CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Stuff

Cleaning chains

(46 posts)

12

  1. DaveC
    Member

    I have a new chain and cassette and been using them for a couple of months now.

    The chain and cassette get filthy pretty soon after a clean and I'm finding it a pain to clean the chain properly. I can get the cassette nice and shiney with an old pain brush and Gunk (a degreaser) but the chain is a pain to clean even when I give it a good going over with the Gunk and brush.

    Does anyone have any tips for getting the chain clean? Do these sort of cleaning tools really work? I've never used one and have always been sceptical. I used a rag to try and get most of the worst off at the weekend but the chain is still black.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  2. crowriver
    Member

    Baby wipes. They clean just about anything off.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  3. Cyclops
    Member

    If it's a chain with a quick joining link it's far easier taking it off the bike to clean it. I put my dirty chain in a jar (make sure the lid fits tightly) with a bit degreaser then give it a good shake. Rinse off with plenty of water then wipe with a rag.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  4. Darkerside
    Member

    SRAM nickel plated chains work brilliantly. Never rust, so the grunt just wipes off. Can be a bit fiddly, but just takes some quality time with a rag. No solvents or anything required.

    Probably the best cycling thing I've discovered over the past year. Cheap(ish) too.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  5. kaputnik
    Moderator

    I was advised against using anything liquidy, solventy or too abrasive (like chain cleaning/scrubbing machines, white spirits, solvents, chemical degreasers).

    The logic behind this was that these intensive chain "cleaning" devices are penetrants and also deep-clean the lubracation out of the inside of the chain. It then becomes difficult to fully remove the degreasing chemicals once they've got inside, and equally difficult to get a good lubrication back inside the chain once it's been removed. Ultimately I was advised that these reduce chain life, even if you might get a temporarily cleaner chain.

    I apply more-than-I-need of oil to the chain and let it soak in a bit, then rub it quite vigorouslu off with lots of rag. It gets the chain remarkably clean, and then I give it a light oiling and rub off gently again.

    Ultimately your chain is still blacker than if it came out of one of these deep clean machines, but it is (in theory) better lubricated.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  6. amir
    Member

    I never use degreasers these days - I think that it can remove the oil from the internals. Besides it's not usually necessary. I use the oil itself to clean the chain then wipe dry.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  7. Min
    Member

    Do these sort of cleaning tools really work?

    I use one like this and I think it is cool. My chains seem to last for ages and oiling and wiping afterwards seems to do the trick just fine.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  8. DaveC
    Member

    I watched that EBC chain cleaning video the other week. They use a degreaser, wipe waste off, rinse with water and use GT85 to remove the water before reoiling. I bought a new can of GT85 lastnight from @thebikechain, as they have if on sale, along with some more lube and may have another go at the weekend. I was doing pretty much what EBC recomended but using gt85 on its own and forgetting to reoil for a few days.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  9. kaputnik
    Moderator

    The cleaner your chain is, the faster it will get dirty.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  10. crowriver
    Member

    I'd support the "no degreaser" stance unless it's absolutely necessary. I usually just wipe down with baby wipes, and re-oil.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  11. amir
    Member

    This is how to do it:
    http://sheldonbrown.com/chainclean.html

    Posted 11 years ago #

  12. DaveC
    Member

    Woow!!! I have been doing it (and will carry on doing it) all wrong....

    ;O)

    Posted 11 years ago #

  13. minus six
    Member

    i lightly dab some white spirits on rag, run chain thru it, leave for half hour or so, run chain thru a clean rag, then lightly re-oil

    repeat every three days

    Posted 11 years ago #

  14. JohnS
    Member

    I agree with kaputnik, I was advised by my local bike shop not to apply degreaser, chain or bike cleaner to the chain as it removes the underlying lubricant and leads to early chain wear. I do exactly what kaputnik does at the end of each day, a good wipe with a rag should do. I have a colleague at work who also cleans the chain the same way. I used to deep clean my chain and it eventually led to a very expensive replacement of the cassettes and chainrings due too excessive wear by the chain getting worn out too quickly.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  15. ianfieldhouse
    Member

    > This is how to do it:
    > http://sheldonbrown.com/chainclean.html

    If it was necessary to do that every time my chain was dirty I'd just buy a new chain.

    Personnally I use Morgan Blue chain degreaser (it's good enough for the pro peloton so good enough for me) and a stiff brush. 'Paint' the degreaser onto the chain and then rinse off with water. Allow the chain to dry then add lubricant. Finally wipe any excess lubricant of with rag. This takes all of 10 minutes to do and leaves my chain and cassette sparkling.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  16. Min
    Member

    at the end of each day

    I feel that life is too short.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  17. PS
    Member

    I've been using the wax-based lubricants for a few years now - they seem to keep the chain "cleaner" than oil (the inner calf chainring tattoo isn't quite so obvious with it, anyway).

    Posted 11 years ago #

  18. wingpig
    Member

    On the two occasions in the past year when I've found myself with a really manky chain and a spare half-hour when there were no other maintenance or household tasks to perform I went along the chain poking the gunk out of the inside with a cocktail stick or wooden food-skewer, wiping the fished-out gunge off onto a baby wipe. Also works for getting the gunge off the sides of the jockey wheels and off the teeth of the chainring where they hide behind the crank spider. I'd rather have a heavily-gunged chain than a rusty chain, so generally go for what would be seen as excessive lubing by people with opinions on excessive lubing, particularly if it looks like heavy rain. This greater stickiness does result in greater pickup of NEPN-leafmulch and roadfilth but does prevent embarrassing orange oxidations, which can occur even on a nickel-plated SRAM in my experience.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  19. Nelly
    Member

    I think it all depends - if you are CX or MTBing, mud will compromise gears etc so a deep clean 'might' be required - but woudl rather have a slightly dirty chain than one stripped of lube.

    I also think its different for a geared and non-geared bikes.

    I virtually never clean the Single Speed commuter chain - might occasionally clean off the salty gunk when the bike gets cleaned and if it looks a bit dry, drip some chain lube on the links.

    Would be useful to get a pro-bike mechanics view on chain cleaning.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  20. DaveC
    Member

    PS typed "I've been using the wax-based lubricants for a few years now"

    Oh what do you use??

    Do you use the Karate kid method?? Wax on, wax off??

    I have worn through one chain and cassette in a year and a half since I bought my Cotic, with my usual cleaning regime. I bought replacements for ~£26, which for a years commuting, I don't regard as steep.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  21. EddieD
    Member

    I used to use two chains - one in use for a week, the other immersed for the first day in white spirit (the sheldon shake), then hung up to dry for a day, then left for two days in a thick (warmed) lube, then hung up to dry, and then wiped clean, and then reattached to the bike.

    After I moved to 10speed chains, and one shot (3.99) links, I adopted the strategy of wiping the chain of an eveing with an oily rag, and once a week wiping with a GT85 soaked cloth and new layer of finish line. The chains seem to last the same amount of time :)

    Posted 11 years ago #

  22. PS
    Member

    @DaveC TBH I can't remember what it's called. Got it from The Bike Chain.

    You skoosh it on while turning the cranks, then wipe it off with a cloth. It claims to take a lot of the dirt out of the chain (which I can believe on the basis of the colour of the stuff that gets wiped off).

    Posted 11 years ago #

  23. gembo
    Member

    @eddie h - rag soaked in GT85/WD40 good call, otherwise the GT85 might get inside the chain and strip the lubricant too? I have a very cheap chain cleaning tool from Aldi that I like to think is so bad that it only cleans the surface gunk. I have used wax stuff, dry lube, wet lube, oil rags, the pipe from a can of GT85/WD40 to poke out the mud. I have never used paraffin and a toothbrush, nor have I resorted to a hairdryer

    Posted 11 years ago #

  24. Kenny
    Member

    Do these sort of cleaning tools really work?

    Yes, they do. I have one and I find it marvellous, the chain comes out looking amazing, indeed I used it last weekend when the chain sounded like it was a pile of rusted crap, and it came out functioning beautifully and silently again.

    The resultant liquid left behind is similar to that what is in the Vax when taken over our living room carpet after all my daughters and dogs have given it some standard abuse. Once it's clean, wipe it off, lube it up and you're ready to go. Best bit is you don't need to take the chain off - you attach the device to the chain and turn your cranks backwards to drag the chain through the device.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  25. TractorFactory
    Member

    I was thinking about the whole don't or rarely clean the chain above and was considering the implications. It does sound sensible to not clean out the manufacturer's lubricate which you can feel on a new chain as being very good.

    But I find myself thinking about the other neighbouring parts which chain dirt can affect. The dirt and dust on a chain could quite easily help errode and lessen the life of the front chain rings and rear cassette and I always find that on a Friday after a weeks commute that my chain system is a lot more gritty and grinding sounding that it is on the Monday after my weekend chain spruce.

    My chain spruce entails cleaning the chain and sprockets with just washing up liquid in warm water. Drying off with rag, GT85 right along the chain to loosen dirt and expel water, Dry off. Then a drop of oil in each link along the chain using the powerlink as start and finish, spin a couple of times to work it in, then again dry off. Gets the chain feeling nice and smooth for the Monday.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  26. Cyclingmollie
    Member

    There's a lot of contradictory advice. I agree PS that wax lube is best. The chain never needs washed as the dirt just slews off. But it's not good in rain.

    I used a chain cleaning machine for years until I read an article that made it sound like a bad thing. It strips the internal lube and drips degreaser into the jockey wheels.

    Now I wipe with a rag to get the worst off, use cheap oil to flush the remaining dirt out, leave it overnight and then apply decent oil and wipe. I'm told that surface oil has no value; all the important lube is within the rollers.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  27. neddie
    Member

    I would recommend a 3-speed or 8-speed hub. Saves the knees and the chain will take a lot more abuse/only need cleaning once every 2 months. Not for everyone though, I agree

    Posted 11 years ago #

  28. Charterhall
    Member

    Inspired by this thread I gave my chain a liberal dose of 3-in-1 this evening. Am I the only one still using such an unfashionable product ?

    Posted 11 years ago #

  29. Nelly
    Member

    Said it before, the crunching noises are not necessarily your chain, more like junk in jockeys etc.

    My singlespeed is at least 5 weeks @ 60 miles / week since a wash - silent as the grave tonight on way home.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  30. remberbuck
    Member

    Not cleaning your chain to save factory lubricants smacks of a convenient urban myth to get you out of a potentially mucky task! I'd think that the greasy grimy grey mess you pick up on your chain in winter would do a very effective job of stripping any lubricant.

    Bike cleaning machines are great - I've been through loads - and by making the job easy they make it easy for you to do the job. Quick five mineute, chain still in place, wash off, leave overnight to dry out properly - hairdryer if you're really desperate to get going again - and relube before setting off. If you're worried about the degreaser doing things it shouldn't, then just dilute it and compensate by some extra turns of the cranks.

    If you don't like the chemicals Green Oils do an organic version that you just drip onto the chain and rotate the cranks - no machine needed. Very simple, but not as penetrative as the brushes on the machine.

    (WD 40 is a very light oil so you might find it washing off on days ... like today).

    Posted 11 years ago #

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