# best chain cleaner bath



## country joe (3 Mar 2009)

is the Park CM5 the best, or are they much of a sameness,
as you can get cheaper types on Ebay.


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## Blue (3 Mar 2009)

I have a Park and it is good. I don't know if it's the best, or if others are similar, as it's the only one I've ever had!


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## skwerl (3 Mar 2009)

don't use one. there are many posts on here that go into the details but basically using a cleaning fluid on a chain is a bad idea.
Try searching for 'Mickle Method'


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## mickle (3 Mar 2009)

innit


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## country joe (3 Mar 2009)

skwerl said:


> don't use one. there are many posts on here that go into the details but basically using a cleaning fluid on a chain is a bad idea.
> Try searching for 'Mickle Method'



theres tons of stuff on the mickle method whats the best post,
what chain lube does he recomened i was looking at Finnish line,
would you use wet or dry.


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## mickle (3 Mar 2009)

Finish line Dry, Pedro's, Weldtite Plus+, White Lightening, proper, formulated, cycle chain _lube_ rather than _oil_.


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## jayce (3 Mar 2009)

i use mickle method and finish dry lube job done


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## country joe (3 Mar 2009)

jayce said:


> i use mickle method and finish dry lube job done


Where is the best post on the Mickle method,
theres dozens on the Forum,
Sombody should put up photos of the method, or is it on you tube?


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## mickle (3 Mar 2009)

It bloody wants to be. Unfortunately I am little more than a grease monkey and don't know how to work this box of lectrickery.

It's not really my method, I'm just the most vociferous advocate of it.

Essentially it's a method of cleaning ones chain without the problems associated with the use and disposal of volatile compounds like white spirit, petrol etc.

The crud which accumulates on the exterior surfaces of your chain is composed of grit and dust from the environment, much of it thrown up by the front wheel, mixed with the chain lube you left on the chain last time you lubed it. Using solvents to remove it certainly works but has the downside of removing all the lube from inside the chain.

The only chain surfaces which move against each other are on the inside (once the chain gets onto a sprocket it stops moving), knowing this we can conclude that we don't need lube on the outside surfaces. It doesn't do anything there except attract grit and dust. 

_The Method_ involves nothing more than chain lube and a rag. The first job is to wipe down the chain. Park the bike up against the sofa/ shed and holding the bike with your left hand simply *wipe the chain. Use the bike's freewheel mechanism to your advantage by grabbing the lower run of chain with the rag and drag it backwards, slide your hand forward and the chain will feed backwards presenting a new section to wipe. Wipe, wipe wipe etc, Rotating the rag to get a clean section every so often. Eventually, depending on the mankyness of the chain, you wont be able to get any more off.

Now lube the chain. With your right hand slowly rotate the pedals backwards whilst dropping lube onto the lower run of chain in front of the rear mech (or wherever). When you are happy that every link has a drop of lube spin the pedals backwards a few times to allow the lube to seep in.

Go back to *. 

The last thing you do is wipe, remember you don't need any lube on the outside of the chain (aside from a very thin smear to discourage corrosion). You spend much much more time wiping than lubing. When the rag stops picking up crap the job is done save one thing, ride the bike a few miles and wipe it again.

The more often you do it the cleaner your chain will be and the cleaner your chain is the quicker the job. So little and often is better. Once a week when it's dry is more than enough, more often if you do lots of miles in the rain. The less crud you have on the chain the less can get on the other transmission parts too. Lube + grit = makes a really effective grinding compound when it comes into contact with aluminium rings.

The alternative, removing all the crud with solvents, removes all the lube from inside the chain. You then need to remove the solvent because putting lube on a chain full of solvent will destroy the lube. So you wash the solvent off with something? Then you have to remove whatever you washed the solvent off with. Oh, you then have to safely dispose of the now contaminated solvent hoping that non of it has permeated you skin because whatever it says on the bottle it's not good for you or for anything else in the environment.

So. Wipe lube wipe wipe wipe. Ride it a few miles and wipe it again. Once your chain has become accustomed to the new regime it should take no more than a few minutes each time.

In fact I'm going to do my bike now and time it.

Ha ha two minutes.


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## youngoldbloke (3 Mar 2009)

+1 for the Mickle method - I have used it and Prolink lube (or rather my own pre-forum membership independently developed Youngoldbloke version - which is effectively exactly the same) exclusively on the 'best' bike from new. It really works and you don't get a build up of crud on the chain rings or cassette. Recommend using a Progold Luber (like a hypodermic) to get the lube just where you need it. As a result no real sign of wear in the drive-train after 3000 miles or so.


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## wyno70 (3 Mar 2009)

I use the Park chain cleaner and it is the dogs nads!

I love it, nice and easy to use and little mess.

Can't comment on others as I've only ever used the Park!


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## country joe (3 Mar 2009)

tHANKS FOR THAT MICKLE I WILL GIVE IT A GO.
Maybe someone will put it on Youtube for you,
Make you famous.


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## HLaB (3 Mar 2009)

It maybe just a coincidence but when I used a chain cleaner, I'd get about 1500mls out of a chain but since I started doing the Mickle Method (tm)I my chain on my winter bike has done 2900 and there still no sign of wear (i'm using a Park chain checker).


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## mickle (3 Mar 2009)

country joe said:


> Make you famous.



Feck fame give me wealth anyday.


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## Dave5N (4 Mar 2009)

Park chain cleaner. Oil. Every week for the dirty bikes. Road and track bikes get the *lube and wipe*TM treatment.


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## country joe (4 Mar 2009)

Sorry for asking a stupid question, ive come across a bottle of Finnish line wax lube, for dirty and dry conditions
will this do for the mickle method?


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## skwerl (4 Mar 2009)

country joe said:


> Sorry for asking a stupid question, ive come across a bottle of Finnish line wax lube, for dirty and dry conditions
> will this do for the mickle method?



the wax stuff isn't so good but it'll do. Finish line cross country (for example) is better suited


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## country joe (4 Mar 2009)

My back is killing me, i took off both wheels on my two road bikes,cleaned the chains with the Mickle, and polished them with mr Sheen,
There looking good.


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## HeartAttack (4 Mar 2009)

User1314 said:


> Why use lube and not oil? I mean that cheap 3-in-1 oil? I've used lube before and it just seemed awfully glunky. All weather finish line I think it was. I found/find it easier to put some oil on a cloth then use the Mickle method.



Plus have you seen how much the lube costs just to clean the chain  I don't mind the cost if its to lube but to clean the dirt off is more money than sense in my mind.


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## Dave5N (4 Mar 2009)

Oil's fine.


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## skwerl (5 Mar 2009)

User1314 said:


> Why use lube and not oil? I mean that cheap 3-in-1 oil? I've used lube before and it just seemed awfully glunky. All weather finish line I think it was. I found/find it easier to put some oil on a cloth then use the Mickle method.



3-in1 is veg based. It dries out and goes gloopy


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## tyred (5 Mar 2009)

Use car engine oil.


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## Dave5N (5 Mar 2009)

skwerl said:


> 3-in1 is veg based. It dries out and goes gloopy




It's tha fatty acids in vegetable oils that adsorp onto the steel surface that make it effective. It won't dry out and go gloopy if you maintain the bike properly.


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## Fab Foodie (5 Mar 2009)

skwerl said:


> 3-in1 is veg based. It dries out and goes gloopy



It's regular oil, not veg based at all...
From the 3 in 1 MSDS


2 - Composition/Information on Ingredients
Ingredient
CAS #
Weight Percent
*Severely Hydrotreated Heavy Naphthenic Oil*
64742-52-5
>97%
Proprietary Additive
Mixture
<3%


From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Naphthenic oil is a type of mineral oil. In contrast with paraffinic oils, naphthenic oils contain only low to no proportion of n-alkanes, being based on cycloalkanes (naphthenes) instead. The low-temperature behavior of naphthenic oils is better than of paraffinic oils, making them suitable for applications that require low pour point. The degradation products of naphthenic oils are soluble in the oils, leading to fewer problems with formations of sludges and deposits. Naphthenic oils have different solvent properties than paraffinic oils.

Naphthenic oils are characterized by high proportion of cyclic hydrocarbon fraction. The convention is that when the paraffinic carbon content is less than 55-60%, the oil is labeled as naphthenic.[1]

The principial uses of naphthenic oils are as transformer oils, coolants, solvents, cutting fluids, and some lubricants.


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## Fab Foodie (5 Mar 2009)

Dave5N said:


> It's tha fatty acids in vegetable oils that adsorp onto the steel surface that make it effective. It won't dry out and go gloopy if you maintain the bike properly.



Veg oil will polymerise on the chain as it oxidises, eventually, leaving a varnishy gunky layer.
3 in 1 or basic chain lube oils if regularly applied and de-gunked by the Mickle-method(TM) will be fine, it's a bike chain, not an F1 engine.


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## Dave5N (6 Mar 2009)

User1314 said:


> I found the lube made the chain dirtier and harder to clean as it was so viscous. A lightly oiled sock I find makes the chain all nice and shiney during the "wipe, wipe, wipe" bit. *My variation on The Method is to clean between the links with cotton buds tips.* I then pour a bit of 3-in-1 on the (new) cotton bud tips and use that to oil the inside of the chain. Then carry on with The Method.



You have too much time on your hands.


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## Mark_Robson (19 May 2011)

I Mickled my road bikes chain tonight and it came up lovely.


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## Andy_R (19 May 2011)

I've heard that chainsaw oil is a good choice.......especially if you've just been scalped


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## davefb (19 May 2011)

Mark_Robson said:


> I Mickled my road bikes chain tonight and it came up lovely.



wow, not just a method,, but now a verb!!!

right,,

my chain is only abut 500 mM clean... thats the new SI unit for chain clenliness , the milli-mickle , 1000 milli-mickles is 1 Mickle or fully clean


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