cleaning your chain

Briggo

PaulBox wrote:

I leave my chain in white spirit for a few days, give it a jiggle with an old toothbrush etc. Hang it to dry for a few days, then soak in engine oil (Castrol GTX or Mobil 1) for another couple of days. Then hang to drain for two more days and a quick wipe with a rag before refitting. Chain runs like it is new.

Holy moly, thats a bit over kill.

As mentioned by Northwind, white spirit/parrafin in a jar swish swosh out it comes let it dry done, as new.

agg25 wrote:

I put mine on a jar of Muc off, leave it 5 min, then spin it around for a minute. Then empty, fill with water and spin around and empty, repeat until water after spin is pretty clean. Then wipe down chain and spray with gt85. Then wipe off excess and hang up next to bike for the next ride.
Riding with a dirty chain is asking for trouble imo

You must be in the 50% tax bracket wasting Muc off like that.

paulbox

louthepoo wrote:

PaulBox wrote:

I leave my chain in white spirit for a few days, give it a jiggle with an old toothbrush etc. Hang it to dry for a few days, then soak in engine oil (Castrol GTX or Mobil 1) for another couple of days. Then hang to drain for two more days and a quick wipe with a rag before refitting. Chain runs like it is new.

How often do you do that? Every ride?

No, about once a month, I rotate two chains so they both work ok with my cassette, also means I don't have to rush the process and don't end up wanting to go out for a ride with my chain sitting in the white spirit.

I lube the chain on the bike with finish line, or similar, between rides.

paulbox

Briggo wrote:

PaulBox wrote:

I leave my chain in white spirit for a few days, give it a jiggle with an old toothbrush etc. Hang it to dry for a few days, then soak in engine oil (Castrol GTX or Mobil 1) for another couple of days. Then hang to drain for two more days and a quick wipe with a rag before refitting. Chain runs like it is new.

Holy moly, thats a bit over kill.

As mentioned by Northwind, white spirit/parrafin in a jar swish swosh out it comes let it dry done, as new.

Disagree, if you have used white spirit/parrafin you have really stripped out all the lubrication from within the links. A splash of chain oil won't cut it after that.

I ran two chains for 6+ years on my hardtail rotating them using my cleaning method. In fact, they are still fine, I only use a different chain on it now because I got a different cassette stuck on my hope evo hub... :?

Briggo

PaulBox wrote:

Briggo wrote:

PaulBox wrote:

I leave my chain in white spirit for a few days, give it a jiggle with an old toothbrush etc. Hang it to dry for a few days, then soak in engine oil (Castrol GTX or Mobil 1) for another couple of days. Then hang to drain for two more days and a quick wipe with a rag before refitting. Chain runs like it is new.

Holy moly, thats a bit over kill.

As mentioned by Northwind, white spirit/parrafin in a jar swish swosh out it comes let it dry done, as new.

Disagree, if you have used white spirit/parrafin you have really stripped out all the lubrication from within the links. A splash of chain oil won't cut it after that.

I ran two chains for 6+ years on my hardtail rotating them using my cleaning method. In fact, they are still fine, I only use a different chain on it now because I got a different cassette stuck on my hope evo hub... :?

It won't cut it eh? Funny, my chains seem to be.

Rushmore

I use a garden sprayer ( you know the type where you pump the top? ) It works a treat, gets the mud off with a nice amount of pressure, you can use hot water in it and no fannying about...

I mainly use gt85 to spray on the frame, it leaves a PTFE coating, which helps getting the muc off the following clean...

Northwind

PaulBox wrote:

Disagree, if you have used white spirit/parrafin you have really stripped out all the lubrication from within the links. A splash of chain oil won't cut it after that.

You're removing old lube, but also dirt and manky water- pushiron chains aren't sealed. And when you relube, it'll penetrate back in (if you do it right, at least, which isn't hard)

cooldad

Now and again, sure, but some people seem to think it's necessary after every ride.

.blitz

Always surprised at the level of faff some people go to to clean a chain.

XTR chains & Squirt from new. The chain gets no more dirty than the brake rotors or fork sliders. You don't clean it you polish it.

agg25

I tried the paraffin clean and I won't be trying it again, going back to Mucoff. Paraffin stinks, is messy, flammable and doesn't clean as good. Maybe white spirit is better, but Mucoff for me.

Chunkers1980

White spirit is better.

You only need to do it every so often (like every couple of months, or say 400 miles). It's like blitz says, you polish it in between, an apply lube to it being as clean as you can get it, short of stipping it. You only use the stripe everything off method as no amount of polishing will get under the rollers and between the plates, where cack always builds there.

Cooldad is correct - stripping off everything too often just causes more wear as you need to give it a proper lubrication right into and under the rollers as they are the moving parts.

cooldad

.blitz wrote:

Always surprised at the level of faff some people go to to clean a chain.

XTR chains & Squirt from new. The chain gets no more dirty than the brake rotors or fork sliders. You don't clean it you polish it.

Although I am obviously really poor and use basic KMC chains and Squirt, this ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Northwind

As far as Squirt goes, I've found it's absolutely disasterous in our winter mud here, worse than useless... (tried it 3 times, never once got to the top of the first climb on my local loop without constant chainsuck, which hasn't happened with any wet lube I've used) Superb come summer though, got my bottle waiting for drier days.

agg25 wrote:

I tried the paraffin clean and I won't be trying it again, going back to Mucoff. Paraffin stinks, is messy, flammable and doesn't clean as good.

Honestly I don't know how you can get a better clean than bare metal- paraffin's a stronger degreaser than muc-off (and both are messy if you spill them). Fair play though, it's smelly stuff.

cooldad

I guess we have friendlier mud in the south. I find if it's applied properly (the day before) it lasts a good 3 or 4 rides in horrible (read softy south) conditions.

1mancity2

Diesel and not the aftershave...


Pretty expensive option given the price of the stuff now!

WayneMonmouth

stev68 wrote:

Ijust hose it off,wipe down with kitchen roll,after every ride especially this time of year.got one of them blingy kmc gold chains and been advised not to degrease,apparently it removes all the good stuff in the links,so I just brush all the cack off with a gear brushe,and Relube with finishline wet,

I would put a thumbs up smiley face if I could find one! Suppose its ok to degrease if you give it a long soaking in chain oil after so it re-penetrates the depths!

cooldad

Clean = good.
Degrease = why - lube is good.

crazy88

White spirits for me and then a good old re-lube afterwards. As mentioned though, I don't do that after every ride. I do it on my commuter more, but that gets well cruded up with grit and salt etc compared to the occasional mud my MTB seems to get. I really need to ride my MTB more.

e999sam

I've put one of these http://www.motorworks.co.uk/vlive/Shop/ ... P_10_50_JA on one of my road bikes keeps the chain perfectly clean. I've also used a Scott oilier on a Motorbike it makes a chain last 2 to 3 times longer.

bartimaeus

I use two of these with warm water/dilute FS1:

Grip in one hand either side of the chain, and then spin the cranks to clean.

Greggors

I always wipe the bike frame down afterwards with a bit of WD40 or equivalent on a bit of kitchen roll. Means most of the mud pretty much falls off and a quick rinse with the hose gets the rest off, sometimes a bit of muc off is needed for encouragement.

With the anodised finish to my frame it comes up looking new aswell.

Tinca

Ultrasonic bath, white spirit or petrol, hang it to let it dry, then a good lube up with oil. job done.

I am going to experiment with a food grade lube i get through work. It's used on bearing's etc in factories around the world, which are often dirtier than the local wood's , so it should be up to the task of lubing up a bike chain

Jolly Swagman

I have been using ShelBroCo for ages now, if a job is worth doing, get someone else to do it: http://sheldonbrown.com/chainclean.html

Rushmore

Jolly Swagman wrote:

I have been using ShelBroCo for ages now, if a job is worth doing, get someone else to do it: http://sheldonbrown.com/chainclean.html

i'd rather die.....

warrenk

so what is the recommended degreasier and lub..

bennett_346

warrenk wrote:

so what is the recommended degreasier and lub..

There is no single reccomended degreaser or lube.

cooldad

What I use. Obviously.

jwmlee

Jet washers are ok but you need to be careful not to force water into sealed bearings.

I just rinse off the bike with a garden hose. Don't bother with expensive Muckoff or similar rip off products. Just use a bit of car wash in a bucket and a soft brush. Rinse off with water.

Chain cleaning always attracts different strong opinions. I currently use a wax produce - Squirt. No need to degrease. Just rinse the chain with water. Run it through a dry rag to remove excess water and any remaining dirt. When as dry as possible, reapply Squirt. Note: the first application needs to be more involved: full degrease, thorough rinse and dry, at least two applications in a warm and dry environment.

Oil based lubes require regular degreasing.

It's a good idea to check your chain for 'stretch'. Warn chains chew through your cassette and chain rings. Chain wear indicators are pretty cheap or you can just measure 12 links with a steel rule.

Take good care of the stanchions. Keep them clean and give them a light spray with PFTE spray. Give them a pump to cycle the lube up the length of the stanchion.

I also cover my frame (titanium) with a light film of PFTE spray. Helps keep mud off.

mattyg2004

The to jetwash or not thread is up a bit.


Anyhow.

I use muck off chain degreaser. then white spirit the cook it in the oven to dry then relube. Hopefully when the squirt arrives It may be the last clean for a while

Jolly Swagman

What sort of gas mark do you put it on ? Or are you electric ? Do you think it would be ok in the microwave, but I only have a 750w oven ?

bennett_346

mattyg2004 wrote:

I use muck off chain degreaser. then white spirit the cook it in the oven to dry then relube.

my god. totally not needed and probably a bad idea!

air dry it.