Chain / Cassette - how clean?

mcstumpy

Apologies if a bit of a noddy question but I'm relatively new to cycling. ....

So end of July I bought a new bike with a lovely silvery tiagra drivetrain. But now, despite degreasing / cleaning and re lubing a couple of times, the chain and cassette are dark grey.

Is this to be expected, or should I be able to restore and maintain my drivetrain at its original colour?

pinno

You should be able to get it close to it's original condition/appearance.

A 'quick link' to aid chain removal:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SRAM-Powerlink-Quick-Removeable-Chain-Link-7-8-9-Speed-Shimano-KMC-Compatible-/281761943020?var=&hash=item419a520dec:m:mBNjPJHfkqli47HV8P3TmaA

and a chain cleaner is handy:



There are lots of de-greasers out there from muc-off to Morgan blue (and no, it's not an accessory for Portaloo's) which make the job a lot easier.
As well as a cassette removal tool and chain whip.

ayjaycee

I use a Park Tools chain cleaner with a citrus degreaser (there's loads of them out there) and the chain comes out shiny as new but doesn't usually stay like it for long, especially in winter. If you do get a chain cleaner, leave the chain on the bike when you clean it and make sure that all the degreaser has gone before relubing.

zak3737

With a bottle of Morgan Blue, a toothbrush, and preferably a workstand, it doesn't take much effort to get a drivetrain looking sparkly again......or at least free of all old oil.

markhewitt1978

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19726915#p19726915]ayjaycee[/url] wrote:

I use a Park Tools chain cleaner with a citrus degreaser (there's loads of them out there) and the chain comes out shiny as new but doesn't usually stay like it for long, especially in winter. If you do get a chain cleaner, leave the chain on the bike when you clean it and make sure that all the degreaser has gone before relubing.

I do the same for my chain, but as you say it doesn't take long for it to look manky again, during the winter it can just be a single ride and it's looking terrible.

For the cassette I buy these cheap from Wilkos http://www.wilko.com/content/ebiz/wilkinsonplus/invt/1174340/1174340_l.jpg , use a spray on degreaser, then give it some welly with the pan scrubber and then rinse off.

fudgey

I use morgan blue and take the chain off, have a small clipseal container and put of the morgan blue in that, fit the lid and give it a good shake then leave it to soak overnight.

remove, wipe down with paper towel to dry, fit to bike and relube

for the cassette, take the wheel off and using a thin brush work some cleaner into it, then use paper towel to dry.

there are many ways to do it, so you have a few options.

pinno

I take the cassette off. Soak it in degreaser in an old yoghurt tub, give it a shake like the above and then rinse with boiling hot water. Lay the cassette out on a cloth and come back after a bit of fettling and it's bone dry.

photonic69

Old sock over hand. Run chain through this. Turning sock over and over again. Get another sock. Continue until no more black crud comes off chain. Floss cassette with el cheapo babywipes. Allow to dry. Lube. Run chain through all gears. Wipe again with clean rag. Job done. Quick and simple and so easy to do that you'll do it more often.

debeli

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19727068#p19727068]PhotoNic69[/url] wrote:

Old sock over hand. Run chain through this. Turning sock over and over again. Get another sock. Continue until no more black crud comes off chain. Floss cassette with el cheapo babywipes. Allow to dry. Lube. Run chain through all gears. Wipe again with clean rag. Job done. Quick and simple and so easy to do that you'll do it more often.

I do a slightly (significantly) less fastidious version of this. For me, the key thing is wiping away excess lube (having not lubed excessively in the first place).

The exterior of the plates of your chain may or may not be shiny-mirror-new after a clean or after a ride, but they are of little importance. The bits where the lube is needed - and the bits that wear out - are internal and thus invisible to all but Superman.

I hose down an MTB (mains pressure only) after a grubby ride and then re-lube when dry. My road bike, fixie and various shopping hacks just get a wipe down and toothbrushing of the chain and cogs, followed by a little lube and a lot of wiping off.

I am, as ever, right.

mcstumpy

Thanks for all the helpful replies, if this were cat skinning I would be faced with a variety of feasible options.

I used Muc Off last time I tried and I think got the chain reasonably clean, but the cassette was still far from shiny. I'll try harder next time using the above.

Bozman

I just soak the chain with WD or similar and then run it through a rag, this works a treat and then I'll lube the chain and run it through a rag again to get rid of the excess.

pinno

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19727420#p19727420]Bozman[/url] wrote:

I just soak the chain with WD or similar and then run it through a rag, this works a treat and then I'll lube the chain and run it through a rag again to get rid of the excess.

WD? WD40 ? That is a solvent and you'll have to be careful not to leave any residue as it will dilute any lubricant you put on it. Dedicated cycle degreasers aren't solvents like WD40 or GT85.

bold seagull

I go with the 'method'....http://www.cyclorama.net/blog/advice/51/

Wipe lube, wipe, wipe, lube, wipe, wipe, lube, wipe, wipe, ride, wipe...then repeat when needed. Simples.

Bozman

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19727452#p19727452]Pinno[/url] wrote:

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19727420#p19727420]Bozman[/url] wrote:

I just soak the chain with WD or similar and then run it through a rag, this works a treat and then I'll lube the chain and run it through a rag again to get rid of the excess.

WD? WD40 ? That is a solvent and you'll have to be careful not to leave any residue as it will dilute any lubricant you put on it. Dedicated cycle degreasers aren't solvents like WD40 or GT85.

Its a mild solvent, plus I remove the excess with a rag. I've yet to have an issue in over 20 years of use so as far as I'm concerned it works a treat.
I've tried the likes of Muc-off etc and they're no better than WD as a cleaner and 3 in 1 as a lube.

iron-clover

I use one of the chain cleaning devices every week- they're pretty cheap to get hold of, as well as the cleaning solvent.

For for a really good clean I take both off and put them in a butter tub with some white spirit and a brush- that leaves them sparkling in no time. You have to leave them to dry (doesn't take long) and then remember to re-lube the chain thoroughly. I use Gt-58 as the base teflon lube (it's a lot less sticky than WD-40, which is good for dusty summer rides, plus you can use it to polish your bike with, so long as it's not bare carbon) and then apply a finish line style teflon lube to the chain after- leaving the GT-85 overnight to dry first gives best results, but I do regularly just skip from one to the next.

I have thicker stuff if it looks like it's going to be wet, but dust sticks quite badly in summer.

It's pretty simple tbh, and it takes me about 10 mins to do a full clean and lube with the chain cleaner tool but means the chain and cassette lasts so much longer.

captain_tiara

The routine used to be; [from my own & mates experience]

Ride bike, wipe chain, oil chain, ride bike, wipe chain..........

Tried White Lightening, never really got on with it.

Then discovered Rock N Roll lubes, but they won't import them anymore in case the plane blows up. Have stockpilled enough Absolute Dry to last a couple of best bike seasons.

Have now found Fenwicks Stealth. Awesome dry/wet weather chain lube. It's all so clean.

Once you've found a wax based lube that works, you look back at all the dirty chain years & wonder why. Have seriously done 4000K this summer & not had to take a chain off for a cleaning session, inspite of the KMC split link being there.

IanRCarter

My cleaning method is:
Remove the chain using the powerlink.
Run a cloth and citrus degreaser (you can get about 10l off ebay for around £25) along the chain a few times.
Use an old toothbrush to in between the links if these aren't clean.
Wash chain off in warm water and a clean rag.
Dry with a clean rag.
Clean cassette and chainrings with rag and degreasers - either by removing the cassette or flossing with the rag.
Wash off with the warm water.
Dry with a clean rag.
Degrease, wash and dry jockey and pulley wheel.
Replace chain.
Lube chain.

I'm using Squirt lube in dry conditions, it's doing the job, chain stays pretty clean and quiet - quite often have to relube before the chain requires degreasing. Wet conditions is more tricky, you need to use a wet lube but expect the chain to turn black pretty quickly - wipe it over with a rag at the end of the ride if you don't want to be cleaning it between each ride.

ben@31

I had a similar problem in my early years.

I think the problem was over oiling the chain so it was building up, into an Exxon Valdez sludge.

The key is to

- Frequently degrease the chain every few rides
- Use a drop of oil on each link on the bottom half of the chain ( oil the inside of the chain if this makes sense). I'm a fan of Purple Extreme, a very thin oil but nightmare to clean, gets everywhere... bike frame, hands, door handle, sink,
- Wipe off excess oil with paper towel
- Allow the oil to dry overnight if possible
- If you have a quick release chain, you can clean by placing it into an empty jam jar full of white spirit. Shake and leave overnight. This makes the oiliest of chains back to looking new.
- Wash your bike more than your car. The bike comes first.

A bike stand and a watering can from the garden centre help. I found them plastic chain cleaner tools absolute useless, just smears the oil around.

pinno

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19727417#p19727417]McStumpy[/url] wrote:

Thanks for all the helpful replies, if this were cat skinning I would be faced with a variety of feasible options.

27, according to the Hitch Hikers guide to the Galaxy.

fwgx

I used to have a difficult cleaning routine using Muc Off (which I thought was as good as I could expect of a cleaning fluid until recently).
Now I have bought a Park Tools chain cleaning tool and some citrus degreaser (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Park-Tool-Cyclone-Chain-Scrubber/dp/B00094CWA8/ref=pd_sim_200_5?ie=UTF8&refRID=1G624VS6KP5CAWK6Z3R8&dpID=41OG4hqSMxL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_) and frankly that stuff is amazing! 2 mins using the chain tool then a couple of mins with a brush and the degreaser on the cassette and it's like new. Very fast, no need for any disassembly.

Just rinse well, dry quickly and add lube.