Chain cleaning - how do you clean yours?

[GrahamJohnWallace]

Over the past 25 years of cycling off-road I have tried, or know people who have tried, most of the lubricants,waxes,dry oils,oil-baths etc. that people are recommending on this thread. Many are too messy and take to much time, and most will result in a difficult to remove black grinding paste by the end of a ride.

I recomend that you sell the Muc-off on Ebay and switch to Prolink Chain lube. Apply a small amount after riding and it will completely dry overnight. It doesn't pick up road dirt and dust. With mud, remove most of the mud with a rag, let the mud dry off, then spin the chain whilst using a stiff brush to remove the rest as dust. Then re-apply the Prolink.

I havn't got a clue what Prolink's Metal Friction Reducing Compound is. But in my experience it can, as they claim, "significantly extend the life of your chain".

Prolink is a degreaser and lube in one. It looks and smells a bit like white spirit and evaporates to leave a totally dry, yet slippy, non sticky chain. I use it with nickel plated chains because of their corrosion resistance.

I cycle off-road in all weathers and it works for me. No more wasted time cleaning mud/oil paste off the chain. No more oil stains on clothes either.

It's easy to apply but needs regular reaplication.

Here are some reviews:

http://www.mtbr.com/cat/accessories/Lub ... 31crx.aspx

And get a good front mudflap. An unguarded front wheel will spray the chain and chainset with grit.

 

[barry2017]

I've never used one, but have you seen the Scottoiler?

http://www.scottoiler.com/cycle/

Interesting idea, but a bit heath robinson for my liking.

 

[perry]

Getting a few thousand miles out of a chain is about all you can hope for on a geared mtb .

I never clean my chains , but then i only drip oil into the rollers with a syringe and give a quick go with gt85 to stop rust .

If i was having to clean one id wipe the outside with a cloth dripping in white spirit . it doesnt matter a great deal how clean the outside of the chain is anyway as long as the inner is fine , cleaning by submerging the entire chain just lets the sandy grit get in where you dont want it , sure you get a shiny chain , but a chain thats now got a shorter life .

Also when you get a new chain , clean off the lube from outside , its great stuff to have inside all the rollers and plates but the stuff stuck to the outers will attract all the dirt .

I like the sound of the heated wax chris , id give it a go if i didn't neglect my bikes so much and only pay £5 for chains . Got to love cheap 1/8 kept in phase relation , the one on the dmr has seen me through most of this year and i only replaced the kona one as i was stupid and used a 3/32 which snapped , cant complain really , i got the heavy duty 1/8 kmc one for free , its great having one of the countries largest bmx shops in town .

 

[Tad]

I've never used one, but have you seen the Scottoiler?

http://www.scottoiler.com/cycle/

Interesting idea, but a bit heath robinson for my liking.

In the dim and distant past I was a motorbike mechanic. I used to hate fitting Scott oilers as they were crap.
[manner= Clarkson] Anyone who says otherwise is just wrong. [/Clarkson]
You'd set the things up and they would inevitably fling all the crap off your chain on to the back wheel and all over the body work. I bought a GPZ with one fitted and spent even longer trying to set it up and it was still crap. There is no alternative to oiling your chain regularly, if nothing else it forces you to look at your motorbike and make sure there's nothing obviously wong with it. I have an old BMW R80 now, though I never ride it, shaft drive is the way forward, change the oil once a year, job done!

 

[Konaglider]

Mmmm shaft drive I had a Honda CX 500 many years ago, bomb-proof.

If my current, modern chain driven bike was shaft I'd be a happier chappie

Motorcycle 'dry' chain wax is good for cycle chains, I find.

 

[fingers]

Clean with wd40, lube with finish line cross country. Blast the grit out with a close up spray. And clean the shit off your chainrings and sprockets.

Oh and a previous post praised that humble bint. IIRC, she mings. Over and out

 

[haggis]

I remove the chain, then leave it to soak in a degreaser for a time (which i won't be doing from now on after hearing that just allows the crap to get inside the chain), then hang it on a nail. Spray with GT85 or TF2 then use a small strip of rag and pull it through each link of the chain. After that use a rag and clean the outside of the chain.

 

[dyna-ti]

Take it off first[split links are great]
Dunk it in thinners
Slunge it about a bit
Spend ages wiping it with a towel
drip on some lube,enough to get everywhere
Spend ages wiping it with a towel
Clean the cassette and chainrings[no point putting the crud back on]
Put the chain back on.

I'd prefer to use the dry-wax type all year round, but it doesnt like water too much,you spend a fortune re-lubing it all the time,best used in summer only

Oil type lube for winter

 

[RockiMtn]

i've read you should never soak your chain in degreaser as it will remove all grease from within the pivots and chain plates, which you will never be able to get back in with conventional lube, unless you do the as in the sheldon brown link, and take apart every link.

i just use a park chain cleaner with biodegradable degreaser.

 

[Augustus]

take it off. spray it with Finish Line degreaser (smells nice enough to drink but i wouldn't recommend doing that) and scrub clean with a cloth. then hose it, dry it, lube it.