Oxford Mint Chain Cleaner

Got a chain that you want sparkling clean with minimal effort? Oxford's Mint Chain Cleaner is a great aerosol-based solvent product that quickly loosens and dissolves dirty chain oil. A little less powerful than the seriously potent Oxford Bike Degreaser product, it's perfect for smaller links and parts that have a build-up of dirty lube.

Pressurised chain cleaners are nothing new. Search for 'chain cleaner' in the road.cc search bar and you'll be served with plenty of degreaser products that are designed and packaged in the same way as this one. Put simply, the solvent ingredients penetrate and break down the dirty chain oil, and the pressure of the application helps it to force away built-up gunk.

Oxford claims that it's used slower-evaporating solvents here to allow the ingredients to get to work for longer, which in turn should mean you need to use less of it with each application before the working ingredients disappear. In a product that is made of some pretty environmentally-unfriendly ingredients (it lists petroleum and propan-2-ol as its main components), that's got to be a good thing.

When it comes to shifting that dirty oil off a chain it works a treat, though it's no better (or worse) than my usual Fenwick's Drivetrain Degreaser at this – perhaps understandably, as they're almost the same thing. I tried to look for any reductions in the amount I needed to use versus my reference Fenwick's product, but honestly, it's too close to call.

In practice, it's a simple case of applying the cleaner through the chain and on the sprockets, allowing it to soak in, agitating it by spinning the drivetrain or getting a brush on it, then rinsing the dirt away. The now-loosened oil will rinse away with water easily, leaving behind a clean chain.

You might need a second application to get the chain and sprockets completely clean, but in my experience that's par for the course and to be expected. And, as with other chain cleaners, you will need to thoroughly dry it and apply fresh lube to your chain – this is the kind of cleaner that completely strips every last bit of oil, so if you leave it to dry in the garage overnight, expect to see some kind of rust appear by the following morning.

> 10 of the best bicycle chain lubes

The other reason you might want to opt for Oxford's Chain Cleaner is the characteristic minty smell, which is pleasant – not that you should be sniffing solvents, just that it's a little less harsh than the classic solvent pong.

When it comes to cost, at £8.99 for a 500ml can it's cheaper by £1 than my reference point Fenwick's degreaser, but a few quid more than WD40's Bike Degreaser.

Muc-Off's Quick Drying Degreaser comes in a 750ml can and is comparably expensive for that at £14.99, and we found it ran out quite quickly. There's also Muc-Off's Bio Drivetrain Cleaner available for £19.99, if you want something a little kinder to the environment.

Conclusion

This is a good solvent-based chain cleaner, which performs just as well as other typical degreasers of its type. The minty scent is an improvement on a typical solvent smell, but it's still a harsh product on the environment (like most). However, it's very effective at the job in hand.

Verdict

Good solvent-based chain cleaner that performs just as well as other typical degreasers of its type