Chain de-greaser

skinnydog1973

Hi i have just started cycling and bought a chain cleaner but was wondering if anyone has a link to where i could get a good de-greaser to put in it,i have seen on wiggle a morgan blue chain cleaner and was wondering would this be ok or should i be looking for something else cheers for any help

Duncanandthemachine

That will be fine. I use Jizer by Swarfega. You can buy this in 5l cans for £25.

giner1961

Parraffin and a paint brush to degrease, then wash off with a nice hot bucket of soapy water and sponge, then wipe down with a rag and re-lube.

danlikesbikes

skinnydog1973 wrote:

Hi i have just started cycling and bought a chain cleaner but was wondering if anyone has a link to where i could get a good de-greaser to put in it,i have seen on wiggle a morgan blue chain cleaner and was wondering would this be ok or should i be looking for something else cheers for any help

Have the morgan blue cleaner myself & it is very good but is very expensive. Personally I tend to use hot soapy water which tends to take away most of the junk & an old toothbrush for the cassette. Then I use the chain cleaner as its a quick option.

simon_e

Why take the grease out from between the links? Just clean the outside normally. I use hot water with washing-up liquid and a toothbrush.

From http://www.kmcchain.eu/?en/maintenance/
"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."

From user manuals at http://www.sram.com/service/sram/3,45
"Do not use acidic or grease-dissolving agents on the chain or cassette cogs!"

zx6man

Simon E wrote:

Why take the grease out from between the links? Just clean the outside normally. I use hot water with washing-up liquid and a toothbrush.

From http://www.kmcchain.eu/?en/maintenance/
"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."

From user manuals at http://www.sram.com/service/sram/3,45
"Do not use acidic or grease-dissolving agents on the chain or cassette cogs!"

This,

But chain cleaning seems to be such a "personal thing", and loads of peeps do it loads of ways.

chrisaonabike

Squirt of Fairy Liquid in the Park Tools chain cleaner - whizz whizz
Hose down, allow to dry, then lube.

In the garden, along with a general clean. Would be a bit messy indoors.

deswahriff

..I use Rock 'n Roll Gold...cleans and lubricates and works a treat...needs regular application though, especially this time of year.

I used to use Fenwicks pink stuff undiluted in a chain "bath", which also worked well - I found paraffin/whire spirit etc way too smelly and unpleasant...

kayo74

Fenwicks foam chain cleaner brilliant stuff, works well with the Fenwicks chain sponge.

simon_masterson

I use Green Oil degreaser (and lubricant, grease and bike wash); it works a treat.

Don't fret too much about whether or not you're doing it right, though; this has been a source of bickering amongst cyclists for years!

deswahriff

http://sheldonbrown.com/chainclean.html

...the ultimate!

jameses

^ I use a generic citrus degreaser (5l for about £15 from some ebay shop) in a Bikehand chain cleaning tool, does the job nicely without the faff of removing the chian and soaking (which does give a better clean). Morgan Blue is good, but way too expensive!

Gizmodo

I bought some Morgan Blue when it was on special offer, it's got a very chemical smell like turpentine or white spirits. It's good but I am always concerned about it getting into the free-hub bearings. Maybe just my paranoia.

I use Muc-Off to clean the whole bike, a bit in the bottom of a chain cleaner does the trick. Dry it off well, spray with GT85 to remove any water still on the chain, rub well with a cloth and then lube.

@ChrisAonABike - apparently Fairy Liquid* contains salt so it not normally recommended for your bike chain, that's what I've read anyway.

*Other brands are available

giant_man

Fenwicks for me, good stuff.

EPO Delivery Man

Paraffin and a painting brush. Will whip the grease off in no time. I used it on motorbike chains for years and they get much dirtier than a cycle chain.

Paraffin is cheap too, a big tub for a couple of quid.