Is it even possible to get the chain clean

denniskwok

Far easier and quicker to just use a KMC link to remove the chain and throw it in some degreaser or equivalent. It will remove any old lube and take any stuck on crud with it possibly better than you could hope to using pipe cleaners. I did this with my reletively new chain (only done 150miles) and there was quite a bit of grit at the bottom of the container after 20mins or so of soaking, interspaced with the odd shake.

Schoie81

SuzyB - fitted my new Wipperman Connex links last night, so taking the chain off is VERY easy now. MY mountain bike chain needed cleaning about 4months ago, so it was in a right state, 30mins in a jar of degreaser and it is so so much better. It isn't spotless, but as I say, it was in a right state - going to repeat at the weekend to see if it'll come up spotless (with a slightly less diluted degreaser mix) and now i've got the chain links I'll be cleaning the chains on both bikes far more regularly!!

ddraver

Suzy - get a chain cleaner (IMO Park Tool or Finish line). Whack it on the chain and run the chain through WITH WATER for a minute or two. Then put some degreaser in and run for another minute. Then leave it on whilst you clean the rest of the bike. Run it through the degreaser again for a min, then take it off. Rinse off the whole bike and if really necessary run the chain through the cleaner with water again.

Leave to dry and then relube

(I don't do this very often maybe every month or so. It works on my MTB when that's got good and filthy

drlodge

Cleaned my Campag 11s Chorus chain last night:
- 1st pass with the Park Tools chain cleaner using white spirit (its cheap and effective)
- 2nd pass with the chain off the bike in a tub, with citrus degreaser, shake well (with cassette sprockets in too)
- 3rd step: rinse well
- then "cooked" in a low oven 80C to get it dry
- Lubed with ProGold Prolink, excess wiped and left overnight.

Luverly juberly.

brucey72

My method:
- Get a kmc link so you can remove the chain.
- Remove the chain and soak it in a a jam jar with degreaser for a couple of hours - I use a 2/1 mix of fenwick cleaner
- Give the jam jar a good shake before rinsing the chain under a hot tap.
- Allow the chain to dry
- Lube each link INDIVIDUALLY with Pro Gold Pro Link and wipe excess
- I then find I can maintain a clean chain with a wipe of a rag sparayed with GT85 after each ride.
- I don't think there is anything you can do to keep a chain in the winter months though - I just do the above more often.
- Its also important to keep the jockey wheels and cassette clean as well.

smoggysteve

Bozman wrote:

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 off

I was actually agreeing with you , so why the abuse???

friedpizzainbatter

feemackenzie wrote:

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.

Is DryLine wax the stuff you use for floating fly line and flies? Sorry for my ignorance, but what does that do for the chain?

markhewitt1978

Had my bike into the LBS to swap the frame for the Scott CR1 - they didn't want to transfer my old chain as it was 'manky'! Ooops! :oops:

too slow to go

CiB wrote:

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.

That's what I do aswell and give my bike a clean every 10 rides or so.

roger_merriman

If a chain is dirty then a degreeser and time will clean it.

Choice of oil has a effect, dry oils don't gum up but require re lubing partically if wet weather a lot. But the chain remains fairly clean how ever filthy the weather, it's worth trying some out and find what works for you.

itboffin

WTF this thread is 3 pages long and i've not said ...

Your need a NEW bike!

I demand a parliamentary investigation

epo rocks!

All you need is this:

http://www.diy.com/nav/garden/garden-bu ... kies=false

Pour some in a small cup, brush onto the chain, leave for a minute. Wipe off.

Cheap, cuts through anything. Job Done.

dennisn

epo rocks! wrote:

All you need is this:

http://www.diy.com/nav/garden/garden-bu ... kies=false

Pour some in a small cup, brush onto the chain, leave for a minute. Wipe off.

Cheap, cuts through anything. Job Done.

The price is certainly right. Looks like one container will last a lifetime. Interesting.
I always say I'm going to switch over to a cheaper lube but for some reason those little high priced bottles at the bike shop just suck me in. :oops:

drlodge

dennisn wrote:

I always say I'm going to switch over to a cheaper lube but for some reason those little high priced bottles at the bike shop just suck me in. :oops:

Er, that's not lube but a degreaser :shock:

dennisn

drlodge wrote:

dennisn wrote:

I always say I'm going to switch over to a cheaper lube but for some reason those little high priced bottles at the bike shop just suck me in. :oops:

Er, that's not lube but a degreaser :shock:

Hmmmm, the word paraffin must have got me confused. Thinking wax - paraffin, sort of the same stuff?? :?
In any case there is always that 10 dollar bottle of mystery fluid on the bike shop shelves that promises nothing short of miracles.

Paul E

I have found dry lube in the summer means no more black chain after 10 miles

roger_merriman

Paul E wrote:

I have found dry lube in the summer means no more black chain after 10 miles

even in winter, while the lube doesn't last long it also doesn't make a mess of the chain.

dennisn

I am shocked and appalled at the somewhat meager turnout of WD-40 fans on this topic. :roll:

I would mention though that WD-40 has come out with a new line of bike care products. A Foaming Bike Wash, Bike Frame Protectant, Bike HD Degreaser, Dry Bike Lube, and something called Multi-use 4oz. (green). Not sure if this is only a USA thing for now, but WD-40 people can now rejoice. You are now able to spend much more money on much less product and STILL have the WD-40 brand, as these products cost just as much, if not more, than their contemporary counterparts.

suzyb

It was dry lube I used after cleaning last week and it doesn't sound like the chain has been lubed I can never seem to clean off just the excess.

crikey

3 pages of whimpering about chain cleaning? :roll:

Go play golf instead.

suzyb

Nah, don't like walking.

dennisn

crikey wrote:

3 pages of whimpering about chain cleaning? :roll:

Go play golf instead.

You do make a good point. I've been around various pieces of machinery all my life. I've seen big chains, small chains, long chains, and short chains but I really can't recall ever seeing a clean chain. Dirty, filthy chains in dusty environments, covered with grease, oil, and God only knows, yet all still running without anyone obsessing over their condition. In the end it's just a chain on a bicycle, not a key part of a spaceship to Mars.

jgsi

dennisn wrote:

crikey wrote:

3 pages of whimpering about chain cleaning? :roll:

Go play golf instead.

You do make a good point. I've been around various pieces of machinery all my life. I've seen big chains, small chains, long chains, and short chains but I really can't recall ever seeing a clean chain. Dirty, filthy chains in dusty environments, covered with grease, oil, and God only knows, yet all still running without anyone obsessing over their condition. In the end it's just a chain on a bicycle, not a key part of a spaceship to Mars.

er, can you imagine the uproar if someone posted on YOUR ROAD BIKES something with a manky chain? :shock:

ps if you are clueless with a shipped chain on the kerbside and you have some disgusting object wrapped around your chainset and wheel, I WILL ride on!

fsman

Has anyone any views on using this to clean chains

http://www.screwfix.com/p/no-nonsense-h ... 5ltr/88668

iPete

JGSI wrote:

dennisn wrote:

crikey wrote:

3 pages of whimpering about chain cleaning? :roll:

Go play golf instead.

You do make a good point. I've been around various pieces of machinery all my life. I've seen big chains, small chains, long chains, and short chains but I really can't recall ever seeing a clean chain. Dirty, filthy chains in dusty environments, covered with grease, oil, and God only knows, yet all still running without anyone obsessing over their condition. In the end it's just a chain on a bicycle, not a key part of a spaceship to Mars.

er, can you imagine the uproar if someone posted on YOUR ROAD BIKES something with a manky chain? :shock:

ps if you are clueless with a shipped chain on the kerbside and you have some disgusting object wrapped around your chainset and wheel, I WILL ride on!

Oh hi, where is this section?



And the answer is no, this is why you own 2+ bikes.

jgsi

Diesel is what many a bike mechanic will use - it is oily but also cleans... and when you dont use it as a fuel, cheap as well.

dennisn

iPete wrote:

JGSI wrote:

dennisn wrote:

crikey wrote:

3 pages of whimpering about chain cleaning? :roll:

Go play golf instead.

You do make a good point. I've been around various pieces of machinery all my life. I've seen big chains, small chains, long chains, and short chains but I really can't recall ever seeing a clean chain. Dirty, filthy chains in dusty environments, covered with grease, oil, and God only knows, yet all still running without anyone obsessing over their condition. In the end it's just a chain on a bicycle, not a key part of a spaceship to Mars.

er, can you imagine the uproar if someone posted on YOUR ROAD BIKES something with a manky chain? :shock:

ps if you are clueless with a shipped chain on the kerbside and you have some disgusting object wrapped around your chainset and wheel, I WILL ride on!

Oh hi, where is this section?



And the answer is no, this is why you own 2+ bikes.

As dirty and filthy as it is it would, most likely, still work just fine and be good for 10 more laps if need be. It would still work tomorrow and even the next day.

Not saying you shouldn't clean your chain. That's easy enough. Clean it as often and with whatever you deem necessary. Won't hurt it because it's a chain. Lube it with cheap motor oil or spend as much as you think you need to in order to insure whatever it is you're ensuring. Won't make any difference. It will run just as well on cheap oil as it will with whatever the latest "hi-tech" lube is, for that week.

jgsi

dennisn wrote:

iPete wrote:

JGSI wrote:

dennisn wrote:

crikey wrote:

3 pages of whimpering about chain cleaning? :roll:

Go play golf instead.

You do make a good point. I've been around various pieces of machinery all my life. I've seen big chains, small chains, long chains, and short chains but I really can't recall ever seeing a clean chain. Dirty, filthy chains in dusty environments, covered with grease, oil, and God only knows, yet all still running without anyone obsessing over their condition. In the end it's just a chain on a bicycle, not a key part of a spaceship to Mars.

er, can you imagine the uproar if someone posted on YOUR ROAD BIKES something with a manky chain? :shock:

ps if you are clueless with a shipped chain on the kerbside and you have some disgusting object wrapped around your chainset and wheel, I WILL ride on!

Oh hi, where is this section?



And the answer is no, this is why you own 2+ bikes.

As dirty and filthy as it is it would, most likely, still work just fine and be good for 10 more laps if need be. It would still work tomorrow and even the next day.

Not saying you shouldn't clean your chain. That's easy enough. Clean it as often and with whatever you deem necessary. Won't hurt it because it's a chain. Lube it with cheap motor oil or spend as much as you think you need to in order to insure whatever it is you're ensuring. Won't make any difference. It will run just as well on cheap oil as it will with whatever the latest "hi-tech" lube is, for that week.

Superb.. roll on the cross season you sure about that 10 laps more though...?


"You have 1 lap to clean the other one..."

dennisn

JGSI wrote:

dennisn wrote:

iPete wrote:

JGSI wrote:

dennisn wrote:

crikey wrote:

3 pages of whimpering about chain cleaning? :roll:

Go play golf instead.

You do make a good point. I've been around various pieces of machinery all my life. I've seen big chains, small chains, long chains, and short chains but I really can't recall ever seeing a clean chain. Dirty, filthy chains in dusty environments, covered with grease, oil, and God only knows, yet all still running without anyone obsessing over their condition. In the end it's just a chain on a bicycle, not a key part of a spaceship to Mars.

er, can you imagine the uproar if someone posted on YOUR ROAD BIKES something with a manky chain? :shock:

ps if you are clueless with a shipped chain on the kerbside and you have some disgusting object wrapped around your chainset and wheel, I WILL ride on!

Oh hi, where is this section?



And the answer is no, this is why you own 2+ bikes.

As dirty and filthy as it is it would, most likely, still work just fine and be good for 10 more laps if need be. It would still work tomorrow and even the next day.

Not saying you shouldn't clean your chain. That's easy enough. Clean it as often and with whatever you deem necessary. Won't hurt it because it's a chain. Lube it with cheap motor oil or spend as much as you think you need to in order to insure whatever it is you're ensuring. Won't make any difference. It will run just as well on cheap oil as it will with whatever the latest "hi-tech" lube is, for that week.

Superb.. roll on the cross season you sure about that 10 laps more though...?

Absolutely positive. After all don't all the products claim to be self cleaning, mud and dirt shedding. You could toss a shovelful of mud and muck on the rear D / chain / crank and it would be sloughed off in seconds. No worries.

barrie h

If you really want a clean chain,
take it off and put it in an heated ultra-sonic tank for 60 min.filled with white spirit.
take it out , let it cool then add the lube of your choice ( I use wax based )

Barrie