# Use simple green or buy "real" degreaser?



## ero2 (Feb 25, 2004)

I have been told by many people at many shops it is cool to use simple green on pretty much anything in the drivetrain, do you guys agree? Or should I buy one of the types that are specifically labeled "bike degreaser"? And I was also told if I ever have my bike apart and i am cleaning it and I think I might have gotten stuff on the disc I don't want to, to get a rag, get it wet with rubbing alcohol and run the disc through your hand a couple times and this will liven up your brakes too, any reason I wouldn't want to do this?


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## Jm. (Jan 12, 2004)

Simple green is not a degreaser. Simple green works as good as regular car/dish soap does. When you use that stuff with a brush or whatever, it will clean a bike, and it will clean it well.

If you just want to take gunk off the cassette and chain/rings, then the best bet is to use degreaser. In the army we used simple green extensively. We also used degreasers extensively for purposes that called for it. Simple green is not a degreaser in any sense. It is just a normal soap, does pretty good in the bathroom and sink. 

Finishline Eco-tech and Citrus degreaser are real good degreasers. The eco-stuff seems stronger actually. There are a lot of volatile degreasers you can use as well, but it makes a lot more sense just to use the eco-friendly stuff, and it works great.

Simple green isn't "bad" to clean your bike with, it just requires water and some good brushing, just like if you were using car soap or dish soap, but there's no reason to use it over those two.


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## hugh088 (Feb 1, 2004)

*Simple green*

Simple Green is an effective degreaser ( it even say degreaser on the label). I have used it for years on my bikes. I have used bike specific degreasers and I could not see a major difference. Are there better degreasers, as in most things in life it depends on how you look at it. If you want to spend 10x the price of simple green you might get a better degreaser but not 10x better, not even close.
All types of degreaser have + and -'s. On the plus side Simple Green is cheap, effective, not flamable and multipurpose. On the down side it is fairly caustic and can effect aluminium parts if they are left soaking in it for extended periods. That being said I have used it on polished aluminium and it did not effected the polish. 
Works for me
Chris


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## Homebrew (Jan 2, 2004)

Mineral spirits


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## Acme54321 (Oct 8, 2003)

Man, just drop the parts into a bucket of gasoline and swish them around. That will work really well. Then pour the gas into on your lawn.


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## dsully575 (Feb 23, 2004)

Homebrew said:


> Mineral spirits


I too use Mineral Spirits. Cheaper than Simple Green and just as good a cleaner. Also evaporates nicely.


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## ero2 (Feb 25, 2004)

Acme54321 said:


> Man, just drop the parts into a bucket of gasoline and swish them around. That will work really well. Then pour the gas into on your lawn.


Then smoke a cigarette, maybe? Or instead of pouring it on the lawn, maybe down the drain in the street so it goes to the ocean?

So, is that a hint to use the eco friendly stuff?


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## I_8_It_up (Apr 3, 2004)

Use carosine! Then when your done you toss it onto your neighbors lawn and light a cig to flick when finished. Makes for good afternoon entertainment when the kids are out playing.


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## hker438 (Mar 28, 2004)

ero2 said:


> I have been told by many people at many shops it is cool to use simple green on pretty much anything in the drivetrain, do you guys agree? Or should I buy one of the types that are specifically labeled "bike degreaser"? And I was also told if I ever have my bike apart and i am cleaning it and I think I might have gotten stuff on the disc I don't want to, to get a rag, get it wet with rubbing alcohol and run the disc through your hand a couple times and this will liven up your brakes too, any reason I wouldn't want to do this?


 for a thourogh cleaning i use oven cleaner if you can take your chain off easily dont get it on al. parts put chain and cassette in a bucket and give it a little spray letsit 1 min and rinse in water comes out gleeming


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## Homebrew (Jan 2, 2004)

ero2 said:


> Then smoke a cigarette, maybe? Or instead of pouring it on the lawn, maybe down the drain in the street so it goes to the ocean?
> 
> So, is that a hint to use the eco friendly stuff?


Eco-friendly my ass. Simple Green says biodegradeable but will eat your fingers off as well as corode your chainrings. Mineral spirits is available in a non-odor type that is hardly volitile at all so if Acme is implying that it's dangerous, he's way off base.


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## dsully575 (Feb 23, 2004)

Homebrew said:


> Eco-friendly my ass. Simple Green says biodegradeable but will eat your fingers off as well as corode your chainrings. Mineral spirits is available in a non-odor type that is hardly volitile at all so if Acme is implying that it's dangerous, he's way off base.


All mineral spirits are is super diluted paint thinner--so diluted it doesn't mess with your bikes paint at all. It is no more toxic than any other degreaser out there(or any other chemical you use to clean your home). It is odorless, evaporates quickly and is a good alternative degreaser to use. You can get a gallon at your local hardware store for like $4.


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## el Turtlehead (Dec 31, 2003)

*As others have said, Simple Green is potentially hazardous..*

If you don't rinse it completely, you'll find that steel parts loook rusted, and over time, aluminum parts willl corrode.

That said, I'm a big fan of WD 40 for drivetrain cleaning.

Feel the gin



ero2 said:


> I have been told by many people at many shops it is cool to use simple green on pretty much anything in the drivetrain, do you guys agree? Or should I buy one of the types that are specifically labeled "bike degreaser"? And I was also told if I ever have my bike apart and i am cleaning it and I think I might have gotten stuff on the disc I don't want to, to get a rag, get it wet with rubbing alcohol and run the disc through your hand a couple times and this will liven up your brakes too, any reason I wouldn't want to do this?


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## jl (Feb 23, 2004)

This is my simple and cheap cleaner. Windshield wiper fluid  It works great.


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## SILVERHUFFY (Jan 13, 2004)

*duhh*

I use pickle juice, costs alot more simple green,has seeds in it,but i'll be gosh-darned if my chains not only cleaner than ever,but it smells like a deli samich when I turn the cranks!
mmm...mmm...good!


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## summitlt (Jan 30, 2004)

I use this Castrol cleaner stuff, I dont know if you can still get it but it owrks really good. Another thing I found, is for cleaning chainrings (when they are off the bike) use brake cleaner. Great stuff


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## EBasil (Jan 30, 2004)

I buy Zepp citrus degreaser in gallon containers from Home Depot. I use it full strength or diluted, depending on what I'm doing or how lazy I am, and also use it in my ultrasonic cleaner when rebuilding bearings, whatnot. It is necessary to thoroughly rinse after using it, and I use WD-40 or brake cleaner (death tri-chlor) on chains after cleaning with Zep. It works better than Simple Green for degreasing jobs, and not as well for general bike cleaning.


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## The_Real_Cyclesmith (Apr 1, 2004)

In our shop we use WD-40 and rubbing alcohol for cleaning...and we have an ultrasonic cleaner for parts. Simple Green is hell on anything rubber or plastic...dries it out and ruins it, for that reason we do not even have Simple Green in our shop. A soak is gas is the best for your do-it-yourself'er...I would suggest smoking pot though.


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## el Turtlehead (Dec 31, 2003)

*brake cleaner is the BEST, but..........*

It is incredibly toxic and eats paint. I use it occasionally, but not everyday.

feel the gin



summitlt said:


> I use this Castrol cleaner stuff, I dont know if you can still get it but it owrks really good. Another thing I found, is for cleaning chainrings (when they are off the bike) use brake cleaner. Great stuff


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## Jonny Datsun (Mar 3, 2004)

*Simple green and poison oak.*

If nothing else, simple green is great for removing poison oak oil from things.


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## Jonny Datsun (Mar 3, 2004)

*Simple green and poison oak.*

If nothing else, simple green is great for removing poison oak oil from things.


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## Jonny Datsun (Mar 3, 2004)

*Simple green and poison oak.*

If nothing else, simple green is great for removing poison oak oil from things.


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## jl (Feb 23, 2004)

SilverHuffy,

I've also heard you say that Tobasco is a great chain lube . It keeps your ride real hot.


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## FrankRizzo252 (Mar 1, 2021)

Jm. said:


> Simple green is not a degreaser. Simple green works as good as regular car/dish soap does. When you use that stuff with a brush or whatever, it will clean a bike, and it will clean it well.
> 
> If you just want to take gunk off the cassette and chain/rings, then the best bet is to use degreaser. In the army we used simple green extensively. We also used degreasers extensively for purposes that called for it. Simple green is not a degreaser in any sense. It is just a normal soap, does pretty good in the bathroom and sink.
> 
> ...


 Simple Green, and most dish soaps, are absolutely degreasers. I use Simple Green and Dawn to clean grease all the time.


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## DIRTJUNKIE (Oct 18, 2000)

FrankRizzo252 said:


> Simple Green, and most dish soaps, are absolutely degreasers. I use Simple Green and Dawn to clean grease all the time.


And this thread is 17 years older. Pretty sure degreaser technology has changed some. 😂


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## dysfunction (Aug 15, 2009)

*Recommended Reading* strikes again


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## DIRTJUNKIE (Oct 18, 2000)

dysfunction said:


> *Recommended Reading* strikes again


Yep 👀


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

dysfunction said:


> *Recommended Reading* strikes again


I don't believe this is one of those cases. this is a first post thread necro. this one either turned up in google search and someone created an account specifically to post here, or this is one of those sneaky spam accounts that posts a few things on topic and then comes back to add spam links later.


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## FrankRizzo252 (Mar 1, 2021)

Harold said:


> I don't believe this is one of those cases. this is a first post thread necro. this one either turned up in google search and someone created an account specifically to post here, or this is one of those sneaky spam accounts that posts a few things on topic and then comes back to add spam links later.


I feel like a time traveler....I didn't even look at the dates.. It wasn't a google search, it was linked to me by someone that swears by cleaning his bike with simple green. Although he probably found it by google. He was trying to tell me I get ripped off buying CB-4...but the drive train is the only thing I use any cleaner on anyway....the rest of my bikes just get rinsed and dried as needed.


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## Cleared2land (Aug 31, 2012)

1st post for the new guy on an almost 17 year old dead thread is funny.


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## BansheeRune (Nov 27, 2011)

dysfunction said:


> *Recommended Reading* strikes again


Mislabeled.. Shoulda been "Recommended Rubbish"...


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## Ailuropoda (Dec 15, 2010)

Dish soap, hot water, and a brush. Let your chain dry then use chain lube. Works great. Simple.

How clean exactly does a chain have to be? If you get it to ninety percent, it's fine. A few miles of riding on a 100 percent chain turns it into a ninety percent chain. And chains are relatively cheap. If you get a thousand miles on one you're doing fine. 

My primary bike has a Pinion gearbox and a Gates CDX belt drive so I don't actually have to do any drivetrain maintenance. Haven't so much as hosed it off since August and it runs great.


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## Ailuropoda (Dec 15, 2010)

Wow. I didn't look at the date of the original post. Talk about a Dawn of the Dead Thread. I wasn't even riding back in 2004. I was still a runner.


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## dysfunction (Aug 15, 2009)

You mean; with all the people that commented on the age of the post, you missed it too?


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## DIRTJUNKIE (Oct 18, 2000)

FrankRizzo252 said:


> I feel like a time traveler....I didn't even look at the dates.. It wasn't a google search, it was linked to me by someone that swears by cleaning his bike with simple green. Although he probably found it by google. He was trying to tell me I get ripped off buying CB-4...but the drive train is the only thing I use any cleaner on anyway....the rest of my bikes just get rinsed and dried as needed.


And I was the one who called you out on it yet you quoted Harold who came in after. This just gets better with each post.


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