Chain cleaning machines - your thoughts?

coolbeans

I've got one of these and have been using it after every long outing especially in this weather. I mentioned this to a guy yesterday while out on the Sunday ride and he said that he wouldn't use one himself as he finds a simple rag just as effective and less likely to strip grease from the chain surface. I've been left a little concerned and confused and don't know what to do cleaning-wise after yesterday's wet and wild 80KM trek. Thoughts and advice appreciated.

Lumen

coolbeans wrote: »

less likely to strip grease from the chain surface

Lubrication is for the rollers in the links, not the chain surface.

Yes, it will remove grease in addition to crud, that's why it's called degreaser, but that's why you apply fresh lubricant afterwards.

I have one of those Park jobbies. It's great, although I do get through a fair amount of degreaser. I usually clean this way once a week. Some people also wipe off the chain after every ride, but I can't be arsed.

edit: when the instructions say to put newspaper underneath to catch runoff, they're not joking. I degreased my kitchen floor the first time I used it.

Raam

Yeah it's really a device for outdoors use. I go for the rag method myself. I bought one of those yokes ages ago but I think they are designed to get you to buy lots of degreaser.

coolbeans

Thanks chaps, as always a great repository of information for the enthusiastic but slightly clueless cyclists such as myself.

AstraMonti

I 've tried 2 different cleaning machines and i am dissapointed by both of them. None of them cleared the chain thoroughly (unless you spend a bottle of degreaser on them), i had to run a rug with some degreaser to get the dirt off the chain.

Edit:i am slow

petethedrummer

I got one and don't use it. I prefer WD40 and a dish washing brush/rag.

tomasrojo

I've been using washing-up liquid and hot water, a j-cloth and an old washing-up brush for years. The results are pretty good. It is cheap, which is my perpetual concern.

short circuit

I am surprised at the mixed messages on this one.

I have a finish line one ... which is exactly the same apart from the name on the label. I bought one of the big degreaser bottles ... 1 litre if I remember .. and it has lasted me nearly 18 months.

The mark to which you have to fill the degreaser is only a centimeter or so off the bottom of the cleaner ... so takes very very little. And I count 50 pedal strokes ... the degreaser gets very very dirty .... and does not leave the chain looking clean ... but once I rinse the chain thoroughly with water ... all the muck runs off leaving the chain bright and shiny.

Last did it on Saturday ... and do it atleast once a week in this sort of weather .. and probably every fortnight in summer if the bike does not get wet.

And a newspaper is a must ... though I personally just lift the bike into the bath ...

ednwireland

use the park one- much better than rag etc my cahins are much cleaner since i got one

alfalad

short circuit wrote: »

I am surprised at the mixed messages on this one.

I have a finish line one ... which is exactly the same apart from the name on the label. I bought one of the big degreaser bottles ... 1 litre if I remember .. and it has lasted me nearly 18 months.

The mark to which you have to fill the degreaser is only a centimeter or so off the bottom of the cleaner ... so takes very very little. And I count 50 pedal strokes ... the degreaser gets very very dirty .... and does not leave the chain looking clean ... but once I rinse the chain thoroughly with water ... all the muck runs off leaving the chain bright and shiny.

Last did it on Saturday ... and do it atleast once a week in this sort of weather .. and probably every fortnight in summer if the bike does not get wet.

And a newspaper is a must ... though I personally just lift the bike into the bath ...

Like wise have the finish line one and have to say does a great job, I always do the chain first then spray the rest of the bike and the chain with what ever cleaner i'm using and once rinsed off it's shining!

fletch

Got the Finish Line one a few weeks ago for my birthday (sad or what! lol)

Anyway, only used it once and was very impressed with the results. My previous efforts at cleaning (removing chain and soaking in petrol) was messy and the chain didn't come up half as clean as it did with this little gadget. Going to buy a big bottle of degreaser which should last a good while. I did it outdoors, wouldn't dream of cleaning my bike indoors! :eek:

Paul Kiernan

Probikekit have this one http://www.probikekit.com/display.php?code=NP08360 which is the CM5 with a brush and a bottle of degreaser for about £21 if you use the XMAS code!

But don't buy them all, I'm hoping to get one from Santa!

beans

I do this in the bath, it's great!

Yes, I am a guy and yes I live alone

Gavin

I use the park one after Blorg and Morgan thoroughly recommended it. Also use Fenwicks fs-1 after blorgo recommended it.

It is fantastic, really really good. It is a little bit of work, you have to pedal the 30 revolutions as said, rinse it out and repeat, but it gets the chain perfectly clean and ready for a new lube

seamus

I have the Park one and while it does a great job of getting the gunk off the chain, it cannot be stressed enough that you need to wipe down the chain afterwards. The tool itself gets ridiculously dirty and I don't have the facilities to clean it (wife would murder me if I tried to use any of the sinks in the house), so I can foresee the day when I'll have to throw it out and buy a new one.

Advice is to do this first, then spray whatever else you're using to clean it (such as FS1), rinse off with water, dry chain, soak in WD40, leave for five minutes, wipe it off again and then lubricate it. It's a lot of work, but it really does seriously improve the longevity of the entire drivetrain. Especially in this weather when you're using wet lube which seems to pick up every piece of dirt and grease from the road.

Home:Ballyhoura

fletch wrote: »

Going to buy a big bottle of degreaser which should last a good while.

It sounds to me like you are all looking for some Jizer. It was recommended to me by a very knowledgeable and experienced cyclist and it has worked a dream ever since. Any spec of dirt, grease, tar, grime (you name it....) will be gone I can assure you of that. Just a couple of ml's of this stuff on a paint brush can do wonders. Either that or you can pop some in the chain cleaner and have a mirror like chain afterwards. The nice thing is that it is water soluble so it will just rinse off easily afterwards. It as somewhere around €15 for a big 5 litre drum which I can see lasting me a close to a lifetime. I got it from my local hardware/DIY distributer/wholesaler....I'm not sure where else you can get it but if you can source some you will be rewarded (this stuff is strong and really smells, don't get me wrong, so don't hold me responsible for any damage done be leaving it on the bike or painting it all over every component you can see and find. Although I heard of people washing their cars with is for years with no problems so I don't see why you should if you use it properly!). Hope this helps, best of luck.

papac

+1 for Jizer.
Stuff called Gunk is much the same. Standard degreasers in motor trade.They really do work on the filthiest greasy grime.

Saw someone on another site using a cheap ultrasonic cleaner to clean chain. Had to take it off bike but it was spotless.

rebel.ranter

I have the Muc-off one & it also does a good job with little effort. They all work on the same principle, brushes with copious amounts of degreaser.

Super Freak

Can anyone recommend the Muc-off version?



My local Halfords has these and they get good reviews on the net. The cleaner is about €30 which includes one can of degreaser. The can of cleaner is about €8 and is supposed to be good for 180 uses.

I'm a bit of a fan of the Muc-off stuff and have been tempted to buy this a few times.

Edit: Beaten by Rebel

alfalad

Super Freak wrote: »

Can anyone recommend the Muc-off version?



My local Halfords has these and they get good reviews on the net. The cleaner is about €30 which includes one can of degreaser. The can of cleaner is about €8 and is supposed to be good for 180 uses.

I'm a bit of a fan of the Muc-off stuff and have been tempted to buy this a few times.

Edit: Beaten by Rebel

Have used this and its not great in my opinion! The cleaning head is too small and annoying!

Super Freak

Have used this and its not great in my opinion! The cleaning head is too small and annoying!

Thanks Alfalad, I've had a look at the Park tools one and the cleaning heads do look more substantial.

coolbeans

To round this thread off I do remember the Park Tool packaging saying that you can replace individual brushes and sponges thereby keeping costs down. Very important don't you know!

Oh yes, forgot to mention that it also has a built in magnet at the bottom of the fluid bath to attract any filings from the chain. Really great idea and something that a simple brush down with a rag will never achieve.

The tax man

+= clean chains.

I have powerlinks on my chains so they're handy to remove from the bike. Pour a small amount of Gunk into empty Lucozade bottle,pop chain in and shake(not too hard though) Chain looks and runs as good as new after a good re lube. This stuff like other engine degreasers mentioned will strip every little bit of lube and crap off the chain,so don't do what I did and go for a spin after I forgot to re lube the chain cause it'll sound like this chain would...

abcdggs

I presume the gunk can be found in any car shop??

Ryaner

Anyone who has one of these and doesn't find it working well, change the degreaser. I've used to different types of degreaser with mine, one works beautifully. Clean chain after a run through. Other stuff requires a run through, then the chain to be wiped down. It also doesn't wash off properly meaning I need to use more oil than usual.

damoz

Ryaner wrote: »

Anyone who has one of these and doesn't find it working well, change the degreaser. I've used to different types of degreaser with mine, one works beautifully. Clean chain after a run through. Other stuff requires a run through, then the chain to be wiped down. It also doesn't wash off properly meaning I need to use more oil than usual.

is it a secret? care to divulge the name ?

beans

I find the Lidl W5 spray degreaser works a treat, and can be used in the reservoir of my FinishLine cleaner machine to great effect Cheap, too

Ryaner

damoz wrote: »

is it a secret? care to divulge the name ?

Didn't remember the names while typing. I've a finishline cleaning device. Their own brand stuff worked very well. Had the Citrus Degreaser. Last one I got was something called dirtwash since the Finishline stuff was out of stock. It is useless.

papac

I have powerlinks on my chains so they're handy to remove from the bike. Pour a small amount of Gunk into empty Lucozade bottle,pop chain in and shake(not too hard though) Chain looks and runs as good as new after a good re lube. This stuff like other engine degreasers mentioned will strip every little bit of lube and crap off the chain,so don't do what I did and go for a spin after I forgot to re lube

This is the method I use except I always have at least two chains. After degrease I put the chain in a lucozade bottle of sae30 engine oil.(Cheap stuff from motor factors). I then hang it up to drip dry and wipe it clean before putting it back on and start process all over again with next chain.One chain on bike- the other in lube or hanging.

Sounds like a lot of bother but once you have powerlinks and have done it a few times it only takes a few minutes.Chains are always lubed to max and last for ages.No more hassle than one of those machines imo and a better job.

I think Sheldon Brown recommends this method or similar. I learnt it from my grandfather who was a country postman on a bicycle(25 miles a day/6 days a week) and part time bike mechanic for forty years. He reckoned 2 chains treated this way would outlast five chains lubed normally.

beans

Ryaner wrote: »

I've a finishline cleaning device. Their own brand stuff worked very well.

Ditto on the device, if anything I'd say the W5 works better than the stuff that came with it though! (Granted, I could have been using it less than effectively the first time)

Explosive_Cornflake

Tesco have a bike degreaser (I think it might be Weldtite Citrus Degreaser) and it's pretty cheap. I used it last night on my chain with a Finish line chain cleaning tool. It was a good job, better than I can manage with a rag/taking chain off and scrubbing (was faster anyway). Used some white lightening lube after to finish the job. It would need to be done every week or so in this weather.