Cleaning my chain!

ccull123

Hi all,

Sorry for the basic question but looking to give my chain a clean and wonder can anyone recommend any cleaning oils etc....

Thanks

Planet X

Diesel and a stiff bristle brush. Diesel is part oil so won't strip the chain completely. It's cheap.

Redjeep!

Kerosene (heating oil) works as well.

blorg

A chain cleaning machine works very well, better than any brush. I use citrus degreaser or Fenwicks FS1, as both can go down the sink. Diesel works well but it is a hassle to dispose.

corkchef

i wash my bike weekly. use a bucket of warm water, splash of wash up liquid and a thick car wash sponge. put the bike in the 53/12 upside down on the handlebars and seat. get a good lather on the sponge and wrap it around the chain like a hot dog in a bun just behind the front derailler. turn the crank and pretty quickly all comes up shiny silver. i run up and down through the gears and get all the dirty oil off. then take a not too stiff synthetic fibre brush and give everything a go over. back again with the sponge to get everything clean. then again to dry everything off. spray with dry teflon lube. then turn the crank and oil with white lightning or a similar chain oil at the back derailler. again work up and down the cassette. i used to use the kaboom products until i saw a saxobank bike tech cleaning bikes this way. now i save on the price difference between fairy liquid (.99) and kaboom (24.99). used to have one of those chain bath gizmos. useless really. the above works like a treat and only takes about 10 minutes

Zorba

corkchef wrote: »

i wash my bike weekly. use a bucket of warm water, splash of wash up liquid and a thick car wash sponge. put the bike in the 53/12 upside down on the handlebars and seat. get a good lather on the sponge and wrap it around the chain like a hot dog in a bun just behind the front derailler. turn the crank and pretty quickly all comes up shiny silver. i run up and down through the gears and get all the dirty oil off. then take a not too stiff synthetic fibre brush and give everything a go over. back again with the sponge to get everything clean. then again to dry everything off. spray with dry teflon lube. then turn the crank and oil with white lightning or a similar chain oil at the back derailler. again work up and down the cassette. i used to use the kaboom products until i saw a saxobank bike tech cleaning bikes this way. now i save on the price difference between fairy liquid (.99) and kaboom (24.99). used to have one of those chain bath gizmos. useless really. the above works like a treat and only takes about 10 minutes

Car manufactures don't recommend using washing up liquid on your car because it contains so much salt and can damage the paint work and the rubber seals.

Same with a bike, i only use car shampoo to clean my bike and i'd never use it on the chain because i'd be a bit worried the salt would rust the chain.

Most degreasers are quite cheap, someone here's one

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=32389

Zorba

blorg wrote: »

A chain cleaning machine works very well, better than any brush. I use citrus degreaser or Fenwicks FS1, as both can go down the sink. Diesel works well but it is a hassle to dispose.

Any particular chain cleaner ?

I bought a BBB one before used it once and went back to the old towel and citrus degreaser method.

corkchef

didnt know that there was salt in mild detergents. maybe i should stick to my kaboom degreaser! tx!

macken04

Diesel and a good quality chain cleaning tool. Then i use the tool again with boiling soapy water to try clean the dirt out. Has kept my chain and drivetrain good so far

Zorba

corkchef wrote: »

didnt know that there was salt in mild detergents. maybe i should stick to my kaboom degreaser! tx!

I just use some turtle wax shampoo for the bike itself, only need a little, i'm using the same bottle the last 6 yrs

I'm planning on getting the Weldtite degreaser in the link above next time i need some good price and 1 ltr should last a few yrs. Cheaper than kaboom anyway.

blorg

Zorba wrote: »

Any particular chain cleaner ?

I bought a BBB one before used it once and went back to the old towel and citrus degreaser method.

I have the Park one, which is very good. Degreaser in, rotate pedals backwards for 30 seconds, job done. I have not found cloths or brushes to be half as quick, or effective.

Zorba

blorg wrote: »

I have the Park one, which is very good. Degreaser in, rotate pedals backwards for 30 seconds, job done. I have not found cloths or brushes to be half as quick, or effective.

Assume u still have to clean the cassette separately or could u spray degreaser on it while your using the chain cleaning machine on the chain ?

velo.2010

Zorba wrote: »

Assume u still have to clean the cassette separately or could u spray degreaser on it while your using the chain cleaning machine on the chain ?

Cassette can be rinsed off with water-you could use a low pressure hose. Spraying degreaser directly onto a cassette might not be so good for the wheel bearings as you could strip out the grease in them.

The cassette is not as fiddly to clean as the chain anyway.

blorg

Zorba wrote: »

Assume u still have to clean the cassette separately or could u spray degreaser on it while your using the chain cleaning machine on the chain ?

Yes, cassette separately, I have a curved brush designed for that if leaving it all on the bike. If it is really bad I will take the wheel off and scrub it with a normal brush while if I am changing it (which I do relatively frequently with different ratios) I would take it apart and give it a soak in a tub of degreaser. I use a 25CD spindle for this, which incidentally is a perfect way of storing spare cassettes.

petethedrummer

And to clean your hands after, use a teaspoon of sugar and squirt of washing up liquid.