Life changing discovery

pottssteve

Well,
I have been riding "properly" (decent bike, clip shoes, longish distances etc.) for 10 years and for all of that time I have hated cleaning the chain. I have fiddled around with power links, removing, cleaning and replacing, I have tried all sorts of brushes and other bits and bobs of kit.

Until last week, when I finally got myself a Park Tool Cyclone 5.2 chain cleaner, which I used today. Unbelievable! It was a pleasure to clean the bike, took less time and did a better job than anything else I have used. It has truly changed my life for the better.

Please feel free to share details of your most useful and impressive kit (no d!ck jokes, please).

timothyw

What, really?

I used one like that, it did get the chain impressively clean, although it was then a bugger to properly regrease the chain afterwards (it certainly didn't make the chain any quieter!)

Main issue was that the patio was absolutely covered in little black bits of chain crud that I promptly trod into the carpet, and no amount of hosing would remove them (from the patio.... the carpet required a good amount of scrubbing too).

Now I just change chains early, or just have at them with the wetwipes and gt85.

navrig2

Get yourself an empty bottle like this .

This has a foaming nozzle. Fill it with a mix of degreaser and water.

Get a Morgan Blue chain keeper

Put the bike, less the rear wheel, on a stand and spray the chain with the degreaser solution and leave to soak in. Then use a cloth to clean the chain whilst you spin the pedals.

Whilst the wheel is off the bike and using the same bottle spray vertically onto the cassette (still on wheel) turning the cassette. Leave it to soak then taking a flexi plastic brush scrub the cassette using the freewheel to turn the cassette and the ratchet to hold it whilst you scrub. The bush shapes itself around the cassette giving better and deeper coverage. Rinse with a hose. Keep the degreaser application vertical to avoid the seals and using flowing but not pressured water to rinse.

Shiny chain and cassette.

big_harv

Life changing might be a touch extreme but having carried all manner of tools in my back pockets I'll suggest the Topeak Hexus II. Cracking little tool which has everything you should need.

I'll second the Park Tools chain cleaner. some cardboard under the bike catches most of the crud. Handy in a "shared space" as the degreaser is somewhat fragrant...

keef66

Sonos speakers and Spotify Premium. Definitely life changing.

Chain cleaners, not so much.

thegreatdivide

keef66 wrote:

Sonos speakers and Spotify Premium. Definitely life changing.

Chain cleaners, not so much.

A BOSE SoundTouch 10 and a 20, plus Spotify Premium for our house. You can't beat a good streaming system.

Chain cleaning however...

1 x third filled bidon with citrus degreaser.
1 x third filled bidon with white spirit.
Take off chain, drop into the first bottle and shake like Bez for a few mins.
Take out chain and wipe clean with a rag.
Put chain in bidon #2 and shake like Bez for a few mins,
Take out chain and wipe with a clean rag (not the first rag).
Leave chain while remaining WS evaporates.
Put chain back on bike. It'll be way cleaner than a machine could do!
Re use the filled bidons for at least three chain cleans.

step83

Ultrasonic cleaner, use it for various things but a bit of degreaser and leave it on a cycle, wipe of the crud, spray with some GT85 and then lube. May try some WS see how that behaves.

Other bike related one is wireless shifting, honestly a game changer.

navrig2

thegreatdivide wrote:

keef66 wrote:

Sonos speakers and Spotify Premium. Definitely life changing.

Chain cleaners, not so much.

A BOSE SoundTouch 10 and a 20, plus Spotify Premium for our house. You can't beat a good streaming system.

Chain cleaning however...

1 x third filled bidon with citrus degreaser.
1 x third filled bidon with white spirit.
Take off chain, drop into the first bottle and shake like Bez for a few mins.
Take out chain and wipe clean with a rag.
Put chain in bidon #2 and shake like Bez for a few mins,
Take out chain and wipe with a clean rag (not the first rag).
Leave chain while remaining WS evaporates.
Put chain back on bike. It'll be way cleaner than a machine could do!
Re use the filled bidons for at least three chain cleans.

Chromecast audio with a Lynn amp and ceiling mounted speakers. Unobtrusive and goods sound.

I wouldn't advocate the use of Bidons, someone might be tempted to drink from them!........ you can take the man out of health and safety but you can't take......

homers_double

Sonos playbar + Sonos Sub + 2 x sonos Play 1 in the kitchen/extension.

Sonos playbar in the living room

Sonos play 3 in wifeys office

All of the above using Spotify premium and Mixcloud

Pokey little Anker bluetooth speaker in the garage with spotify etc for doing jobs.

Chain cleaning duties are undertaken with a light degreaser sprayed onto some kitchen roll and a baby wipe to get the excess off. You don't really want to fully degrease a chain as the stuff that's in the pin bit really needs to stay put or you'll end up with a squeaky chain.

thegreatdivide

homers double wrote:

Chain cleaning duties are undertaken with a light degreaser sprayed onto some kitchen roll and a baby wipe to get the excess off. You don't really want to fully degrease a chain as the stuff that's in the pin bit really needs to stay put or you'll end up with a squeaky chain.

That's an urban myth. Use a quality thin lube like ProGold Prolink and you can strip a chain down to the bare steel, apply and never have a squeak.

First.Aspect

When I first took up cycling seriously, I remember how discovering how much easier it was to inflate a tyre using a track pump was truly marvelous.

Also the first time I used STI levers for me was an OMG moment.

cougie

See also full mudguards for winter.

neeb

Spreadable olive oil as a substitute for butter or margarine. I'm always amazed how few people know about this.

Get some good quality extra virgin olive oil and pour it into a small tub. Put it in the freezer overnight (it will turn rock-hard). The next day, move it from the freezer into the fridge. Leave again for a day / overnight.

You basically get something of the consistency of margarine that you can spread on bread or toast but is much healthier. It will stay that way as long as you keep it in the fridge and only take it out for a minute when you want to use it. It turns back to oil of course as soon as it's on the toast, but only after it has been perfectly spreadable.

navrig2

neeb wrote:

Spreadable olive oil as a substitute for butter or margarine. I'm always amazed how few people know about this.

Get some good quality extra virgin olive oil and pour it into a small tub. Put it in the freezer overnight (it will turn rock-hard). The next day, move it from the freezer into the fridge. Leave again for a day / overnight.

You basically get something of the consistency of margarine that you can spread on bread or toast but is much healthier. It will stay that way as long as you keep it in the fridge and only take it out for a minute when you want to use it. It turns back to oil of course as soon as it's on the toast, but only after it has been perfectly spreadable.

Many years ago (when we were totally focussed on sunflower oil and lard was just going out of vogue) a relative brought me (a pretend cheffie type) a litre bottle of olive oil from Maojorca. This was a revelation and I looked for uses (pre-internet). I stored it in the cupboard under the sink which was in front of the window and, as a result, the cupboard was cold. I went to use the oil and noticed the bottle was full of sludgey looking green stuff. I thought it had gone off and threw it out!!

shortfall

neeb wrote:

Spreadable olive oil as a substitute for butter or margarine. I'm always amazed how few people know about this.

Get some good quality extra virgin olive oil and pour it into a small tub. Put it in the freezer overnight (it will turn rock-hard). The next day, move it from the freezer into the fridge. Leave again for a day / overnight.

You basically get something of the consistency of margarine that you can spread on bread or toast but is much healthier. It will stay that way as long as you keep it in the fridge and only take it out for a minute when you want to use it. It turns back to oil of course as soon as it's on the toast, but only after it has been perfectly spreadable.

I love butter and I don't buy into the negative hype about animal fats. That said I also enjoy olive oil, but if you're desperate to have it on toast why not just drizzle it on out of the bottle? Or am I missing the point?

neeb

Shortfall wrote:

I love butter and I don't buy into the negative hype about animal fats. That said I also enjoy olive oil, but if you're desperate to have it on toast why not just drizzle it on out of the bottle? Or am I missing the point?

I love butter too but save it for holidays / weekends / variety. The current hype is that animal fats are good for you, which is a reaction to the old view that they are bad for you, and linked to the whole paeleo/Atkins internet nonsense (which is largely based on selling stuff). If you actually go into the real science from qualified nutritionists the truth is probably somewhere inbetween. It’s not as bad for you as we used to think it was but you probably still don’t want to be consuming large amounts of saturated fat on a daily basis.

It’s rather difficult to drizzle olive oil on toast and get it evenly spread without soaking it completely and getting it all over the place..

shortfall

neeb wrote:

Shortfall wrote:

I love butter and I don't buy into the negative hype about animal fats. That said I also enjoy olive oil, but if you're desperate to have it on toast why not just drizzle it on out of the bottle? Or am I missing the point?

I love butter too but save it for holidays / weekends / variety. The current hype is that animal fats are good for you, which is a reaction to the old view that they are bad for you, and linked to the whole paeleo/Atkins internet nonsense (which is largely based on selling stuff). If you actually go into the real science from qualified nutritionists the truth is probably somewhere inbetween. It’s not as bad for you as we used to think it was but you probably still don’t want to be consuming large amounts of saturated fat on a daily basis.

It’s rather difficult to drizzle olive oil on toast and get it evenly spread without soaking it completely and getting it all over the place..

Hmm. This is probably the wrong part of the forum for a discussion on nutrition but how is Atins and Paleo about selling you stuff? Both rely on you avoiding processed foods and eating fresh meat, fish and green vegetables that are readily available and relatively cheap. Granted Atkins sell a range of their own products but none of them are necessary for you to be successful on the plan.

First.Aspect

If you are in any doubt about what is nutritionally good for you or bad for you, just wait a few weeks until someone publishes a new meta study that gives you the answer you want to hear.

keef66

As far as food and drink goes I'm a firm believer in all things in moderation. That way you don't fall foul of whichever foodstuff or nutrient is on the naughty step each week.

Whoever said eat food*, not too much, mainly plants, had it about right. And by food he meant fresh ingredients your grandparents would've recognised.

JBVRV

Slightly more on the original point - chain waxing has been a life changer for me.

Can't stand the filth that comes from conventional lubing. Wish I'd changed to waxing before putting carpet (not new) in the garage.

keef66

^That's definitely a first world problem. How to keep your garage carpet clean...

supermurph09

TimothyW wrote:

What, really?

I used one like that, it did get the chain impressively clean, although it was then a bugger to properly regrease the chain afterwards (it certainly didn't make the chain any quieter!)

Main issue was that the patio was absolutely covered in little black bits of chain crud that I promptly trod into the carpet, and no amount of hosing would remove them (from the patio.... the carpet required a good amount of scrubbing too).

Now I just change chains early, or just have at them with the wetwipes and gt85.

That bit is life changing for me, always wondered where those black bits came from!

bompington

neeb wrote:

The current hype is that animal fats are good for you, which is a reaction to the old view that they are bad for you, and linked to the whole paeleo/Atkins internet nonsense (which is largely based on selling stuff). If you actually go into the real science from qualified nutritionists the truth is probably somewhere inbetween. It’s not as bad for you as we used to think it was but you probably still don’t want to be consuming large amounts of saturated fat on a daily basis.

Try googling the health benefits of vitamin K2, and its sources :-)

keef66

bompington wrote:

neeb wrote:

The current hype is that animal fats are good for you, which is a reaction to the old view that they are bad for you, and linked to the whole paeleo/Atkins internet nonsense (which is largely based on selling stuff). If you actually go into the real science from qualified nutritionists the truth is probably somewhere inbetween. It’s not as bad for you as we used to think it was but you probably still don’t want to be consuming large amounts of saturated fat on a daily basis.

Try googling the health benefits of vitamin K2, and its sources :-)

I thought K2 was a mountain?

neeb

Shortfall wrote:

Hmm. This is probably the wrong part of the forum for a discussion on nutrition but how is Atins and Paleo about selling you stuff? Both rely on you avoiding processed foods and eating fresh meat, fish and green vegetables that are readily available and relatively cheap. Granted Atkins sell a range of their own products but none of them are necessary for you to be successful on the plan.

Well, years ago I suppose it started out selling books and supplements, now it's doubtless about selling online advertising. A blogger / website owner just needs to get visits/clicks and that's what the content is designed to do.

Like all stuff like that there's a large grain of truth in it but it's massively polarised and unbalanced. The problem with the paleo / atkins stuff is that it unjustifiably demonises an entire food group (carbs), leading to an unbalanced diet. It might be true that overconsumption of processed carbohydrates (especially sugars) is at the heart of what's wrong with the western diet, but that doesn't mean you should be cutting out all carbs, and in fact complex, wholegrain carbs are a fundamental part of a healthy diet (especially if you are active). As well as slow-release energy they provide dietary fibre and a whole bunch of minerals and other nutrients that are more difficult to get from other sources. These diets also encourage the overconsumption of fats in general (and saturated fats in particular) which is likely not to be good for you, and of red meat, which is less healthy than (for example) vegetable protein sources. While it might be processed red meat that's the biggest problem, there's a fair amount of evidence linking all red meat consumption to bad health outcomes (and it's ecologically unsustainable in any case).

keef66

neeb wrote:

Shortfall wrote:

Hmm. This is probably the wrong part of the forum for a discussion on nutrition but how is Atins and Paleo about selling you stuff? Both rely on you avoiding processed foods and eating fresh meat, fish and green vegetables that are readily available and relatively cheap. Granted Atkins sell a range of their own products but none of them are necessary for you to be successful on the plan.

Well, years ago I suppose it started out selling books and supplements, now it's doubtless about selling online advertising. A blogger / website owner just needs to get visits/clicks and that's what the content is designed to do.

Like all stuff like that there's a large grain of truth in it but it's massively polarised and unbalanced. The problem with the paleo / atkins stuff is that it unjustifiably demonises an entire food group (carbs), leading to an unbalanced diet. It might be true that overconsumption of processed carbohydrates (especially sugars) is at the heart of what's wrong with the western diet, but that doesn't mean you should be cutting out all carbs, and in fact complex, wholegrain carbs are a fundamental part of a healthy diet (especially if you are active). As well as slow-release energy they provide dietary fibre and a whole bunch of minerals and other nutrients that are more difficult to get from other sources. These diets also encourage the overconsumption of fats in general (and saturated fats in particular) which is likely not to be good for you, and of red meat, which is less healthy than (for example) vegetable protein sources. While it might be processed red meat that's the biggest problem, there's a fair amount of evidence linking all red meat consumption to bad health outcomes (and it's ecologically unsustainable in any case).

Very well put! Can the Mods make this a sticky??

thegreatdivide

Lifeline rubber frame protectors.
Proper high end mezcal.

the_cyclist_of_catan

Lots of suggestions here that I regard as being much, much too much effort for a clean chain. I solved the clean/lubed chain problem with a combination of money and technology.

Take the chain off using a quick-link (not reuseable? I’ve had one fail on me that had probably been reused 30+ times, but I always carry spares). Effort? Ten seconds.

Drop chain into a warm ultrasonic cleaner for 30 minutes. Effort? Thirty seconds. Turn slow cooker, containing paraffin and paraffin wax, on to warm.

Remove chain from cleaner and wipe it down. Put it into the now-melted wax for 10 minutes, Effort? Twenty seconds.

Dig chain out, hang it up to cool, wipe off excess wax.

Replace now clean, lubed chain on bike. Effort? Thirty seconds.

Each week I get a clean, lubed chain for a couple of minutes of almost no work at all. If I had more money and less technology, I’d probably just pay a servant to do it for me.

Don’t use your wife's slow cooker. Buy a cheap one from Argos for a tenner and keep it specially for the purpose. Don’t ask how I found out why this part was important ...

northpole

Not exactly 'life changing' but certainly 'gear changing'. I have struggled for many years on different framed bikes with getting reliable consistent Campy shifting. End of last year I switched my best bike over to sram etap and it has been a fantastic move, working reliably every time. No more dreading a steep climb fearing if the chain will sit properly on the biggest cassette sprocket; nor if the smallest will work on the downhills. No idea why I've been so unlucky with Campy - much prefer the shifter logic but I've tried all sorts of workshops, each and every one failed!

Peter

neeb

northpole wrote:

Not exactly 'life changing' but certainly 'gear changing'. I have struggled for many years on different framed bikes with getting reliable consistent Campy shifting. End of last year I switched my best bike over to sram etap and it has been a fantastic move, working reliably every time. No more dreading a steep climb fearing if the chain will sit properly on the biggest cassette sprocket; nor if the smallest will work on the downhills. No idea why I've been so unlucky with Campy - much prefer the shifter logic but I've tried all sorts of workshops, each and every one failed!

I think the discovery here is just electronic vs. mechanical rather than anything to do with Campagnolo or SRAM. Problems with shifting with mechanical groups are nearly always down to cable friction or adjustment IMO, and if it's really difficult to figure out then it's probably the former. Some groups have stronger return springs on the rear derailleur and may work a little better with cable friction, but otherwise they should all work if set up properly. But figuring out what's causing friction can be a nightmare with some setups, especially with internal routing etc.

If you like the Campagnolo shifter logic you should try EPS.. but unfortunately it's not cheap.. Also etap is a bit lighter.

northpole

I did stick with Campag for years and three different frames - Willier, Trek, Colnago. Problems occurred regularly with all three. And that was with different bike workshops including several attempts with Condor and one with Sigma. Logically there should have been no problems. In reality I was forever cursing it! The first 11 speed was with Willier's first Cento Uno which had a dreadful cable routing and a rear derailleur with springs not up to the task - Campy would not admit as much but that was the word I received from Willier. Strangely enough they were pretty quick to change their frame design and improve routing! There were always 'reasons' why it might not be working perfectly but really I gave up with the Colnago which had lovely clean cable routing. I heard too many bad news stories about the reliability or lack of for EPS to go down that route and it didn't feel right to stick dura ace on a Colnago!! I have used DA on my commuter bike since 2007 with perfect shifts every day, apart from when cables need replacing which was very infrequently.

Peter