Cycling UK Forum

So, I'm not really a keep your bike clean type. I've tended to just hose my bike down and rub it with a sponge like you do with a car. Since getting a new bike last year I've kind of tried to be more diligent. My partner bought me a set of cleaning brushes for bikes and I got various cleaning solutions and a degreaser spray. I used that with a suitable brush and got half decent results.

Today I got Halfords chain cleaner and degreaser kit. What a mess it made of that job. Spilt degreaser all over the place since it didn't close well at first then the arm that hooks onto the jockey wheel doesn't hold anything in place. I got it working in the end but for a gadget to make the job easier it doesn't.

So without taking the chain off what is the quickest, easiest and best option for degreasing the chain? Should I try a different chain degreaser gadget or just use a spray degreaser and brush? Heard park tools make good kit and there's also muc-off one too.

If it's not quick and easy I tend to not bother that often. I'd rather keep on top of things so if I get the right solution to cleaning the chain I'll probably do it every month. If not I'll just end up up running a hose over it and live with it wearing out sooner.

running it through an oily rag, then re-oil it.

De-greasing chains makes little sense in my view. Clean off dirt, maybe, but not eh lubricant - that would be silly

Running a chain through a park chain cleaner with diesel in was the worst thing I ever did to a chain. Its bristles might be plastic, but they seemed to make my chain go a bit looser.

These days I just wipe it, oil it, wipe it, oil it, wipe it, bike it (say 5 miles), wipe it, then leave it.

I am surprised they haven't come up with some sort of "Teflon steel" by now where the chain doesn't need oiling.

Tell them! If they are blending carbon in (making the steel lighter and stronger) they could blend in teflon or some nearly frictionless material. With the whole chain made out of it, there would be no oiling needed. Such a chain might get hot with fast pedalling in really hot weather but I don't know. If there's low enough friction it would work.

The problem with chains is all the crap they pick up when we ride; sand, salt grit, tiny bits of gravel, particles from exhaust, etc. And all of this will act like a grinding paste in the chain. Some of it will come out, using something like WD40, but it really needs a bit more than that to come completely clean. Something like the Park Tools cleaner linked above will spin the little roller and flex the links, and the brushes will get about as much of the gunge out as is possible without removing the chain.

Manc33 wrote:Running a chain through a park chain cleaner with diesel in was the worst thing I ever did to a chain. Its bristles might be plastic, but they seemed to make my chain go a bit looser.

I expect that's because all the dirt and grime came out.

It was the build-up of grit and dirt that made me look for a substitute for oil as I was aware that this was a big factor in wear of the transmission parts. The answer for me at least was this:
http://www.scottoiler.com/uk/products/u ... ution.html

I found that this lubricant which is not oil-based, prevented any accumulation of dirt and grit and kept my chain clean and lubed. I now use this on all my bikes and would recommend it.

No connection with the company.......

If the chain degreaser is on of these:- http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bike-ma ... oCljfw_wcB
I'd suggest it's user error as I've had one for donkeys and it work very well,if it's fitted together correctly.I don't use the top tank on mine,just pour a bit of White Spirit in the bottom up to the level of the brushes,clip it onto the bottom run of the chain holding it in place and up slightly to tighten the chain,with the bike in a straight chain run gear ie;middle ring middle cog,whilst back pedalling a few times,then pour any dirty WS into a jam jar,repeat if necessary.

If you keep the used WS in a jam jar with a lid on,after a couple of weeks it clears up so you can reuse it (at least five or six times).It takes on a bitter beer colour but it's good enough for cleaning chains.

You can then either fill the bottom tank again with hot water with a squirt of washing up liquid in and repeat to get the chain to sparkle,and run the chain through an old towel to remove excess water before relubing.
I've found skipping the hot water rinse is no determent to the chain,I just wipe off the excess WS and leave for 15mins allowing any remaining WS to evaporate,leaves the chain dry enough for re lubing.

Cleaning the chain without taking the chain off? My suggestion, because I asked a similar question a while back, is to TAKE THE CHAIN OFF. You'll be glad you did as its by far the easiest and best method. Shake it in a jar of diesel, white spirit but not petrol. Really.

Thanks to my coach, Mick down in Cornwall [emoji6]

Why not petrol?

barrym wrote:Why not petrol?

Highly inflammable and very carcinogenic fumes.

Heltor Chasca wrote:Cleaning the chain without taking the chain off? My suggestion, because I asked a similar question a while back, is to TAKE THE CHAIN OFF. You'll be glad you did as its by far the easiest and best method. Shake it in a jar of diesel, white spirit but not petrol. Really.

Thanks to my coach, Mick down in Cornwall [emoji6]

I only tend to take it off to clean it if it's really cruddy/caked,and the cassette/chainrings/rear mech need a good scrub.

Removing a chain to clean it is simple if you have a power link, then as the man said, soak it in white spirit and wipe/brush off excess crud.

a hot jetwash (and a squirt or two of something before and after as necessary) will clean any in-situ chain to bare metal in about three minutes. It'll clean the sprockets and chainrings too.

cheers

Just for fun - cos it's another grotty January Sunday - (checks fit of tin hat) here you go:
http://www.bikeradar.com/road/gear/arti ... ain-46131/

Brucey wrote:a hot jetwash (and a squirt or two of something before and after as necessary) will clean any in-situ chain to bare metal in about three minutes. It'll clean the sprockets and chainrings too.

cheers

Excellent idea to damage the paintjob of the bike, decals, and especially to have moisture in the frame AND to contaminate the bearings around (freehub, bottom bracket....)

Full degrease with the chain "in situ" can be done only with particular techniques, so it's a lot easier to remove the chain and clean it separately with solvents+flushed again with Muc-off or similar.

Complete cleaning/degreasing should be done if the chain has been over-lubricated or exposed to lots of dirt. The latter, means that one has to be wise and use a quick-link in the very first place, to remove the chain when it needs to; the former has no other solution than being keen with the bike, using lubricant on short and regular intervals, using little amounts AND wiping-off the dirt before and the excess after.
A chain that is constantly kept wiped-off and lubricated may not need any degreasing as long as is kept free from debris.

By the way, sprockets and chainrings and jockey wheels need to be kept clean too, it's pointless to degrease the chain only