Is it even possible to get the chain clean
suzyb
Posts: 3,449
The time came to clean my new bike today. So I sprayed on the degreaser, left it 5 minutes before agitating then rinsed off and dried. But no matter how much I wipe the chain, the cloth (well kitchen roll) still ends up black.
Am I doing something wrong when cleaning or am I just expecting the chain to end up cleaner than it ever will.
Am I doing something wrong when cleaning or am I just expecting the chain to end up cleaner than it ever will.
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You can use a chain cleaner with degreaser, remove it and soak in in petrol, wipe it down with wet wipes or run it a nice warm bubble bath you will never get ALL the dirt out of a chain. The idea is to remove the majority of the dirt to prolong the life of it and the cassette. So long as its not rusting and the links all move freely thats good enough. Even if you could get it completely clean you are only going to put more oil on it again and oil attracts dirt no matter what.0
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Just wipe with a cloth from time to time and oil it when it gets noisy. Prolink Gold lube is very good.
Considering that you can get half decent KMC chains for £13 the time and hassle spent on cleaning a chain during its lifespan isn't worth it economically.
Unless of course you're doing it just for aesthetics...
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I remove mine (got a quick link) then put it in a small bucket with engine degreaser so the chain is submerged. Then let it soak for 10-15 mins, then scrub with a thick brush while still in the degreaser.
Then remove chain and clean with hot soapy washing up liquid, dry chain completely, apply lube, wipe with clean cloth, attatch to bike.
If the bar ain't bending, you're just pretending0 -
It's more so I can brush against the chain without ending up black.Barteos wrote:Just wipe with a cloth from time to time and oil it when it gets noisy. Prolink Gold lube is very good.
Considering that you can get half decent KMC chains for £13 the time and hassle spent on cleaning a chain during its lifespan isn't worth it economically.
Unless of course you're doing it just for aesthetics...0 -
Barteos wrote:Just wipe with a cloth from time to time and oil it when it gets noisy. Prolink Gold lube is very good.
Considering that you can get half decent KMC chains for £13 the time and hassle spent on cleaning a chain during its lifespan isn't worth it economically.
Chains are cheap, but not cleaning them well will also impact on the lifespan of your cassette, jockeys and chain rings. Things start to look a bit pricier then compared to cleaning it properly.
Pop the chain off, chuck in jar of degreaser, shake it up, wash it all off, dry, reinstall, lube. Life is good.0 -
After every ride I spray the chain with WD40 and run it through a rag, then I coat it with 3 in 1 and wipe the excess off.
That takes a couple of minutes and your chain looks mint plus it's ready for your next ride.0 -
Bozman wrote:After every ride I spray the chain with WD40 and run it through a rag, then I coat it with 3 in 1 and wipe the excess off.
That takes a couple of minutes and your chain looks mint plus it's ready for your next ride.
This is all that you need to do. So what if you get a bit of oil on your leg. Big ring tattoos look cool. I would rather have to wash my leg than fanny around trying to keep the chain immaculate.0 -
3077 posts on a bike forum - and asking if it's possible to get your chain clean.
There is a failure somewhere - haven't a clue where but there is a massive failure somewhere...0 -
HeatherMillsLeg wrote:3077 posts on a bike forum - and asking if it's possible to get your chain clean.
There is a failure somewhere - haven't a clue where but there is a massive failure somewhere...
Were the previous 3075 chain related???????0 -
Don't let it get oily in the first place. After cleaning just put oil on the side that actually touches the chainring/cassettes teeth. Leave the sides and the top dry. Dirt doesn't stick to it then and it doesn't tend to go black with all the accumulated road dust mixing with the oil.0
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SmoggySteve wrote:HeatherMillsLeg wrote:3077 posts on a bike forum - and asking if it's possible to get your chain clean.
There is a failure somewhere - haven't a clue where but there is a massive failure somewhere...
Were the previous 3075 chain related???????
Is that relevant?
Well - obviously to you....
I'm sure there are no guides to cleaning a chain on here or are there?
F me - 3000 + posts and not a clue how to clean a chain. Just saying - someone is going wrong somewhere.
Maybe it's you for not helping the 3000+ poster out?
Yes actually - I have decided - it is definitely your fault.
Chain cleaning - hmmm - that has basically NO articles or advice on here or Google does it?
Clever boy....0 -
She asked how to clean a chain, pretty reasonable on a bike forum I'd have thought.
Post count is irrelevant.
Well obviously not to you. 0 -
HeatherMillsLeg wrote:SmoggySteve wrote:HeatherMillsLeg wrote:3077 posts on a bike forum - and asking if it's possible to get your chain clean.
There is a failure somewhere - haven't a clue where but there is a massive failure somewhere...
Were the previous 3075 chain related???????
Is that relevant?
Well - obviously to you....
I'm sure there are no guides to cleaning a chain on here or are there?
F me - 3000 + posts and not a clue how to clean a chain. Just saying - someone is going wrong somewhere.
Maybe it's you for not helping the 3000+ poster out?
Yes actually - I have decided - it is definitely your fault.
Chain cleaning - hmmm - that has basically NO articles or advice on here or Google does it?
Clever boy....
Cleverer than you , as I understand satire. Was meant to be tongue in cheek you twunt0 -
I use a mixture. Quick clean post ride - bike outside, washed with Muc-Off , then chain squirted with GT85 and dried with kitchen towel. Then once a month proper clean - the above, then Muc-Off chain cleaner followed by a T85 squirt and dried. After both I use DryLine wax. It might not be perfect, but for me it works.Felt z95 - loving my first road bike0
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Takes my mind off cats and bird life ...0
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Did I actually ask how to clean a chain. No, I asked whether the way I was doing it was flawed which meant the chain wasn't getting as clean as it could be. Because I have googled, and viewed various videos yet whereas their cloths come out looking like there is no black mark at all, mine are left looking like no degreaser had even came near the chain.
(If I've missed sarcasm or humour posting a reply to those posts you should know for the future, I generally do that, especially if there are no emoticons)0 -
SmoggySteve wrote:Bozman wrote:After every ride I spray the chain with WD40 and run it through a rag, then I coat it with 3 in 1 and wipe the excess off.
That takes a couple of minutes and your chain looks mint plus it's ready for your next ride.
This is all that you need to do. So what if you get a bit of oil on your leg. Big ring tattoos look cool. I would rather have to wash my leg than fanny around trying to keep the chain immaculate.
Bright spark, get a life or just f*ck off0 -
Black is fine for any used chain. If you use WD40 or any other degreaser, it will do, what it is meant to do: Degrease your chain; even on the inside, and that is not good. WD40 is not a lubricant for chains, it is the opposite. Nice for cleaning anything greasy or removing rust though. If you have an old rusty chain, WD40 works like magic, I tried it on a completely stiff chain and afterwards it somewhat worked.
If your chain is dry, give it some oil and remove the excess oil with a rag. The oil will prevent anything (except for dissolvants, WD40 and the like) to get inside the chain, and therefore it becomes black after a little while. Remove other dirt, sand, mud etc. from the chain, but leave this lovely coating on. You can even wash it with water (no soap!) if there oil on the chain.
It is a different matter, if your chain is wax-coated. But that's for someone else to explain, I don't know much about that.0 -
Mindermast wrote:Black is fine for any used chain. If you use WD40 or any other degreaser, it will do, what it is meant to do: Degrease your chain; even on the inside, and that is not good. WD40 is not a lubricant for chains, it is the opposite.
Nothing wrong with degreasing a chain as long as you oil it again afterwards! You have to do something fairly invasive to get the dirt out from inside the chain which is where it causes the damage.
I use a combination of a chain cleaner and, less frequently, remove the chain and cassette and cook them a bit in degreaser. That gets them properly clean. At the same time, clean the gunk off the jockey wheels and chainring teeth (because otherwise the dirt on those goes straight back onto the chain). Replace the chain and re oil and it will have that lovely, grit free smoothness of a new chain.Faster than a tent.......0 -
Yes.my isetta is a 300cc bike0
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Yup, ok cheat and get yourself a new chain and keep it that way.
I never use oil just red RocknRoll or Blue in the winter
( You have to excuse the silver quicklink, the KMC one just plain refused to be a quicklink)0 -
I'd agree that Rock and Roll Extreme (blue) pretty much removes the need to clean the chain. Just lube, leave for a short while and wipe off the excess along with the lifted dirt and crud. It's really good stuff.
Although every couple of hundred miles or so, I do remove the chain and stick it in a sealable tupperware box with some mineral spirits and leave it for 30mins of so, giving it a periodic shake. Then rinse with hot water, stick in the oven at 60 degrees for 30mins, let it cool, relube and refit. Dunno if it increases longevity or not, but it looks brand new again afterwards and I like doing it.0 -
Too get the chain shiney, you will need to use spray carb cleaner. you can pick it up from any car shop or halfords etc. This stuff will burn your lungs and peel paint and pollute the environment. But it works straight away, just spray and it instantly goes shiney.0
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marcusjb wrote:Pop the chain off, chuck in jar of degreaser, shake it up, wash it all off, dry, reinstall, lube. Life is good.
Marcus - do you use the degreaser neat, or do you dilute it? The bottle says to dilute but that it can be used for more stubborn oil and grease - do you find to get a chain clean it needs to be used neat?"I look pretty young, but I'm just back-dated"0 -
pr0xibus wrote:Too get the chain shiney, you will need to use spray carb cleaner. you can pick it up from any car shop or halfords etc. This stuff will burn your lungs and peel paint and pollute the environment. But it works straight away, just spray and it instantly goes shiney.
Alternatively, just order some isopropyl alcohol from your chemist. It's also known as rubbing alcohol. It's exactly the same stuff. It won't peel your paint though, unlike acetone.0 -
Suzy - get one of those cheap chain cleaning tools when Lidl or Aldi next do their bike special, or pick one up from Halfords. They come with a small tub of cleaner but dilute Muc-Off is as good. Fill the cleaner's base half full, close the top half with the brushes round the chain, back-pedal for a minute or two and you'll end up with shiny clean chain. Wipe it dry as best you can, let it drip dry for a while then use your lube of choice before using it. I use either 3-in-1 cycle oil from our handy hardware shop, or the stuff that comes in a green aerosol marked as 'Teflon' I think. That works, and your chain will be shiny & clean for a few days till it turns black again. Clean chains are temporary but when they are clean they look smart and you go faster, so it's worth doing.0
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I have got one of those cleaning tool but discovered at the weekend it seems to have given up the ghost. So I thought I'd try spray degreaser this time as nothing I'd previously tried seemed any better. It's always the inner edges of the chain that never seem clean enough.
I guess I'm just expecting the chain to get cleaner than it will without taking it off and cooking it.0 -
Suzy - following advice i've had on here, i've bought some Connex chain links so taking the chain off is easy and requires no tools. They've arrived today, so i'm fitting them tonight, and cleaning/(cooking) the chain whlist I do it. I'll let you know how it goes...."I look pretty young, but I'm just back-dated"0
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suzyb wrote:I have got one of those cleaning tool but discovered at the weekend it seems to have given up the ghost. So I thought I'd try spray degreaser this time as nothing I'd previously tried seemed any better. It's always the inner edges of the chain that never seem clean enough.
I guess I'm just expecting the chain to get cleaner than it will without taking it off and cooking it.
At the risk of exposing my OCD.....
Pipe cleaners soaked in GT85 are great for cleaning the inside of the chain... twist 2 together to get a decent girth, and away you go.0
