fenwicks foaming chain cleaner + prolink gold/MFR = rust?
downhill paul
Posts: 236
How is this possible?
I haven't been on my bike for four weeks due to working away.
last time I cleaned it, I used the fenwicks foaming chain cleaner. the chain was spotless and fully dry before lubing with prolink gold. I got my bike out to go for a ride about an hour ago and was horrified to find rust on my chain. not a lot but it was quite obvious. there is a bit on the outer plates of the chain, there was also a bit on the rollers which has come off, but has now been replaced by what looks like dirty black spots on each roller. again I have given it a good clean with fenwicks foaming chain cleaner, I was shocked to see how much crap came off the chain. I used a rag to wipe any oil off before cleaning. there was quite a bit and it was jet black. I left the foaming cleaner on the chain while I made a coffee, when I came back there was a puddle of brown water on the floor under my chain. I have never seen so much dirt and grime come off a chain. I used to ride a mountain bike on a very gritty trail all year round. a short portion of that journey was by road to get to the start of the trail. consisting of at least 30 miles, sometimes more four or five times a week. I used a wet chain lube from halfords along with mucoff chain cleaner/degreaser and never had any problems with rust. that was until I left the bike for six months or so before selling it after I had started taking road biking more seriously. this time it's only been four weeks since my bike was last cleaned and used. it wasn't raining and the roads were pretty clear. I had a few spots of dirt on my front forks and on the rear chainstays, other than that the bike looks like it hasn't been touched since I last cleaned it.
Will the staining on my chain come clean, or is my chain ruined?
also does anyone have any idea what could have caused this problem?
I would like to know before I take the time to lube the chain again, and of course before I ride the bike again.
thanks in advance for any help :-)
I haven't been on my bike for four weeks due to working away.
last time I cleaned it, I used the fenwicks foaming chain cleaner. the chain was spotless and fully dry before lubing with prolink gold. I got my bike out to go for a ride about an hour ago and was horrified to find rust on my chain. not a lot but it was quite obvious. there is a bit on the outer plates of the chain, there was also a bit on the rollers which has come off, but has now been replaced by what looks like dirty black spots on each roller. again I have given it a good clean with fenwicks foaming chain cleaner, I was shocked to see how much crap came off the chain. I used a rag to wipe any oil off before cleaning. there was quite a bit and it was jet black. I left the foaming cleaner on the chain while I made a coffee, when I came back there was a puddle of brown water on the floor under my chain. I have never seen so much dirt and grime come off a chain. I used to ride a mountain bike on a very gritty trail all year round. a short portion of that journey was by road to get to the start of the trail. consisting of at least 30 miles, sometimes more four or five times a week. I used a wet chain lube from halfords along with mucoff chain cleaner/degreaser and never had any problems with rust. that was until I left the bike for six months or so before selling it after I had started taking road biking more seriously. this time it's only been four weeks since my bike was last cleaned and used. it wasn't raining and the roads were pretty clear. I had a few spots of dirt on my front forks and on the rear chainstays, other than that the bike looks like it hasn't been touched since I last cleaned it.
Will the staining on my chain come clean, or is my chain ruined?
also does anyone have any idea what could have caused this problem?
I would like to know before I take the time to lube the chain again, and of course before I ride the bike again.
thanks in advance for any help :-)
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Comments
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Before you 'take the time to lube the chain again'? You could have lubed 10 chains in the time it took to type that!
I have never had a problem with their foaming chain cleaner by the way on any of my chains.0 -
Forgive me for wanting to make sure there was nothing wrong with my chain before I used my bike again.
I have never encountered this problem before so I have no idea what could have caused it.
which is why I asked the question in the first place.0 -
The rusted spots will never be shiny again if that's what you're asking. Sounds like when you left the bike there wasn't a protective film of oil all over it and exposure of the unprotected areas to a humid atmosphere has resulted in rust. Not uncommon. You only have to look at car brake discs in an airport car park to see how much rust can form on unprotected metal in a few days.
The chain's performance won't be affected by this. If you can be bothered you could scrub any remaining rust off with a wire brush and then relube. If you want a really shiny chain then get a new one with some kind of coating.
If I know a bike's going to stand unused for a while, like my winter bike at the moment, I'll apply copious lube to the chain and wearing a disposable glove make sure it's smeared all over the side plates to prevent any corrosion. I just have to remember to wipe off the excess before riding it again, otherwise it ends up being thrown all over the chainstay / rear wheel.0 -
I did use a wire brush to scrub the chain while the foaming chain cleaner was still on there.
then wiped dry and relubed. the rust is all gone but the staining remains on the rollers.
Thanks for your help :-)0 -
I use both of these products and rust has never really been an issue, I once found a tiny patch on the chain and a tiny spot on a couple of cassette teeth after a clean, but they were gone after the next ride
rust has also happened to me on bottle cage bolts and they don't see a drop of those products, the common factor is....... water
something I like to do after cleaning is to dry the bike down and then bring it inside to let it air dry fully, I don't like the idea of a damp bike sitting in a small shed, also lube up the chain again right after cleaning0
