one but it has made back its money quick. Even used it to clean some paint brushes last weekend.
I really like the one I have. It was $79 when I bought, now $99. I can do a couple of chains at once. Think I have packed about 3 of them in at once and 1 cassette at a time. Careful of the jewelry cleaners, they are way smaller than they look so keep in mind the capacity and you need it deep enough for the cassette. I have the 1.5 liter fwiw. Not really a traditional inexpensive one but it has made back its money quick. Even used it to clean some paint brushes last weekend.
I have this exact same one as well. I think 11-34 is about the biggest cassette I have been able to get in there (without the basket). It’s been runs dozens and dozens of times over the last year. I got zapped a few times turning the unit off at the back with wet fingers, so I recommend not doing that. Most sensible people probably know better.
I’ve been using this for several years now, I think I paid less than $50 for it.
Oh? I’ve been meaning to go grab the HF one. With the 20% off it’s cheap and I thought regarded as decent enough (on par with HF?)
yeah I bought the tiny one a long time ago from HF, last year bought the big one. I’ve been happy with it for the money, no complaints.
I’ve been using this one and have been happy.
Industrial Grade 160 Watts 2.5 Liters Digital Heated Ultrasonic Cleaner https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01NCJ0N6O/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_XERHCbNFTXD8P
That’s nice and large for that price
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Or, you can consider what I did after I bought an ultrasonic cleaner to clean my regular-lube drivetrain -
Go with a WAXED chain, and never ever need to clean your drivetrain, ever again! It’s really amazing after you’ve been used to all those grease stains and chain tattoos - never again!
(Note that you will have to put up with more regular chain waxing compared to lube, and it’s prob not the best approach if you ride in rain or wet conditions regularly.)
My US cleaner is literally collecting dust now, glad I didn’t pay too much for it!
Or, you can consider what I did after I bought an ultrasonic cleaner to clean my regular-lube drivetrain -
Go with a WAXED chain, and never ever need to clean your drivetrain, ever again! It’s really amazing after you’ve been used to all those grease stains and chain tattoos - never again!
(Note that you will have to put up with more regular chain waxing compared to lube, and it’s prob not the best approach if you ride in rain or wet conditions regularly.)
My US cleaner is literally collecting dust now, glad I didn’t pay too much for it!
This.
I cannot fathom why anybody uses conventional lubes, such a time waster.
it’s prob not the best approach if you ride in rain or wet conditions regularly
Well imagine riding in Alabama, where we get an average of 56" of rain per year.
I actually think it is better for wet rides.
All chains need attention after a wet ride.
Pop it in the fryer while you rinse/wipe the bike down, refit.
You could wax your chain after every ride and it would still be nowhere near the time taken to clean your dirty drive train just once in it’s life.
Not to mention how less dirty the rest of your bike gets when there is not a oily thing weeping all over it.
I made the switch too and haven’t looked back!!
But I still use the cleaner from time to time for my wife’s jewelry or gun cleaning.
But for those who aren’t using wax lube, it’s a solid choice. Worked great for me before I started waxing.
I cannot fathom why anybody uses conventional lubes, such a time waster.
Really? I wipe my chain down 2x with rubbing alcohol drenched on a rag to clean it which takes maybe a minute, then I let that dry for a minute or so before applying a single coat of Squirt wax. I leave that on for about 5 minutes and wipe off the excess.
So my total wrenching time is what 90 seconds?
I cannot fathom why anybody uses conventional lubes, such a time waster.
Really? I wipe my chain down 2x with rubbing alcohol drenched on a rag to clean it which takes maybe a minute, then I let that dry for a minute or so before applying a single coat of Squirt wax. I leave that on for about 5 minutes and wipe off the excess.
So my total wrenching time is what 90 seconds?
I think he’s comparing to if you cleaned a lubed chain to similar/equal extent to that of a waxed chain, in which case would involve removing the chain completely (the chain cleaning machine utterly fails in this regard compared to the cleanliness of a waxed chain), sequentially degreasing it (which will take 2-3 steps of degreasing to get it truly free of black dirt), then relubing it. And then you still have to factor in degreasing disposal time at some point.
Sure, you can argue that your 90sec of cleaning is plenty good for riding no problems, and then someone else (like me) would come along and said we didn’t even lube or clean our chain for 3 years and it worked totally fine for racing and training for us, so I was saving even more time than that! Now I’ve come to love a spot-free drivetrain, especially when I wrench my bike where it’s an absolute godsend.
Definitely understand that a clean chain is all relative, but in my book spot-free has as much bearing on drivetrain efficiency as the eyeball test has on aerodynamics.
Definitely understand that a clean chain is all relative, but in my book spot-free has as much bearing on drivetrain efficiency as the eyeball test has on aerodynamics.
Yes, I def agree with you. I’m under no illusion that my spic n span no-tattoo drivetrain gives me any wattage reduction. I’d say literally zero watts gained even compared to a completely blackened, well used chain covered in lube.
In terms of practical cleanliness though, it’s a monster difference. We’ve all had items of (pricey) clothing that inadvertently got chain tattoos on them when least expected - this absolutely never happens with a waxed chain. And once you start messing with your bike, or even something as trivial as swapping the bike on/off the Kickr, it’s awesome - I just grab the chain full out with my hand, no problemo, and don’t even have to clean or wipe my hand. Def can’t do that even with a recently-cleaned traditional lubed chain without some degreaser on hand!