Cheap and effective degreaser recommendation?
If I want to clean my chain of dirt, is there a cheaper solution than using bike specific degreaser like Finish Line citrus degreaser etc?
I am on the verge of using WD-40 since it is lying around in my home and I heard it is a good chain cleaner (though not a good lubricant).
I am on the verge of using WD-40 since it is lying around in my home and I heard it is a good chain cleaner (though not a good lubricant).
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Nowt wrong with WD40 for cleaning the chain. Just give it a good wipe down to remove any remaining residue and lubricate with proper chain oil afterwards.
Parrafin is also excellent for cleaning old oil and grime (and cheap) just do not do it by candle light
. Yellow is the new Black.0 -
White spirit or diesel. Cheap and cheerful.
WD40 is a bit pricey for regular cleaning...- - - - - - - - - -
On Strava.{/url}0 -
5 litres of degreaser (oil and grease remover) for £8.90. Just as good as Muc off and A FRACTION OF THE PRICE:
http://www.toolstation.com/shop/Cleanin ... 260/sd32561 -
for a quick wipe down of the chain to get rid of crud without having to remove anything, or threaten to degrease bits that shouldn't be degreased - use baby wipes (seriously)
Best thing for frame is furniture polish - cheap as chips1 -
+1 for white spirit, you absolutely do NOT need expensive 'bike specific' products.0
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Paraffin seems to work OK. Is it too harsh?
I used to run 2 chains, one sitting in a jamjar of paraffin, one on the bike.
I would remove the dirty chain, put the clean chain on and...kazaam: ready to ride at once.
You can delay chain scrubbing till a later date.0 -
+1 for white spirit. Also doubles up as a tasty beverage :-S0
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KMC website
Don't degrease your new chain, you'll take out the valuable lube which we injected into the chain's bearing, instead, just dry the chain's outside, in order to prevent it from attracting dirt.
Cleaning
• Clean your chain after each trip, especially after riding in the wet.
• Always use a piece of dry cloth to clean the chain and it’s component parts.
• If neccesary, use an old toothbrush to clean between the plates.
•Do not forget the sprockets, front changer and derailleur pulleys.
• To remove mud or sand, use a bristle brush, if necessary with light soapy warm water .
• Never use acidic or alkali based detergents (such as rust cleaners), these agents can damage the chain and may cause breakage.
• NEVER EVER use a so-called ‘chain washing machine’ in combination with solvent. This is the one and only sure way to instantly ruin your chain.
• Avoid the use of solvents, not only are these bad for the environment, they remove lubricant from the chain’s bearing.0 -
Paraffin, white spirit, etc are great degreasers, but where do you dispose of them (terrible for the environment) ? They also smell, and aren't great to use with bare hands.
Water soluble degreasers are much easier to use- spray on, brush a bit, then rinse with water. Muc off aerosol degreaser is v good. I use Surfex HD- used neat it's as good paraffin. It can also be diluted with water and used as a really effective general cleaner.0 -
+1 for white spirt, you can put it in a glass jar until the gunk settles pour off the clear spirt and reuse it.
your local tip will have facilities for petrochemical disposal.0 -
i use petrol. pefect everytime and cheap compared to a degreaser bike specific. oil it up afterwards. I do it every two rides about 100-120 miles each time i clean it. chain has done over 5000 miles and not even at the first measure of worn on the chain tool.0
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Petrol? Doesn't that stink to high heaven? And don't get it on bare hands there's all sorts of nasties in there.0
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This. White Spirit can be even more environmentally safe than most cleaners by just re-using it over and over. Wipe out the remaining gunk and throw in the trash container, nothing goes down the drain or into the garden.richiebones wrote:+1 for white spirt, you can put it in a glass jar until the gunk settles pour off the clear spirt and reuse it.
your local tip will have facilities for petrochemical disposal.0 -
Whatever you use - after use get a funnel & a thick paper napkin, line the funnel & sieve the dirty fluid -it 'now ready for re-use. Bin the napkin.0
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Por 15 Marine Clean http://www.frost.co.uk/por15-marine-clean.html. Great stuff.0
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White spirit is great, but don't use it in a plastic chain cleaner or you'll wreck it. I recently bought some Morgan Blue chain cleaner from CRC. About £8 for a litre, and works well in my park tools cleaner, or sprayed on neat to cassettes/derailleurs.0
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Funnily enough today I discovered that Aldi's kitchen cleaner is magnificent for cleaning bikes. I can't believe how good it is!
No more Fenwick's bike cleaner at £10 a litre.CAPTAIN BUCKFAST'S CYCLING TIPS - GUARANTEED TO WORK! 1 OUT OF 10 RACING CYCLISTS AGREE!0 -
freddiegrubb wrote:Whatever you use - after use get a funnel & a thick paper napkin, line the funnel & sieve the dirty fluid -it 'now ready for re-use. Bin the napkin.
I did this last week, amazing how good a filter kitchen roll is0 -
ignore :oops:0
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get some "virosol" from your local janitor supplier.
it is about £10 for 5l
dilute 50:1 for general degreesing such as a bike clean or 20:1 for stong chain/sprocket cleaning.
it is very strong stuff so don't put on neat.
if you google you will find lots of good reviews for bike cleaning.
virosol will last you for years.0 -
In a lot of pound shops you can get an aerosol of carburettor cleaner, yes you've guessed it, for a pound. Its magic stuff and has lots of cleaning /degreasing uses but don't clean your hands with it!0
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I always stick with GT85 and not WD40 as it completely penetrates any grease and leaves everything dry where as GT85 is a ligh lubricant containing PTFE and is ok to use on your chain, cassette, chainrings, fork etc... 0
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Elbow Grease (~£1 in home bargains for 500ml) in a chain device. Dry with blue roll and compressor, add lube of choice on inside of chain and run through all gears.0
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1 litre of the Halfords degreaser has lasted me over a year in the park tool cyclone, and it was less than a tenner.
White spirit works great for cleaning, but I'm not sure if it will damage the chain cleaner. I don't have a quick link in my chain to remove it.
IPA is great if you really need to degrease things - brake rotors, steerer tubes for the expander plug to grip etc.
I do this after races to get the worst of the crud off the bike (and chain if needed) before putting it back in the car, makes it a lot easier to clean properly later.toasted whippet said:for a quick wipe down of the chain to get rid of crud without having to remove anything, or threaten to degrease bits that shouldn't be degreased - use baby wipes (seriously)
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I use this when on mtb before I drive back, gets the worst off before it dries. Then a better wash at home.
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.co.uk/ulk/itm/1736659128500 -
White spirit is one of the cheapest.
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I Put my chains in a closed jam jar of white spirit , which I then put into a water filled ultrasonic cleaner bath
This limits the amount of white spirit required (rather than fill the ultrasonic bath up with white spirit)
The white spirit is filtered through a coffee filter paper and reused.0 -
5ltrs of Jizer. Paintbrush, take away plastic tub and a hose pipe. Degreases brilliantly. For the pièce de résistance indulge in a pet dryer and blast all the water out with hot air under pressure (which is great for the rest of the bike too).
Use the extra time saved to take a read of this very interesting article about bike chains - https://cyclingtips.com/2019/12/the-best-bicycle-chain-durability-and-efficiency-tested/
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From the same company that tries to tell you their quick links are a one shot deal. Utter b0llocks.zx6man said:KMC website
Don't degrease your new chain, you'll take out the valuable lube which we injected into the chain's bearing, instead, just dry the chain's outside, in order to prevent it from attracting dirt.
Cleaning
• Clean your chain after each trip, especially after riding in the wet.
• Always use a piece of dry cloth to clean the chain and it’s component parts.
• If neccesary, use an old toothbrush to clean between the plates.
•Do not forget the sprockets, front changer and derailleur pulleys.
• To remove mud or sand, use a bristle brush, if necessary with light soapy warm water .
• Never use acidic or alkali based detergents (such as rust cleaners), these agents can damage the chain and may cause breakage.
• NEVER EVER use a so-called ‘chain washing machine’ in combination with solvent. This is the one and only sure way to instantly ruin your chain.
• Avoid the use of solvents, not only are these bad for the environment, they remove lubricant from the chain’s bearing.
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B0llocks indeed. And there is another review showing just how many watts the supplied heavy gunk on new chains saps...
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