Morgan Blue Chain Cleaner is incredibly effective at shifting caked-on grime from drivetrains. It’s reasonably priced, but there are questions about its eco credentials.
I used this same chain cleaner many years ago, and was always impressed by its cleaning abilities. Nothing seems to have changed, that I can tell. Just spray it directly on your chain thanks to the included sprayer head, or alternatively pour it into your chain cleaning device of choice.
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The solution works very fast at dissolving grime (quicker than the five-minute dwell time Morgan Blue recommends). After a thorough scrubbing with a brush, and then a rinse with water, the whole drivetrain looks virtually new again. It really is impressive.
Bear in mind, too, that I wasn’t testing this stuff out on a lightly used summer bike. My first test bike of choice was my wife’s gravel bike, sporting a Shimano Sora setup. It’s been through many winters with nary a clean or a drop of oil. I’ve included some photos of the before and after on that one, so you can see just how good it is.
Before pics:
After:
The second bike was actually one of those cheating combustion-powered ones. I don’t believe my motorcycle chain has been properly cleaned since the bike was new about 2,500 miles ago. Morgan Blue doesn’t state that its chain cleaner can only be used on bicycle chains, so I thought, why not? That one also came up looking like new (as did the rear sprocket), though I did repeat the process a couple of times, just to be sure.
Impressive stuff then, although the reason I stopped using Morgan Blue Chain Cleaner all those years ago is I’m really not sure how good it is for the environment. It’s powerful stuff, and the warning label on the rear certainly doesn’t paint a positive picture of its contents. (Morgan Blue does make a Bio Bike Cleaner too, for the same price, which Emma reviewed recently.)
My current chain cleaner is Bilt Hamber Surfex HD, which is more of an all-purpose degreaser, but when used neat is pretty potent on drivetrains. It’s not nearly as powerful as the Morgan Blue, but it’s water-based, biodegradable, and non-toxic.
The Morgan Blue comes in various sizes – 1 litre, 500ml and 250ml – but given how often you’re going to use it you’d be better off going for the bigger size. At around £12 it’s decent value for money compared with other chain cleaners around.
Tru-Tension’s Cycle Drivetrain Cleaner scored highly, but at a tenner for less than half a litre it’s expensive.
Juice Lubes Dirt Juice Boss Chain Cleaner came up trumps with its cleaning abilities, as well as its eco credentials, but you pay for the privilege at nearly £15 for less than half a litre.
Overall, the Morgan Blue is a superb drivetrain cleaner at a great price, but the eco-minded might prefer the Bio Bike Cleaner.
Verdict
Powerful chain cleaning at a good price, but at what cost to the environment?
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road.cc test report
Make and model: Morgan Blue Professional Chain Cleaner
Size tested: 1litre
Tell us what the product is for and who it’s aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?
Morgan Blue says, “Chain Cleaner is an active cleaner/degreaser suitable for the chain and drivetrain components.”
Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?
Apply the Chain Cleaner on the chain, the front and rear derailleurs. Let the cleaner soak in for about 5 minutes then rinse off with soapy water. Then dry and re-lubricate the chain and drivetrain parts.
(Always re-lubricate the chain after cleaning.)
The bottle and spray head seem of sufficient quality plastic.
Very effective cleaner – just spray on and grime dissolves almost instantly.
A good price compared with similar chain cleaners.
Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose
It shifted caked-on grime with minimal scrubbing.
Tell us what you particularly liked about the product
Its cleaning power.
Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product
No eco credentials, so not so good for the environment (or my driveway).
How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?
At £11.95 for a litre it’s really good value for money. Both the Tru-Tension Cycle Drivetrain Cleaner and Juice Lubes Dirt Juice Boss Chain Cleaner performed well (with the Juice Lubes having better eco credentials) but they are significantly more expensive per litre.
Did you enjoy using the product? Yes
Would you consider buying the product? No – I prefer something more eco-friendly.
Would you recommend the product to a friend? No
Use this box to explain your overall score
Excellent performance and it’ll make your drivetrain look like new again with minimal effort. It’s good value too, but with no mention of eco credentials there could be a hidden cost to the environment.
About the tester
Age: 39 Height: 6’4 Weight: 175lbs
I usually ride: Steel audax bike My best bike is:
I’ve been riding for: 10-20 years I ride: Every day I would class myself as: Experienced
I regularly do the following types of riding: commuting, touring, club rides, sportives,
9 thoughts on “Morgan Blue Professional Chain Cleaner”
I have a bottle of this. It’s
I have a bottle of this. It’s enormously impressive and any black gunk on your chain and cassette just melts away.
There are a couple of caveats though:
1. I think this is diluted napthna. Definitely not good if it goes in a water source. More importantly – though I’ve not tried it – any rags soaked in the stuff may become extremely flammable once dry.
2. Make sure you screw the nozzle closed after each use. As air pressure and temperature changes it has a tendency to leak. Back to the flammable issue again with the added disadvantage that the stuff seems to make plastic brittle so anything it’s stored with will leak. It comes in a plastic bottle. I don’t know why it doesn’t dissolve itself.
I think it’s this.
I think it’s this.
http://www.cyklonaradi.cz/download/MB-88900938.pdf
Naphta heavy (low boiling point hydrogen treated) > 30%
2-butoxyethanol < 5%
Fattyalcohol C10 -14, ethoxylated < 5%
Different plastics. You are
Different plastics. You are right in that it needs some care and forethought. I tried keeping used cleaner to use again in a sealed plastic takeaway tub and it ate it. I now use an old paint can and it goes to the recycle centre.
One could say that the label
One could say that the label says it provoques cancer.
No doubt this stuff is
No doubt this stuff is effective – I have some that a friend gave me. But I think you have to be pretty careful where you spray it because it will strip the grease out of anything it goes near and it will sit in/on whatever sponge or brush you have used. Personally I prefer a milder citrus degreaser. Alternatively take the chain/cassette off to clean it!
Certainly much better value
Certainly much better value for money can be had by steering clear of bike specific products. Screwfix No Nonsense degreaser is just as effective at £7.99 for 5ltrs!
Agree 100%. My tubeless set
Agree 100%. My tubeless set up uses gorilla tape i already had and sealant from a farming mates tractor shed.
Thats fine but I’m waiting
Thats fine but I’m waiting for disc brake gravel bike only version of this.
In my experience, those
In my experience, those before pictures definitely do not show a dirty, rarely cleaned drivetrain.
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