Chain Cleaner

vincesummerskRoxcBTr · 23 February

Anyone recommend a chain cleaner?
Mine has just broken , it was a Barberini one and the plastic seemed quite brittle.

step83 · 24 February

If you can remove the chain, Large jar and de greaser of your choice

brundonbianchi · 24 February

https://www.halfords.com/cycling/bike-maintenance/bike-cleaning/bikehut-chain-cleaning-kit-164289.html

I’ve been using this for ages. It works well, and I’ve dropped it more than once with no consequences.

david37 · 24 February

i just brush on some cleaner, leave it do do its thing then when ive washed the rest of the bike grab a sponge and hot water, grab the chain and run it through. Just the job.

arlowood · 24 February

Had a Park Tool one for ages. Good bit of kit and does the job well

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Park-Tool-Unisexs-cm-5-3-Cyclone-Scrubber/dp/B07YWQYC83/ref=sr_1_2?adgrpid=53383268596&dchild=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAj9iBBhCJARIsAE9qRtBXdEABLwr8yvf34t2egTpV1YrcxEynLMGt2Z0jWstn6E6TZWlMF4gaAhVUEALw_wcB&hvadid=259082567718&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=1006891&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=4721501059589294668&hvtargid=kwd-302135393695&hydadcr=18527_1725513&keywords=park+tools+chain+cleaner&qid=1614175844&sr=8-2&tag=googhydr-21

paulbnix · 24 February

arlowood said:
Had a Park Tool one for ages. Good bit of kit and does the job well

This.

MattFalle · 26 February

Can of Jizer and a paintbrush.

Spaff it on, work into all the crannies through the cassette, hose it off.

2 minute job.

mrb123 · 26 February

I've got a Park Tool one but can seldom be bothered with it.

Inch or so of degreaser in an old water bottle with the top cut off. Stick that in the seat tube bottle cage and use a small paintbrush to coat chain and gunked up bits. Leave it for a few minutes and then run chain through a sponge or rag soaked in hot soapy water.

david37 · 26 February

wot MRB said.

The chain cleaners are totally unnecessary. Washed 5 bikes today, took less than 40 mins including 2 chain degreases each.

the sponge is better

The washing up sponge with the bristly bits are even better

vincesummerskRoxcBTr · 28 February

Sounds like the Park tool gets a thumbs up.
I find a chain cleaner quick and easy to use, so will stick with it!

brundonbianchi · 28 February

The majority of chain ‘stretch’ is down to wear of the rollers and bushings. It’s little bits of grit and debris stuck in the bushings that you need to get out. The chain cleaners are designed to get right into the nooks and crannies, and therefore help reduce chain ‘stretch’. It’s more difficult to ensure you’ve got all the debris out, without the cleaner machines.

shortfall · 28 February

brundonbianchi said:
The majority of chain ‘stretch’ is down to wear of the rollers and bushings. It’s little bits of grit and debris stuck in the bushings that you need to get out. The chain cleaners are designed to get right into the nooks and crannies, and therefore help reduce chain ‘stretch’. It’s more difficult to ensure you’ve got all the debris out, without the cleaner machines.

You can't teach an old cog new links as someone once famously said 😂

imposter2.0 · 28 February

shortfall said:
You can't teach an old cog new links as someone once famously said 😂

Loads of people have said it, apparently. The trouble is, they are all aliases of milemuncher..

molteni_man · 28 February

Muc Off Chain Cleaner aerosol is fab! Recent convert to it. Spray it on, use an old toothbrush to agitate, wipe off excess, rinse, dry and re-lube. Best one I’ve used.
£8 at Wiggle. Lasts for ages.
https://www.wiggle.co.uk/muc-off-chain-cleaner-400ml-aerosol?lang=en&curr=GBP&dest=1&sku=5360195910&kpid=5360195910&utm_source=google&utm_term=&utm_campaign=Shopping+-+All+Products&utm_medium=base&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIhvn5_bCN7wIVEu7tCh3kRg7SEAQYBSABEgKR2fD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

brundonbianchi · 28 February

shortfall said:

brundonbianchi said:
The majority of chain ‘stretch’ is down to wear of the rollers and bushings. It’s little bits of grit and debris stuck in the bushings that you need to get out. The chain cleaners are designed to get right into the nooks and crannies, and therefore help reduce chain ‘stretch’. It’s more difficult to ensure you’ve got all the debris out, without the cleaner machines.
You can't teach an old cog new links as someone once famously said 😂

That’s a relative term. If you keep the ‘stretch’ under the 1% mark before you change chains, you can get away with more than one chain per cassette. If you go much over that, the cassette will get chewed up, and sticking a new chain on the old cassette will prove the adage that ‘you can’t teach an old cog new links’ right.

brundonbianchi · 28 February

imposter2.0 said:

shortfall said:
You can't teach an old cog new links as someone once famously said 😂
Loads of people have said it, apparently. The trouble is, they are all aliases of milemuncher..

The first time I heard it was in about 1986, when I was having a ‘mare with a slipping new chain, that I’d put on a chewed out cassette, because I didn’t ever actually measure the chain wear properly. Some ‘old sweat’ said it, I’ve never forgotten it.

imposter2.0 · 28 February

brundonbianchi said:

shortfall said:

brundonbianchi said:
The majority of chain ‘stretch’ is down to wear of the rollers and bushings. It’s little bits of grit and debris stuck in the bushings that you need to get out. The chain cleaners are designed to get right into the nooks and crannies, and therefore help reduce chain ‘stretch’. It’s more difficult to ensure you’ve got all the debris out, without the cleaner machines.
You can't teach an old cog new links as someone once famously said 😂
That’s a relative term. If you keep the ‘stretch’ under the 1% mark before you change chains, you can get away with more than one chain per cassette. If you go much over that, the cassette will get chewed up, and sticking a new chain on the old cassette will prove the adage that ‘you can’t teach an old cog new links’ right.

I don't propose to indulge you much on this Nick, because I know you're just trolling for replies, as usual. But the term was utter bollox when you first said it and it remains utter bollox now. The fact that you are now having to clarify something which you used to claim as an absolute is all the evidence needed.

All of your recently acquired chain 'knowledge' comes from Mr Bornmann over on Cyclechat, as I'm sure you know. He knows stuff - you just plagiarise it.

imposter2.0 · 1 March

brundonbianchi said:

imposter2.0 said:

shortfall said:
You can't teach an old cog new links as someone once famously said 😂
Loads of people have said it, apparently. The trouble is, they are all aliases of milemuncher..

The first time I heard it was in about 1986, when I was having a ‘mare with a slipping new chain, that I’d put on a chewed out cassette, because I didn’t ever actually measure the chain wear properly. Some ‘old sweat’ said it, I’ve never forgotten it.

A 'cassette' in 1986 - how interesting. Are you Marty McFly..??

MattFalle · 1 March

Nah - he's just a massive cog.

nibnob21 · 2 March

A lot of the chain cleaners (the park tool one included) aren't ideal as they just give the chain a fairly superficial clean. It's not the outside you need to be paying much attention to, the chain wears on the internal rollers and bushings from little bits of grit getting in there and wearing things away. Those chain cleaners do very little to address that.

In my experience nothing beats taking the chain off, rinsing it, soaking it in a jar of degreaser and swilling around, then rinsing through until water runs clear. Quick, cheap, easy. Quick links are cheap and can be reused a few times without issue.

I think what's equally important is keeping on top of it and not letting the chain get into a state in the first place. Don't over apply wet lube and wipe off any excess. Remember, it's the internals that need lubrication, not the outside!

david37 · 4 March

if buying a plastic bucket of rotating bristles makes you feel happier then great. the key thing is just to keep it as clean as you can / can be bothered to get it.

elbowloh · 4 March

I have the muc off one, but I never use it as it's not a good a doing it properly with an old tooth brush and some rags imho.

Harry182 · 4 March

nibnob21 said:
A lot of the chain cleaners (the park tool one included) aren't ideal as they just give the chain a fairly superficial clean. It's not the outside you need to be paying much attention to, the chain wears on the internal rollers and bushings from little bits of grit getting in there and wearing things away. Those chain cleaners do very little to address that.

In my experience nothing beats taking the chain off, rinsing it, soaking it in a jar of degreaser and swilling around, then rinsing through until water runs clear. Quick, cheap, easy. Quick links are cheap and can be reused a few times without issue.

I think what's equally important is keeping on top of it and not letting the chain get into a state in the first place. Don't over apply wet lube and wipe off any excess. Remember, it's the internals that need lubrication, not the outside!

Agreed. This is pretty much me exactly.

Also, I live in a mostly dry climate and can use a light lube that isn't prone to gunking up.

brundonbianchi · 5 March

imposter2.0 said:

brundonbianchi said:

shortfall said:

brundonbianchi said:
The majority of chain ‘stretch’ is down to wear of the rollers and bushings. It’s little bits of grit and debris stuck in the bushings that you need to get out. The chain cleaners are designed to get right into the nooks and crannies, and therefore help reduce chain ‘stretch’. It’s more difficult to ensure you’ve got all the debris out, without the cleaner machines.
You can't teach an old cog new links as someone once famously said 😂
That’s a relative term. If you keep the ‘stretch’ under the 1% mark before you change chains, you can get away with more than one chain per cassette. If you go much over that, the cassette will get chewed up, and sticking a new chain on the old cassette will prove the adage that ‘you can’t teach an old cog new links’ right.
I don't propose to indulge you much on this Nick, because I know you're just trolling for replies, as usual. But the term was utter bollox when you first said it and it remains utter bollox now. The fact that you are now having to clarify something which you used to claim as an absolute is all the evidence needed.

All of your recently acquired chain 'knowledge' comes from Mr Bornmann over on Cyclechat, as I'm sure you know. He knows stuff - you just plagiarise it.

I’ve never heard of him. I don’t do ‘cyclechat’. And “recently acquired”

brundonbianchi · 5 March

imposter2.0 said:

brundonbianchi said:

imposter2.0 said:

shortfall said:
You can't teach an old cog new links as someone once famously said 😂
Loads of people have said it, apparently. The trouble is, they are all aliases of milemuncher..

The first time I heard it was in about 1986, when I was having a ‘mare with a slipping new chain, that I’d put on a chewed out cassette, because I didn’t ever actually measure the chain wear properly. Some ‘old sweat’ said it, I’ve never forgotten it.
A 'cassette' in 1986 - how interesting. Are you Marty McFly..??

Free wheels, cassettes, same rules. All ‘cogged gear wheels’.

imposter2.0 · 5 March

brundonbianchi said:
I’ve never heard of him. I don’t do ‘cyclechat’. And “recently acquired”

Of course you haven't heard of him. That would require knowledge. But it hasn't stopped you from plagiarising his content.

And to say you 'don't do cyclechat' is another lie - you were banned from there as well, were you not?

jamescordon76 · 5 March

brundonbianchi said:

I’ve never heard of him. I don’t do ‘cyclechat’. And “recently acquired”

What? You were "Racing Roadkill" and many other user names on Cyclechat, why do you lie about these things?

david37 · 5 March

Gents are we not veering into the bullying zone with Grundon the Bianchi? though it is very funny.

he's clearly got problems .

imposter2.0 · 5 March

david37 said:
Gents are we not veering into the bullying zone with Grundon the Bianchi? though it is very funny.

he's clearly got problems .

You either call him out, or you ignore the fact that he's been banned ten times previously for trolling and allow him to continue posting shite. Difficult choice...

david37 · 5 March

imposter2.0 said:

david37 said:
Gents are we not veering into the bullying zone with Grundon the Bianchi? though it is very funny.

he's clearly got problems .
You either call him out, or you ignore the fact that he's been banned ten times previously for trolling and allow him to continue posting shite. Difficult choice...

to be honest I can just scan past mostly. Apart from when he's posting dangerous BS.

yearofthegoat · 5 March

I have Barberini(?) one at the moment and it does a fair job. It was £5.99 from Merlin, so, to the OP, if they like it, suggest just getting another one?

It's a shame from a waste perspective, but is the Park one 5x better? Or will it last 5x longer? It may well do, they are supposed to be good and if you're minted there's a metal bodied one too.

I actually don't want my rotating brushes to do too deep a clean, as my chain is only 4mths old, so the Barbieri(?) one is good for getting the exterior worst off but, hopefully, not much more.

I'll take the chain off after the winter/wet season ends (say May-ish?) and degrease completely, then either hot wax it or some other lube (Smoove maybe).

I have another chain, still with Shimano's lard all over it, ready to go on while I clean the first one. I'd put it on now as it's a better chain, but round my way there's lots of muddy, sandy, gritty trails just waiting to jump into my drivetrain.

ATM after cleaning I have choice of chainsaw lube, or Pedro's Synlube. The Pedro's has been good so far, will try the chainsaw lube next just t see. If it's rubbish it'll solely go on the actual chainsaw.

Chain Cleaner

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