Park Chain Cyclone Cleaner

[Mick F]

I bought one of these the other day as I'm looking for a quick simple procedure that I could do almost after every ride.

https://www.evanscycles.com/park-cm5-2- ... r-00103374

I'm tired of taking the chain off Moulton maybe once a week, as the chain gets filthy as it's so low to the ground at the rear mech end. Only a couple of inches off the road.

I thought I'd give this device a go, but I don't want to buy a specific chain cleaner product.
What about white spirit in it?
Would that work?
Can you leave the WS on the chain and then lube it without cleaning the WS off first?

Maybe I should just do it and see how it gets on?

[Brucey]

It isn't as vicious as some other solvents but WS can (at various speeds) cause certain plastics and rubbers to swell or crack. So unless someone has used that exact chain cleaner with WS, long term, you won't get an answer without trying it yourself.

FWIW some things about this style of cleaner you may or may not expect;

- the solvent goes everywhere; it certainly doesn't remain entirely confined within the gadget (despite the little sponge)
- the little brushes wear out and need replacing (varies with type of machine no doubt)
- because the gadget needs to be partially assembled around the chain it is slightly more faff than you might imagine and it is also possible to damage the many clips etc that make it all work.
- the sprockets are wetted with the solvent as the chain is cleaned, but not in such a way as they are also cleaned.
- solvent overspill can strip out the lube from seals, bearings etc so you may find that the hub and/or the derailleur pulleys suffer without additional attention

I have used this sort of cleaner but I have never felt the urge to own one and use it on a regular basis. To a great extent it simply replaces one kind of faff with another; whether there is any great saving in net effort is debatable.

If you wipe the chain and leave it overnight most of the WS will evaporate. Provided your chosen chain lube isn't solvent based, and it penetrates the chain quickly, you can relube the following morning.

As you will probably recall I have used a (hot) jetwash on a daily basis to clean the whole bike (including the chain and sprockets). I was set up so it wasn't a big faff to do this but even so (rightly or wrongly) I've not bothered treating a road bike chain the same way. You do get through quite a lot chain lube this way too; if you use expensive lube, daily, the cost of this can soon exceed the value of the chain.

cheers

[thelawnet]

These devices depend on conditions to an extent.

On English roads my chain even with little cleaning lasts 'long enough'. On Indonesian tracks it lasts just a few hundred miles unless given plenty of care.

I have used the Park Tool device (there are cheaper copies) with petrol/diesel or soapy water, the problem with it in terms of faff is that the process is:

1. 1 pass with cleaning solvent
2. 1 pass with water
3. leave to dry, but not so long that it rusts
4. lube

For all the effort you might as well just remove the chain and put it in a jar of your cleaner. Or a toothbrush and some cleaning solvent is probably better option as it is more directed.

The problem with a really dirty chain is:

* there will be a lot of dirt in the jockey wheels (it tends to build up around the edge)
* there will be a lot of dirt in the cassette

I don't think there is a right solution in that if your chain is lasting long enough then you probably don't need to clean it more often.

[Mick F]

mmmmmm .......

Not such a good idea then.

[alexnharvey]

You could wipe the outside of the chain often with a rag or cleaning wipe and then continue to solvent flush and re-lube (iirc) at longer intervals?

[Brucey]

these cleaners suit some folk but they are certainly not a panacea for all ills. It seemed to me that they made most sense when the majority chains didn't come with a quicklink.

Suggestion; would it make more sense for you to use several chains on short rotation? That way you would just change the chain whenever it is dirty, and leave cleaning the chains until you have three or four chains that need it. Doing them all at once is a lot less faff than individually and they can be left soaking in solvent (which usually means less shaking is required) too.

cheers

[Mick F]

The chain and transmission was cleaned a week or so ago, and since then we've been away for a few days, so the chain is still clean.
Planning on rides in the next few days, so I'll have a go with WS in it after them.

Having a play with it earlier, it's quite a faff to get it on as the bottom chain run is quite short due to the 61t chainwheel. Also, it's low to the ground, so I may try turning the bike upside down and doing it "the other way up". Not sure if that'll help though.

Other idea is to get it in the workstand.

They make it look so easy!
Scroll down and watch the video.
https://www.parktool.com/product/cyclon ... gory=Chain

[Des49]

I use one of these chain cleaners quite often, unless the bike is only very lightly used then a paint brush with solvent is used instead. Extremely dirty and I may be tempted to remove the chain and put it in a jar for cleaning.

Not sure if my cleaner is a Park model, probably not as it is not blue. It has lasted well, the brushes must need replacing but still seem to do the business. Tricky to run a 1/8th chain through it, but no issues with 7sp or 11sp chains.

Mine is filled with petrol/diesel mix or white spirit if out of the former.

Always use a chain keeper and remove the rear wheel, otherwise the solvent will go all over the wheel and tyre, possibly get into the freehub too. Even so I do end up with dripping solvent all over the place.

The chain will still feel gritty when twisted with the fingers, so I wash it liberally with a sponge, lots of water and washing up liquid, it really needs a lot of water to rinse the grit off the chain so it feels smooth when twisted. Wash the rest of the drivetrain and run the chain through a rag, I then use a blower to dry the chain, rotating the chain slowly while I hold the air nozzle close to the chain. Then it is ready to lube.

I would not recommend leaving the white spirit without drying the chain first, as I find this results in runny lube which is flung all over the wheel rim.

[thelawnet]

it certainly looks easy, but there are some issues:

* the little wheels come out and have to be reseated

* the wheels get full of gunk which needs to be cleaned out

* the sponge thing needs to be squeezed out because it retains soapy water

* the liquid can come out quite easily, so if it's not kept level then you will spill it everywhere

* you need the bike to be on a stand so that you can turn the pedal forward

[Des49]

it certainly looks easy, but there are some issues:

* the little wheels come out and have to be reseated
* the wheels get full of gunk which needs to be cleaned out
* the sponge thing needs to be squeezed out because it retains soapy water
* the liquid can come out quite easily, so if it's not kept level then you will spill it everywhere
* you need the bike to be on a stand so that you can turn the pedal forward

Only the latter 2 points apply in my experience, I do not use the cleaner with water, only the solvent.

Yes, the solvent does spill and comes out on the chain and drips from there. (Not for use turning a bike upside down unless you want a right mess!)

I also agree to use the bike in a stand, but I turn the cranks backwards anyway.

At the end of the day, there are no short cuts to getting the bike properly cleaned.

[charliepolecat]

What about white spirit in it?

I use washing up liquid/water mix in mine and rinse it all off afterwards.

[Audax67]

I have a similar gadget, from around 20 years ago. It's sort-of OK but as Brucey says you exchange one kind of faff for another. Plus, when you've done the chain you have to clean out the gadget, which is now pitch black inside and contains an amount of filthy toxic fluid you know you shouldn't put down the drain. Sure, you have the same crud no matter what method you use, but when it's distributed over a bunch of rags or washed away with copious amounts of soapy water it doesn't seem so bad. Seeing it in pourable form kinda brings it home.

[Mick F]

What about white spirit in it?

I use washing up liquid/water mix in mine and rinse it all off afterwards.

My idea is to do it frequently, maybe twice a week, so wup lqd and water mix could be the way ahead.

Experimentation is next week.

[Brucey]

when I was cleaning daily using a hot jetwash, I was usually careful not to put anything on the chain that would be too difficult to remove, later on. The lube only had to last for about two hours' use, and then it (and the dirt) would be removed. I daresay the same ought to apply with a chain cleaner gizmo, too, if you are planning to use it daily. Thus depending on what lube you use, there may well be different chain cleaning solvents too, or vice versa.

So WS dissolves oil pretty well but if you are using a wax based lube there may be a better solvent. If you plan to use washing up liquid as a cleaner, then perhaps a lube with a vegetable base would be the thing to use?

FWIW many chain lubes (many waxes, greases, oils etc) might be fairly viscous at room temperature but can be extremely fluid at higher temperatures. One of my mad ideas is that (possibly as a second stage if the chain is already cleaned, or as a single stage if the chain is not very dirty to start with) you could use a hot air gun with a special 'tunnel' nozzle to heat the chain (eg as you slowly backpedal) and apply a cleaner/lube whilst the chain is hot. Having penetrated the chain the surplus just drips off (along with any remaining dirt) whilst the remainder has penetrated the chain bushings and has cooled and set.

When heating the chain the temperature is likely to be limited by either the melting point of the plastic jockey pulleys or the point at which the chain lube starts to burn. Probably the scheme would work over a fairly wide range of temperatures, eg for a wax-based lube between ~50C and 90C or something.
Ideally dirty lube and surplus lube could be collected and re-used. Dirt can be filtered/settled out of the lube and steel wear particles can maybe be removed using a magnet.

cheers

[reohn2]

I bought one of these the other day as I'm looking for a quick simple procedure that I could do almost after every ride.

https://www.evanscycles.com/park-cm5-2- ... r-00103374

I'm tired of taking the chain off Moulton maybe once a week, as the chain gets filthy as it's so low to the ground at the rear mech end. Only a couple of inches off the road.

I thought I'd give this device a go, but I don't want to buy a specific chain cleaner product.
What about white spirit in it?
Would that work?
Can you leave the WS on the chain and then lube it without cleaning the WS off first?

Maybe I should just do it and see how it gets on?

I've been using WS in my Weldtite chain scrubber for years without any detriment to it.I then back pedal the chain through an old towel to remove any excess WS before relubing it.
I decant the remaining WS into a jar to be reused when it's settled.
Once the chain is wiped clean it doesn't take long for any remaining WS to evaporate off especially if the bike is left in the sun,another idea would be to backpedal the chain whilst playing a hair drier on it to help evaporate any remaining WS on the chain innards