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Chain cleaning advice

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  • May 3, 2018 at 4:13 pm #28472
    road

    Finished cleaning mine and SWMBO’s bikes and got to re-lubing the chain. Had dried the chain of and it was coming up spotless, added lube (Pedro’s something or other) left it to cure/dry/set/evaporate/whatever for an hour or so then wiped the excess off….

    Black as coal came the rag.

    Hmmm…

    Is it just a case of keep cleaning until it doesn’t (ie is the lube just lifting the crap out of the depths of the links) or am I just not cleaning it properly (using Parks Chain cleaner thingy) to start with (in that case why was the rag clean after washing?!).

    Cheers 🙂

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  • May 4, 2018 at 6:30 pm #918831
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    ktache
    henryb wrote:
    Cleaning a Chain Cleaner

    Perhaps this should be a separate thread, but does anyone have any tips for cleaning their chain cleaner? My Park Tools chain cleaner, after some years of use, is pretty manky, with the brushes largely gummed up with black gunk from the chain. All I use in it is a cheap “Halford’s Citrus Degreaser” – should I try washing it through with white spirit or something, or will this dissolve the plastic bristles on the brushes?

    Any tips?

    thanks,

     

    HB

    You can buy fresh brushes and sponges.  When I have used the scrubber I give the brushes a good squirt of foaming washing up spray (Method, now Waitroses own but the fairy stuff seems good too) let it sit for a while then fill with hot water, soak, then rinse well.  Makes the brushes last longer.

    May 4, 2018 at 6:04 pm #918829
    0
    Anonymous

    Cheers all, I’m not exactly a
    Cheers all, I’m not exactly a neat freak but getting chain oil on the inside calf after just washing it was getting annoying 🙂

    May 4, 2018 at 1:07 pm #918827
    0
    BBB

    Procedure for cleaning a

    Procedure for cleaning a parrafin waxed chain (which never gets very dirty to begin with)

    Agigate it for 30 seconds under very hot running water. No mess and no chemicals involved.

    May 4, 2018 at 12:11 pm #918825
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    TheScotsman

    Here’s my routine (usually

    Here’s my routine (usually done once a week, or after any wet, mucky ride):

    1. Clean the chain with baby wipes – they remove crud, oil and grease like it wasn’t there.
    2. Lube chain.
    3. Wipe chain with an old rag to remove excess lube.

     

    Job done!

    May 4, 2018 at 10:22 am #918823
    0
    rjfrussell

    enthusiastic rubbing with a

    enthusiastic rubbing with a wd40 impregnated rag, and then a dribble of lube seems to work ok.  I think the key is to do it regularly.  one winter i got very enthusiastic and gave the chain a quick clean literally after every ride-  difference between that and my usual slatternly approach was amazing. 

    May 4, 2018 at 10:06 am #918821
    0
    Anonymous

    Last time I tried to clean a

    Last time I tried to clean a chain I used one of the Muc Off products and all it seemed to do was make a slightly cleaner but still dirty mess, Fenwicks didn’t do much better.  

    For pure laziness I either just don’t bother cleaning or do what I saw on GCN once and just spray it liberally with WD40 or similar and wipe it down with a rag. I’ve lost all my bike pride as it’s got scratches all over the extremities and my wife’s dad used my bike as a joinery stand one day and scuffed the  hell out various bits of it. It’s actually quite liberating to not care that much anymore.

    May 4, 2018 at 9:52 am #918819
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    davel

    jterrier wrote:

    jterrier wrote:
    If you are doing all that you are doing it wrong… As in, you are doing too much. Its pointless. Just give the chain a bit of a clean and get the excess off, but dont clean it so much that you actually strip all the lube out of the rollers. What’s the point. If you want a real bling chain, get a new one. They are only a few quid.

    This.

    I’ve had one chain snap on me, ever, when I was trying to ride up some massive, sweeping steps in way too high a gear. It was a PITA, but kicking my bike, then kicking me, then whipping on a new link took me (I’m no mechanic) about 15 mins.

    And in all the time I’ve saved via not splitting out the individual links, bathing them in unicorn milk and anointing them in myrrh, I invented the modern electric car and got North and South Korea talking again (and some other stuff).

    May 4, 2018 at 8:12 am #918817
    0
    henryb

    Cleaning a Chain Cleaner

    Cleaning a Chain Cleaner

    Perhaps this should be a separate thread, but does anyone have any tips for cleaning their chain cleaner? My Park Tools chain cleaner, after some years of use, is pretty manky, with the brushes largely gummed up with black gunk from the chain. All I use in it is a cheap “Halford’s Citrus Degreaser” – should I try washing it through with white spirit or something, or will this dissolve the plastic bristles on the brushes?

    Any tips?

    thanks,

     

    HB

    May 3, 2018 at 10:54 pm #918815
    0
    hawkinspeter

    When a job’s worth doing well

    When a job’s worth doing well, follow Sheldon Brown’s advice: http://www.sheldonbrown.com/chainclean.html

     

     

    May 3, 2018 at 8:46 pm #918813
    0
    Jimthebikeguy.com

    If you are doing all that you
    If you are doing all that you are doing it wrong… As in, you are doing too much. Its pointless. Just give the chain a bit of a clean and get the excess off, but dont clean it so much that you actually strip all the lube out of the rollers. What’s the point. If you want a real bling chain, get a new one. They are only a few quid.

    May 3, 2018 at 8:34 pm #918811
    0
    ktache

    Wipe the chain, wipe, wipe

    Wipe the chain, wipe, wipe and wipe some more, wipe the jockeys, then the chain, floss the cassette, wipe the chain, wipe the chainrings, then floss with the hem of  the t shirt that you are wiping the chain with, then wipe the chain again.  Only then do I use the Park scrubber with the finish line old style citrus, then with hot water with washing up liquid , the 2 rinses with clean hot water.  Dry with a very clean t shirt, wait and dry some more, and again.  Lube, leave, wipe and repeat.

    That’s the Sram chains anyhow, the KMCs I’m using say no to the solvent and scrubber so even more wiping.

    It’s not that I’m obsessive or anything…

    May 3, 2018 at 8:05 pm #918809
    0
    matthewn5
    StraelGuy wrote:
    Chain off via split link. Into click-top plastic container with a good slosh of white spirit. Drain. Repeat. Dry chain on radiator. Re-lube. Job done.

    Hmmm, ruined a good chain doing that. Best not overclean in my experience, only forces dirt further into the crevices. Wet lube/sewing machine oil and a rag. You need the deep-down proprietary lube to stay put.

    But chain cleaning is one of the most divisive subjects out, so happy to differ!

    May 3, 2018 at 6:49 pm #918807
    0
    ChrisB200SX
    StraelGuy wrote:
    Chain off via split link. Into click-top plastic container with a good slosh of white spirit. Drain. Repeat. Dry chain on radiator. Re-lube. Job done.

     

    Lube will always come out black after use because of the microscopic particles of worn metal in it so there’s no point pursuing an absolutely clean chain as it’ll never happen.

    ^this, although, I use paraffin as a degreaser then rinse it off with methylated spirits. Also, I use an ultrasonic cleaner, which seems to work.

    May 3, 2018 at 6:41 pm #918805
    0
    StraelGuy

    Chain off via split link.

    Chain off via split link. Into click-top plastic container with a good slosh of white spirit. Drain. Repeat. Dry chain on radiator. Re-lube. Job done.

     

    Lube will always come out black after use because of the microscopic particles of worn metal in it so there’s no point pursuing an absolutely clean chain as it’ll never happen.

    May 3, 2018 at 6:16 pm #918803
    0
    Zermattjohn

    I’d expect it’s the first

    I’d expect it’s the first option, that the new lube is cleaning the bits of the chain you didn’t get done. If you’ve left it all winter (and it’s been a long one) there’s likely to be a lot of crap in there. What did you use when cleaning it? Did you pre-treat the chain or go straight ahead with soapy water? I’d recommend applying a degreaser to the chain first (and the cassette, jockey wheels and chainset), leaving that on for 5 mins or so, then hitting it with soap + water. The degreaser will get in to the chain links and pins better than water can. This vid might be helpful:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9V5nG9ut3rs

     

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