Keeping Chain/Cassette Clean

Soni

Can anybody please tell me the trick to keeping my chain and cassette immaculately clean like i see on some peoples bikes?

Some bikes i see look like they've just been wheeled out of the shop as they are not just clean they are shining.

I have tried using Brake Disc Cleaner (which is expensive) and this cleans it up until i put the chain back on and oil it and then it gets mucky again.

I even put the chain in hot soapy water the other day and gave it a good clean, but it still doesn't look like other bikes i've seen.

Is it worth investing in one of those chain cleaner thingys?

Smokin Joe

A paintbrush and degreaser does for me. I like the drivetrain clean, but I don't worry if I can't see my reflection on the chain.

sturmey

You just have to clean it more often than you are doing now,use a degreaser when it gets even slightly dirty and don't overoil it.
In fact if you oil it the night before a ride,wipe the chain so it's almost dry again before riding.

Scrumple

I got a park chain cleaner, and use some washing up liquid. Lots knock them, but 2 goes after a 50 mile weekend run, and a final rinse make it gleam.

Dry - add spray to displace the last of the water...

And then apply purple extreme, and done.

ratherbeintobago

On a related note, is there a good way of stopping the chain sideplates going a bit rusty?

Andy

Lou_m

You need to dry the chain to stop it corroding. Spraying with GT85 or similar will help as will using a chain with nickle plated links.

I've started using a muck-off chain cleaner with chain bath attachment. It works brilliantly.

Scrumple

yep - my chain is cleaned, but then left to drip dry / stuck near a utility room radiator in this weather. This is more to shed excess water than to "dry" it.
A spray will drive out the cheeky bits of water that lurk in there, followed by a few minutes to let it work.

Only then can you lube and relax.

bice

I am liking white spirit more than water-wash stuff at the moment: just run the chain through a rag with some on.

marin_maniac

Sod all the elaborate ways of cleaning.

Get ya sen some Tesco value (99p) microfibre cloths. After each ride run the chain and get all the crap off, then lube.

Once a week take a baby wipe, fold it in two and spin the wheel back to make the cassette turn whilst keeping the wipe between sprocket.

Simples.

There's a lot of bods on ere that seem to like spending time cleaning their chains. Not me guv.

on-yer-bike

Use Rock n Roll lube it cleans and lubes at the same time.

terongi

It's wet lubes that attract gunk all over chains and cassettes in my experience.

I use an ordinary dry lube all year round, I wipe down the chain after every ride and apply more oil when the chain feels dry.

When I need to oil the chain I do it at night and then wipe off the excess the next morning.

I regularly check the chain for wear with a park tool chain checker and replace when necessary.

I never have to use a chain cleaner or any degreaser and my chains last for several months of hard use.

Works for me.

BTW I like the baby wipe on cassette idea - I'll try that.

balthazar

If a bike's ridden often and its drivetrain is well-lubricated, the chain will be black most of the time. That's the practical operating condition, and it's a lot simpler just to get used to it: if you want, wear it as a badge of honour – I RIDE my bike! The only bikes with clean chains are either: never ridden; poorly lubricated; just cleaned; or owned by people who wake up in a cold sweat with worry if their bike doesn't look "factory-fresh" at all times.

Bunneh

On a side note, if you use paraffin as a degreaser it will corrode your chain, not instantly but it does do damage.

I spend a good 20m cleaning my cassette, wheel comes off, rags come out, rubbing between all the sprockets, getting mildy aroused as I see the light blink of it. Chain I tend to just use 2 old scrubbing brushes and run the chain between with some degreaser on it. Then I dry it, clean again and then whack on some GT85. It's not a relgious thing, just when I can visibly see crap on the cassette.

And don't forget to clean that chainset and rear mech too! They collect dirt as well.

freehub

Some degreaser and a cloth, takes about 5 mins to get the cassette shining like new.

Sometimes I wonder why I do it, cars don't need cleaning after every wet ride.

miggers

freehub wrote:

Sometimes I wonder why I do it, cars don't need cleaning after every wet ride.

A car is just a car isn't it, a bike becomes part of you. I recently got one of mine back from my brother who thought it was okay to leave it in his garden for a year... A nice £200 bill to bring it back to life!

Pete

Lou_m

Last time I looked at my car, the gears were kept nice and oiled in a sealed gearbox. Not really the same is it?

sturmey

I don't think chains need much lubrication unless used in the wet all the time.

You don't have to be obsessive to keep it clean either. I rub it down with an absorbent cloth after nearly every ride.If it looks mucky, quick whizz with the chain bath then rub dry again and a drop of oil on every roller. takes between 2 and 5 minutes.
Then rub the chain down again before next ride.
Too much oil gets flung onto the bike or coats the outside of the chain where it just forms a grimy paste.
Can't understand why people want to ride a sh*tty bike.

Chrissz

I use baby wipes on mine - once a week she gets a good clean and once a month the cassette comes off for a thorough clean as well

Baby wipes do the job a treat and they smell much better than degreasers

bice

balthazar wrote:

If a bike's ridden often and its drivetrain is well-lubricated, the chain will be black most of the time. That's the practical operating condition, and it's a lot simpler just to get used to it: if you want, wear it as a badge of honour – I RIDE my bike! The only bikes with clean chains are either: never ridden; poorly lubricated; just cleaned; or owned by people who wake up in a cold sweat with worry if their bike doesn't look "factory-fresh" at all times.

Pretty spot on. This winter in London was very hard on the basic, non-road commuter: chain needed a lot of wet lube, salt has brought out some rust, and the whole thing is filthy and chain is gungy and black. Due for a clean, now it has stopped raining.