How to clean a bicycle cassette using paracord. Dental flossing for bikes.

Often whilst out on the trails people will stop me and say:

"Hey Muddy! That is sure one clean cassette, tell me how!"

As a small crowd gathers to admire my bike, and cheer, I reply nonchalantly, and with a large degree of coolness that the Fonz would have killed for: "Why thanks, sure will big buddy...." *

1. Remove chain.
2. Spray cassette with dilute cleaning solvent.
3. Run a 75cm piece of paracord between the sprockets in a back and forward motion.
4. Clean residue off with hot water and a toothbrush.





Sure it's pretty anal, but I got bored of destroying countless rags in trying to clean between the sprockets and teeth. Soaking in solvent is death to bearings and pawls, and taking the darned thing off is a ball ache - can never find the right tools.

All I do now is run a taught piece of paracord backwards and forwards through the sprockets. Hardly takes any time, is pretty conservative in terms of solvent use, and works. Plus, and this appeals to me greatly, a 75cm length of paracord costs about a penny. A penny to clean your cassette? That's one top tip for sure!

*This is of course utter tosh.

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