New to biking - Chain Cleaning

Rhbjones

Hello all

New to biking and want to give my bike a good clean this weekend!!

being a newbie, I have a chain splitting device thingiemybob, It came on my Topeak multi tool, I take it I use this to split the chain, take it off, and give it a good clean( leave it white spirit over night, Dry off refiit this and then lube with some good stuff?

Is it easy to do?

Thanks

Rich

leaflite

I think you will need a sram powerlink or shimano master pin thingy to rejoin the chain once you have split it.

bearfraser

Try one of those chain cleaning cassette units that fit over the chain without having to split the chain . Number of manufacturers but the " Edinburgh Bike Coop" one is a good price . (just google for the online shop)

diy

What is wrong with a parafin soaked rag? You risk creating a stiff link if you do it wrong.

cooldad

You can, but if you want to remove it regularly get a master link/powerlink. You can reuse the same pin you loosened but it's very easy to push it all the way out, which makes it rather difficult to replace, and as a previous poster pointed out, easy to make a stiff link, although that's easy to sort out.
Use the chain tool to fit a new chain or emergency trail side repairs.

jonnyashworth

as of next thursday lidl will be selling chain cleaning devices for just £3.99 with 2 kinds of chain cleaning fluid. Also I have found that lidl sell an aerosol for chain cleaning for just £1.19 that is absolutely brilliant

lasty

Slight deviation but ..... viva Lidl , shows how much the bigger boys are ripping us all off ! Nowt flash but 99% of there stuff is very useable by your average Joe ..

Back on topic - flat (tupperware type) container and paraffin - shake vigourously and leave overnight , dry & relube ...
Might buy a couple of Lidl chain cleaners though ......

Rhbjones

Im gonna wait till Thursday and get myself down to Lidl!!

Thanks all

Rich

Deputy Dawg

Their tool kits are also a good buy.

Anonymous

Meh, just leave the chain there, and lube it occasionally. Excessive cleaning can do more harm than good, I reckon. I have no idea when the "regular cleaning" crosses over into "excessive" cleaning, so I just don't clean anything. Ever.

blablablacksheep

yeehaamcgee wrote:

Meh, just leave the chain there, and lube it occasionally. Excessive cleaning can do more harm than good, I reckon. I have no idea when the "regular cleaning" crosses over into "excessive" cleaning, so I just don't clean anything. Ever.

main reson for cleaning is to remove the dirt and grime and to make a protective seal over the chain so that friction doesnt become a major issue and so chain wears down quicker.

i try to clean bike once a weak depending on how bad it is.

though you really do need to lube the chain atonce a week or the chain can wear down quicker, its more of a issue if you cycle a bit on the roads though as you pick up all sorts of nasty stuff

Anonymous

Here's a thought. Try NOT cleaning your bike once a week. Lube the chain about, ooh, I dunno, once a month, and before lubing it, just give it a qipe down with a cloth.
See how much longer/shorter it lasts.

I just seem to have far less issues with everything wearing out than people who clean their bikes all the damned time. It might be luck, but recently I'm starting to wonder...
(especially since the best chain lube is the stuff that's on it from new)

marksteven

BABY WIPES !

JamieW

Gt85 - way of the future. Cleaner, degreaser, lube and polish in one

Anonymous

I hope you're joking about GT85.

getonyourbike

yeehaamcgee wrote:

I hope you're joking about GT85.

+potato

dc71

Haven't used GT85 myself but I know many bikers who swear by it, including quite a few bike shop staff. It does have solvent in it but it doesn't evaporate completely like WD40. Most dry/wax lubes work exactly the same way with similar actions (solvent to clean which evaporates leaving the lube coating).

The fact that it's much cheaper (purely due to not being marketed as a dedicated biking product) seems to put people off.

Anonymous

Try it on a chain and see how long it lasts.
Finishline wt lube is what, about £4 a bottle? And I've never finished a bottle yet. I always lose them before it runs out. And I tend to lose them after about two years.

allen.coulson

How do you lose a bottle of oil?


....I guess I'm asking for a reply beginning with...

..'well if I knew the answer to that...

I understand that my children usually steal all of my bike stuff but I don't think they've been round your way.

Anonymous

I'm not sure how I lose chain lube. I know sometimes I lend it to people, and it never comes back. And my old man steals my tools quite frequently.
Other times I think I must have lubed the chain at the carpark of a trail centre, then accidentally left the bottle on the floor.
I'm almost certain that happened in Llandegla last year. I remember thinking half way home, "dammit, I left it on the ground, didn't I?"

antlaff

marksteven wrote:

BABY WIPES !

big +1 for baby wipes

wash the bike down spray some GT85 then wipe off with the baby wipes - great job. Wipes are great for getting dirt out if the rear derailleur too.

jonnyashworth

I tend to agree with yeehaamcgee here. Over washing is a bad thing and finish line wet is the muts nuts! I do tend to clean my chain though a cotton rag during the winter just to remove some of the crud and in the summer I switch to a lighter lube as finish line gunks up really fast!

Dirtydog11

yeehaamcgee wrote:

Here's a thought. Try NOT cleaning your bike once a week. Lube the chain about, ooh, I dunno, once a month, and before lubing it, just give it a qipe down with a cloth.

You might be on to something there as thats pretty much what KMC recommend.

They advise against the use of alkali or acid based cleaners, simply wipe down chain and relube