cleaning filthy block and chain

Never blast a bike with high pressure. You'll get water into the bearings. Don't even use a garden hose. Just a bucket of water if/when you rinse.

Try one of the chain cleaner devices. I stopped using mine because of the SRAM powerlink but it worked pretty good.

BullGod said:

I don't want to get my lovely Trek race bike all soiled when I train this winter, so i want to use my old Giant TCR just to ride in bad weather. Problem is that this is filthy - I haven't cleaned the chain or the block for years and they are coated with thick black grease.

Any good suggestions on how to clean this? I was thinking of blasting them with a high pressure hose at the garage. Is this wise? I cannot remove the chain btw...

High pressure water doesn't belong around a bike, it's too easy to blast water into your bearings. Suggest you use a rag to wipe down the chain well, then a chain cleaner "machine" which clamps over the chain. It really does a quick job of shining up the chain. Use a citrus-based cleaner, not a strong solvent. I recently installed a SRAM chain, and noted the box specifically says no degreasing solvents should be used.

For the cassette block, Park makes a good brush, or you could use a rag between the cogs. But if it's really dirty, I'd remove it and toss the loose cogs and spacers it in some solvent. Only takes a few minutes to remove and replace, and you'll keep the mess away from your bike.

The absolute best degreaser is a "brake cleaner" from an autoparts store. It does not leave a residue and completely removes all of the grease and crud. Just do not spray directly into the seals as it might penetrate the seals and contaminate the grease.

I use it on derailliurs and the cogs but not the bottom bracket.