Every Substances for Cleaning Chain and Drivetrain

harringtonp

Ran out of specialised bike cleaning fluid recently and cleaned it using hot water and washing up liquid. It worked quite well (have a chain cleaner)

Just wondering what everyday, easy to get substances other people use ?

Looking for something you will get in almost any supermarket, hardware or garage. Nothing fancy.

Mycroft H

Kerosene. Cheap and works very well. You can leave it in a bottle afterwords and all the crud will settle to the bottom leaving you with a near new degreaser.

kincsem

I don't use washing up liquid on anything other than dishes and inexpensive things. I think it might be too severe. I may be wrong, and I would like to hear from others on this.

NeedMoreGears

I use clothes washing powder and rinse off afterwards - so far no probs and it cleans very well at one teaspoon per 500ml.

Cyclepath

You should only use washing machine/dishwasher tabs on disassembled parts that you intend to re-grease or re-lubricate in some way.

I use window cleaner on the bike frame and external parts but I generally don't spray anything into the cassette/crank case etc unless I have access to a proper grease-gun to re-grease them.

If you have a friendly local mechanic you can ask them to squirt your cassette for you... :eek:

Surinam

I cleaned my chain with a little bit of gt85 last week for the first time (it does an amazing job!). After waiting a few hours I then applied muc off dry lube.

However, since then I'm finding that the chain just seems to get dry much quicker and into a longish cycle you can hear the sound it makes when it needs more grease/lube.

Does anyone have any advice? Should I use a different type of lube or is there a special oil I can get that lasts longer? Also, should I be cleaning my chain after every longish cycle (ie over 70k)?

morana

kincsem wrote: »

I don't use washing up liquid on anything other than dishes and inexpensive things. I think it might be too severe. I may be wrong, and I would like to hear from others on this.

Ah I dont think so . I have seen a good few pro mechanics using a sponge and soapy water. The chain is steel after all...I use both cleaning fluid and soapy water. never any issues just dry it and lube it......

Lumen

Washing-up liquids contain salt. Salt is bad for metal parts. Pro mechanics probably change chains very often.

morana

Lumen wrote: »

Washing-up liquids contain salt. Salt is bad for metal parts. Pro mechanics probably change chains very often.

so do I!

but it will do harm if you do it every day for 3 years..by that time you should have had at least 3 chains..

G1032

A quick google led me here.......

I was wondering what adverse effects, if any, there are for my rear cassette/derailleur if I clean them with brake cleaner. I picked some up in the local motor factors the last day and sprayed a bit onto the rear cassette last night. The grease and dirt just fell straight off in seconds.

I'm reluctant to use it too much until I find out if it will damage any of the bike parts. Reading through various forums gives different information. Some say that brake cleaner will destroy the paint work on the bike, eat into runner and plastic parts?? Other forums say it's perfectly fine to use.

What do people here use to clean the drivetrain???

Cee-Jay-Cee

I use a damp cloth only. I generally give the bike a wipe down after every spin so dirt never gets a chance to build up to the point I need anything else.

krissovo

Brake cleaner strips all lubricant off the components so you could cause early wear if you do not lube up properly after. The chances are that you will not lube the chain link pins correctly unless you are very methodical.

I use kerosene for a gunked up chain and cassette, it has lubricating properties and cleans off quite well.

G1032

krissovo wrote: »

Brake cleaner strips all lubricant off the components so you could cause early wear if you do not lube up properly after. The chances are that you will not lube the chain link pins correctly unless you are very methodical.

I use kerosene for a gunked up chain and cassette, it has lubricating properties and cleans off quite well.

Diesel would be pretty much the same, would it??

ht9zni1gs28crp

GT85 the best out there.....available cheap in Aldi too so get spraying....cleans the chain and cassette before your eyes!

krissovo

G1032 wrote: »

Diesel would be pretty much the same, would it??

Yes it would but its slightly heavier and would have better lubricating properties. This means a little more road crap could stick.

shaka

I give it a good wash with warm water , give chain a good wipe then use gt85 and lube well later