Ideal degreaser?

melonheadboy

Chain looking a bit gruddy,oil,mud etc....any suggestions on getting the bad boy clean and aftercare,got a few products for lubing :-\ but nothing stating decrease?

cheers chaps

BigAl

If you really want to completely de-grease your chain then white spirit or petrol will do it.

Make sure you wash it afterwards with lots of detergent, then rinse, rinse, rinse and allow to dry before adding lube

nasha48

Fenwicks FS-1, it'll make it sparkle like a diamond

jimothy78

White spirit again here (for chains, cassettes etc).

Isopropyl alcohol is the mutt's nuts, but relatively expensive, so i tend to save that for the more important jobs like fork servicing, etc.

jimothy78

Oh, and Cooldad will be along in a minute to tell you to use Squirt lube, negating the need for degreaser

BigAl

jimothy78 wrote:

Oh, and Cooldad will be along in a minute to tell you to use Squirt lube, negating the need for degreaser

Well yes and no

I'm now using Squirt (on Cooldad's advice). Yes it keeps the chain cleaner.

But before the first application yo do need to completely clean and degrease the chain (and the rest of the drive-train). For me, the best way to do this is:

1 ) Remove chain
2 ) Apply lots of Fairy liquid and clean with a toothbrush. Use an old on - or somebody else's
3 ) Rinse thoroughly and allow to dry
4 ) Place in a tupperware container and immerse with white spirit. Shake. Do this a few times. And do it outdoors
5 ) Fairy liquid again (to remove white spirit)
6 ) Rinse, then rinse again
7 ) Rinse it again
8 ) leave to dry over a radiator
9 ) Apply Squirt (or other lube) as per directions

You'll need to do similar with chainrings, cassette and jockey wheels. (Or put them in the dishwasher!)

cooldad

jimothy78 wrote:

Oh, and Cooldad will be along in a minute to tell you to use Squirt lube, negating the need for degreaser

No need. My minions do it for me.

Thank you minion.

njee20

1 ) Remove chain - Good start
2 ) Apply lots of Fairy liquid and clean with a toothbrush. Use an old on - or somebody else's - don't bother if you're doing 4, if you're doing this step, do so before step 1.
3 ) Rinse thoroughly and allow to dry - proactive drying is better than 'allowing to dry', and again, don't bother if you're doing step 4.
4 ) Place in a tupperware container and immerse with white spirit. Shake. Do this a few times. And do it outdoors. 0 - Once is plenty.
5 ) Fairy liquid again (to remove white spirit) - wouldn't bother too much, white spirit won't cause any real issues, Fairy contains more nasties than white spirit in terms of corrosion.
6 ) Rinse, then rinse again - as above.
7 ) Rinse it again - as above
8 ) leave to dry over a radiator - we're into WTF territory now! A radiator!? Use a rag FFS, takes 10 seconds
9 ) Apply Squirt (or other lube) as per directions Makes sense

There we go - begins well, finishes well, there's a lot of shit in the middle though.

melonheadboy

Cheers for the replies fellas...shall do has instructed,looks more work than i thought but will be a great learning curve/curb?!?

For ref: got TF2plus+ (dry) squirt bottle
. TF2 lubricant spray
. GT85 and (the devils spit) WD40 in my tool box....not sure which is best,purchased through shop assistant advice but wasn't really listening well,to distracted with new bike :-\

Chunkers1980

It's curve.

I find once you've done the clean spray with the GT85 and then the TF2, and then again after the first ride with the TF2. Not the best stuff, but works.

BigAl

njee20 wrote:

1 ) Remove chain - Good start
2 ) Apply lots of Fairy liquid and clean with a toothbrush. Use an old on - or somebody else's - don't bother if you're doing 4, if you're doing this step, do so before step 1.
3 ) Rinse thoroughly and allow to dry - proactive drying is better than 'allowing to dry', and again, don't bother if you're doing step 4.
4 ) Place in a tupperware container and immerse with white spirit. Shake. Do this a few times. And do it outdoors. 0 - Once is plenty.
5 ) Fairy liquid again (to remove white spirit) - wouldn't bother too much, white spirit won't cause any real issues, Fairy contains more nasties than white spirit in terms of corrosion.
6 ) Rinse, then rinse again - as above.
7 ) Rinse it again - as above
8 ) leave to dry over a radiator - we're into WTF territory now! A radiator!? Use a rag FFS, takes 10 seconds
9 ) Apply Squirt (or other lube) as per directions Makes sense

There we go - begins well, finishes well, there's a lot of shoot in the middle though.

Not going to argue that what you've said will do the trick

But, cleaning first with fairy gets most the sh!t off. Not suggesting any more than a quick initial clean. Obviously pro-active drying.
White spirit is cheap - a few flushes (rather than just one) will clear out quite a lot more.
Agreed white spirit will do little damage - but if you're going to do the job properly....
'Over a radiator' is just to ensure no water is trapped - how much this matters probably depends on the type of lube being used. Obviously use a rag first - but this won't get it properly dry

melonheadboy

Sorted...went for the "fairy" choice,impressed how much crap the toothbrush help shift.

Chain clean,has is the jockey wheel...decided to go the whole hog and get out the muc off,all in vain of course with the weather...not just a fair weather rider B-)

abarth_1200

Em what's wrong with the spray cans of muc off 'chain cleaner'

Put chain in jar, spray with chain cleaner, shake for a couple minutes then rinse thoroughly with water. Blast dry with air compressor or hair dryer. No petrol, white spirits, or some old grannies mehod

jimothy78

abarth_1200 wrote:

Em what's wrong with the spray cans of muc off 'chain cleaner'

The cost, and the fact that it's essentially the same junk as in WD40. Also, the fact that it will leave behind an oily residue (which if you are using a product like "Squirt", will stop it from taking).

felix.london

I use a biodegradable citrus degreaser for the couple of times a year I give my chains a really deep clean. Smells nice and feels better not letting a load of chems run off into the soil.