Proper chain cleaning

dawesie01

I’ve got a relatively new bike which I’m aiming to keep in great condition and recently read conflicting views about chain cleaning. I’ve been using this https://www.rutlandcycling.com/accessories/cleaning/de-greaser/muc-off-drivetrain-cleaner-500ml/295-CT.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIstLG1Yan9wIVCuztCh2-aAANEAQYAyABEgK3gfD_BwE which I find to be really effective. Also considered using this https://muc-off.com/products/bio-chain-cleaner-400-ml for an easier, more regular clean however read somewhere that such items may remove too much of the original chain grease (which can’t be fully replaced unless chain is soaked and fully immersed in chain lube) causing quicker degradation. They advocated soap and water instead.

Any thoughts on this? The degreasers and cleaners look great as they’re so easy but is the downside quicker degradation?

seanoconn

I though you were supposed to get rid of the sticky waxy stuff on new chains?

sungod

^^^
this

i think sram's is the worst, extremely sticky, but none are good lubricants, they all bind dirt to the chain which accelerates wear

see: https://www.velonews.com/gear/tech-wearables/technical-faq-should-you-leave-the-factory-lube-on-a-new-chain/

fwiw i degrease a new chain fully, dry, apply new lubricant (wax*) and fit with a connex link - that way the chain can easily be removed, i have 3-4 chains and swap them around every so often to spread chain/cassette wear over a longer period

*wax stays very clean, has low wear and low friction

N0bodyOfTheGoat

I typically run new chains as they come for a few weeks, then apply fresh lube, just used Muc Off dry for first time recently on new road chain and will be interesting to see if it turns into black gunk like their wet lube.

DeVlaeminck

I wouldn't stress too much about it.

sungod said:

^^^
this

i think sram's is the worst, extremely sticky, but none are good lubricants, they all bind dirt to the chain which accelerates wear

see: https://www.velonews.com/gear/tech-wearables/technical-faq-should-you-leave-the-factory-lube-on-a-new-chain/

fwiw i degrease a new chain fully, dry, apply new lubricant (wax*) and fit with a connex link - that way the chain can easily be removed, i have 3-4 chains and swap them around every so often to spread chain/cassette wear over a longer period

*wax stays very clean, has low wear and low friction

Probably a good way to do it if you plan ahead. Assuming a good cleaning/waxing regime how many miles would you get out of a chain and how many chains to one cassette?

trevor.hall12

I use a sonic cleaner after a bath in de greaser

masjer

trevor.hall12 said:

I use a sonic cleaner after a bath in de greaser

I just take a quick shower.

trevor.hall12

masjer said:

trevor.hall12 said:

I use a sonic cleaner after a bath in de greaser

I just take a quick shower.

Golden ?

MattFalle

Can of Jizer - 5l for £25 roughly, so dirt cheap, does exactly the same as Muc Off

Apply liberally with paint brush - can goall over the bike with no worries

hose off

dry chain

apply lube

sorted

takes 5/10 mins max.

imposter2.0

masjer said:

trevor.hall12 said:

I use a sonic cleaner after a bath in de greaser

I just take a quick shower.

Post of the day

imposter2.0

seanoconn said:

I though you were supposed to get rid of the sticky waxy stuff on new chains?

The factory coating is intended to protect the chain during storage/transit and for all the time it spends sitting on a shelf in the bike shop. It also acts as a reasonable lube for the first couple of weeks or so, so no need to degrease it. Having said that, some of the coatings are particularly heavy and sticky and I've had issues with it affecting shifting - in which case just spray some WD or GT onto a rag and wipe the outside of the chain first, without completely degreasing it. After a couple of weeks, just go back to using your lube of choice.

themxperience

Treat the chain as a consumable! They're cheap enough, you could have a new chain every six months if you wanted.

On that note, dont fret too much about it.

I like to fully degrease my chain. spray degreaser of some sort- someone mentioned 'Jizer'- brilliant choice!
Fully degrease. I then pressure wash it. Then compressed air to dry it and blow all the water out. Then I like a good heavy lube. In the winter I'll use a motor oil with little care for how much mess it makes as it'll be shitted up anyway in a few miles. (Then repeat the cleaning process) A well oiled chain with motor oil will see you through a winter without a worry. Although it is a bit messy.

In the summer, my cleaning process remains the same but I use Motul C4 chain wax. Its not 'flingy' so keeps stuff clean. And of course will go more rides with fewer cleans.

IMO people waaaaaaay overthink chain lube.If its oily and slippery- it works!
Yeah, it will attract dirt, but that's unavoidable. Oh, expensive branded chain lubes.... dont waste your money. Theres a host of products in the motorcycle world that are the same thing without the heavy price tag. Motul C4 wax being a good example.

skwarczek

I degrease mine every 2-4 weeks, then take the steam cleaner to it, with a directed nozzle. The remaining grease/dirt drips off with ease, wipe it down and then apply Squirt dry lube.

photonic69

MattFalle said:

Can of Jizer - 5l for £25 roughly, so dirt cheap, does exactly the same as Muc Off

Apply liberally with paint brush - can goall over the bike with no worries

hose off

dry chain

apply lube

sorted

takes 5/10 mins max.

Nah!
NO NONSENSE HEAVY DUTY DEGREASER 5LTR From Screwfix @ £9.99 absolute dogs-bollocks. It’s a wonder-fluid.

crescent

As a bare minimum I always run my chain through a handful of baby wipes after each ride, even if it is not especially dirty. Just enough to remove any build up of dirt or grime that may have attached itself to the chain lubricant. About once a week I will give the chain a degreasing (Screwfix no-nonsense degreaser is great - about a tenner for 5 litres) apply a bit of chain lube and all seems to tick along nicely. I'm not averse to using GT85 on my chain sometimes and seems to work fine.

pblakeney

My procedure for a no-rush replacement. Clean new chain with WD40, wipe dry, leave for 2 days to evaporate, wipe again, fit chain, apply dry lube.
Clean bike as normal, lube as soon as the chain makes the slightest noise.
Maybe I should by some degreaser. 😉

First.Aspect

I always think that people who wash their chain after each ride need to ride more.

And when you do clean a chain, it isn't rocket science. You can either use a lot of a degrease that is supposedly environmentally friendly, or a tiny amount of something that isn't.

MattFalle

its all in the £ to amount ratio though isn't it?

Something like the Screwfix stuffor Jizer or Gunk foes exscyly tgd same - ifnotbetter - thsn domething like Muc Off and myrid euivs but costs far less - doesn't carry the marketing although its sll thd same stuff

Jizer, Screwfix etc you can afford to slop on and forget whereas Muc Off etc as it costs a ridiculous amount you've gott be more careful.

Winter, I'll clean once a week.

MidlandsGrimpeur2

The degreasers and cleaners look great as they’re so easy but is the downside quicker degradation

I change chains roughly every 4500km, which is every 10-12 weeks for me.

I use morgan blue degreaser and clean the chain once a week (unless I have ridden in sh11ty conditions and it needs proper cleaning). This keeps chains in v good condition throughout their use.

As an experiment, I used a chain over the winter, wiped it down and mainly soap and water rather than fully degreasing it each week. By the time I got to around 4000km, it was in bad shape, cracking on the connecting plates at various points. I assume it wore much quicker as I was not fully cleaning it and tiny bits of debris in between links were speeding up the damage.

ibr17xvii

photonic69 said:

MattFalle said:

Can of Jizer - 5l for £25 roughly, so dirt cheap, does exactly the same as Muc Off

Apply liberally with paint brush - can goall over the bike with no worries

hose off

dry chain

apply lube

sorted

takes 5/10 mins max.

Nah!
NO NONSENSE HEAVY DUTY DEGREASER 5LTR From Screwfix @ £9.99 absolute dogs-bollocks. It’s a wonder-fluid.

This stuff?

https://screwfix.com/p/no-nonsense-heavy-duty-degreaser-5ltr/88668

I've always used Morgan Blue which is OK in the summer when the chain isn't that dirty but doesn't really do a great job for winter riding.

photonic69

ibr17xvii said:

photonic69 said:

MattFalle said:

Can of Jizer - 5l for £25 roughly, so dirt cheap, does exactly the same as Muc Off

Apply liberally with paint brush - can goall over the bike with no worries

hose off

dry chain

apply lube

sorted

takes 5/10 mins max.

Nah!
NO NONSENSE HEAVY DUTY DEGREASER 5LTR From Screwfix @ £9.99 absolute dogs-bollocks. It’s a wonder-fluid.

This stuff?

https://screwfix.com/p/no-nonsense-heavy-duty-degreaser-5ltr/88668

I've always used Morgan Blue which is OK in the summer when the chain isn't that dirty but doesn't really do a great job for winter riding.

That’s the stuff. I put chain in an empty ice cream tub. Pour just enough to barely cover chain then add some boiling water and agitate and leave for 30 mins. Come back and use old paintbrush over one side then the other. Pour away. Rinse in hot water and hang to dry. I put it in an old spray bottle 1:4 and use it to clean cassettes; chainrings; derailleurs; ovens; top of fridge; side of cooker; car wheels; tar off side of car sills; engines; chain lube off paving etc etc etc. It’s mega. Can’t stop finding enough jobs for it. Get some

mrb123

What's it like to drink?

photonic69

mrb123 said:

What's it like to drink?

Probably go right through you! Good for colonic flushing!

N0bodyOfTheGoat

Just checked box for Muc Off C3 Ceramic Dry I used the other day for the first time, apparently for "dry-damp" conditions.

If riding in the dry, any experience of typically how long between re-applications with regular rides? 2-3 weeks?

Got caught out by Progold Prolink ~6 years ago, didn't realise it was a "dry" lube, killed chain and cassette within six months of regular short commutes, because I wasn't applying fresh after wet rides!

pblakeney

N0bodyOfTheGoat said:

Just checked box for Muc Off C3 Ceramic Dry I used the other day for the first time, apparently for "dry-damp" conditions.

If riding in the dry, any experience of typically how long between re-applications with regular rides? 2-3 weeks?

Just reapplied after 2 weeks and 180 miles in dry conditions. Was fine for that.

ibr17xvii

photonic69 said:

ibr17xvii said:

photonic69 said:

MattFalle said:

Can of Jizer - 5l for £25 roughly, so dirt cheap, does exactly the same as Muc Off

Apply liberally with paint brush - can goall over the bike with no worries

hose off

dry chain

apply lube

sorted

takes 5/10 mins max.

Nah!
NO NONSENSE HEAVY DUTY DEGREASER 5LTR From Screwfix @ £9.99 absolute dogs-bollocks. It’s a wonder-fluid.

This stuff?

https://screwfix.com/p/no-nonsense-heavy-duty-degreaser-5ltr/88668

I've always used Morgan Blue which is OK in the summer when the chain isn't that dirty but doesn't really do a great job for winter riding.

That’s the stuff. I put chain in an empty ice cream tub. Pour just enough to barely cover chain then add some boiling water and agitate and leave for 30 mins. Come back and use old paintbrush over one side then the other. Pour away. Rinse in hot water and hang to dry. I put it in an old spray bottle 1:4 and use it to clean cassettes; chainrings; derailleurs; ovens; top of fridge; side of cooker; car wheels; tar off side of car sills; engines; chain lube off paving etc etc etc. It’s mega. Can’t stop finding enough jobs for it. Get some

Sold!

MattFalle

not sure about that - all sounds like hard work.

park bike

paintbrush soaked in degreaser.

spin cranks backwards as fast as you can whilst holding paint brush in

do same to cassette

hose off.

all this chain off/hot water/ etc sounds like a right faff.

MidlandsGrimpeur2

There is a lot of messing about with chains on here. From now on I am going to soak my chain in vintage champagne, buff it dry with a mink stole and then lubricate it with unicorn tears.

photonic69

If you want to be really extravagant then soak it in a bath of inkjet printer ink. Far more expensive than Bollinger!

pblakeney

pblakeney said:

N0bodyOfTheGoat said:

Just checked box for Muc Off C3 Ceramic Dry I used the other day for the first time, apparently for "dry-damp" conditions.

If riding in the dry, any experience of typically how long between re-applications with regular rides? 2-3 weeks?

Just reapplied after 2 weeks and 180 miles in dry conditions. Was fine for that.

Scratch that.
Muc-Off dry lube is much filthier than Finish Line. I'll be going back.

parmos

i've started to clean my chain a little more often as well got some of that screwfix degreaser and a chain cleaner device doesn't take long and i find it helps a lot lol