Chain baths cleaners - any good?

[Edge705]

http://www.muc-off.com/shop/product.php?id=3

Trust me this is the best chain cleaning kit on the market watch your chain glow silver before youyr very eyes the easiest fastest way to clean your chain However not the cheapest

The solution is £5.50 a can although you can get it on offer at ribble at the mo £4.40 to clean the chain effectivly you will use half a can

Its an ingenius way to clean your chain and since I stumbled across it 3 years ago I actualy look forward to cleaning the bike the results are that good.

Tip is clean the chain with this kit then rinse the chain with clear water leave to dry

whilst the chain is drying remove the head and use the cleaner to spray clean your cassete and jockey wheel you will be amazed how it disperses even ground on muck

Like I say not the cheapest way of cleaning your chain I do mine every 3 weeks but boy oh boy does your drivechain run really smooth after youve used this peice of kit

One further tip dont use spray lube on your chain to lube it after its dry use a slow releasing wet lube and just dab each ball joint of the chain with a drop of lube wipe off excess and run through all your gears - ride the bike - then the next day repeat the lube process

Hope this helps

 

[slowmotion]

I use the "POACG" method. It really works well...

http://www.cyclechat.net/index.php?app=forums&module=forums&section=findpost&pid=1833618slowmotion, on 08 September 2011 - 23:25:42, said:

Take the chain off the bike and put it in an empty mineral water bottle. Pour in about half a litre of Jizer, a water soluble workshop de-greaser. Screw the top on the bottle and shake it like a cocktail artist on speed...say three minutes. Empty the bottle and replace the de-greaser with water and washing up liquid. Shake like crazy, empty the liquid and rinse repeatedly, while shaking, until there are absolutely no detergent bubbles.

Extract the chain and cook it for about two hours in the oven at 70 deg, C. Dribble oil on all the rollers and Mickle it.

Sorted.


I think you've completely failed to understand The Method.


(POACG: Piss Off A Chain Guru)

 

[mickle]

http://www.muc-off.c...roduct.php?id=3

Trust me this is the best chain cleaning kit on the market watch your chain glow silver before youyr very eyes the easiest fastest way to clean your chain However not the cheapest

The solution is £5.50 a can although you can get it on offer at ribble at the mo £4.40 to clean the chain effectivly you will use half a can

Its an ingenius way to clean your chain and since I stumbled across it 3 years ago I actualy look forward to cleaning the bike the results are that good.

Tip is clean the chain with this kit then rinse the chain with clear water leave to dry

whilst the chain is drying remove the head and use the cleaner to spray clean your cassete and jockey wheel you will be amazed how it disperses even ground on muck

Like I say not the cheapest way of cleaning your chain I do mine every 3 weeks but boy oh boy does your drivechain run really smooth after youve used this peice of kit

One further tip dont use spray lube on your chain to lube it after its dry use a slow releasing wet lube and just dab each ball joint of the chain with a drop of lube wipe off excess and run through all your gears - ride the bike - then the next day repeat the lube process

Hope this helps

£2.20+ each time you clean a chain? And what do you do with the dirty solvent when you're done?

 

[mickle]

I use the "POACG" method. It really works well...

slowmotion, on 08 September 2011 - 23:25:42, said:

Take the chain off the bike and put it in an empty mineral water bottle. Pour in about half a litre of Jizer, a water soluble workshop de-greaser. Screw the top on the bottle and shake it like a cocktail artist on speed...say three minutes. Empty the bottle and replace the de-greaser with water and washing up liquid. Shake like crazy, empty the liquid and rinse repeatedly, while shaking, until there are absolutely no detergent bubbles.

Extract the chain and cook it for about two hours in the oven at 70 deg, C. Dribble oil on all the rollers and Mickle it.

Sorted.


I think you've completely failed to understand The Method.


(POACG: Piss Off A Chain Guru)

You, Sir, are a bounder and a cad!

 

[the_mikey]

I've used one of those chain cleaners, but after a couple of uses bits of brush get caught up in the chain and the chain comes out still covered in crud (admittedly not in the same place as it was before) that still needs to be removed with baby wipes.

 

[Fiona N]

Mostly I use the MIckle method (or variants thereof) but sometimes the gunk has just built up too much and it's times for the oranges and grapefruits to come out to play - along with the (empty) molasses treacle tin.


The thing about using the citrus degreaser is
a) very volatile - evaporates in half an hour or so, more if you warm the chain with a hair dryer
b) water soluble so you can finish the chain off with a wipe of a wet rag to remove the last surface dirt and any degreaser on the surface or you can wash the chain in water and 'bake' it as others have suggested
c) biodegradable, you can pour it onto the garden if you want although it will frighten the worms away for a while (until the microbes have digested it) as they don't like the taste of turpenoids (which are the natural degreasing agent) poured into the soil any more than they like citrus peel in the compost heap (mouldy citrus peel is OK as again, the moulds breakdown the turpenoids). My preferred method of dealing with the dirty citrus degreaser is simply to let it evaporate from the tin - after all you don't need a tin full just a couple of tablespoons suffice - then the remaining chain lube + metal fillings etc can be just wiped out of the tin with a bit of workshop rag.

All in all I think this is at least as
a) effective
b) economical (compared to liberal use of baby wipes)
c) environmentally sound (disposal of lube-contaminated baby wipes?)

as the Mickle method, especially as it's not an 'every week' event but maybe once or twice a year (usually after winter if the chain's still got enough life in it) and I certainly hate all this liberal use of baby wipes. What are old T-shirts for when you've worn them 'til they've got holes in?

 

[slowmotion]

You, Sir, are a bounder and a cad!

Regrettably so.


I do actually use the esteemed Mickle Method most of the time, but sometimes, like Fiona, resort to degreaser. I went up the coastal path a couple of weeks ago and came home to find that half the Dutch dunes' sand had stuck to the drive chain. I reached for the Jizer this afternoon. I apologise.

 

[citybabe]

I use one and get along just fine with it

 

[Edge705]

£2.20+ each time you clean a chain? And what do you do with the dirty solvent when you're done?

Hi Mickle Sir I didnt claim it to be cheap but it does produce some amazing results snd remarkably there is very little waste about a cup full if that and its bio degradeable

 

[Scilly Suffolk]

I use the Mickle method and if there's crud in-between the links, I use pipe cleaners if it's really bad.

These are like pipe cleaners but reusable, great value and work a treat: bike floss.

 

[Moodyman]

Mickle method year round for me. I supplement this with a firm bristled dishwashing brush in winter to remove the crud and salt.

 

[yello]

I used the ParkTool cleaner for many years without problem. Easy to use and I didn't find it messy at all. But I switched to a more frequent regime of MM a couple of years back.

 

[kevin_cambs_uk]

I have one, used it plenty of times and does a good job, if your careful you don't have to spill anything at all.

 

[Scoosh]

Chain cleaning baths are the very antithesis of The Method. The whole point of The Method is that it eliminates the need for expensive plastic products filled with toxic solvents, harmful volatile compounds which are hard to dispose of. Solvents drive out the lube from within the chain. Unless you're prepared to remove the solvent somehow before the new lube goes on you'll destroy it.

If The Method isn't keeping your chain clean enough I suspect you aren't doing it often enough. Do it more often and wipe it more.

Frankly you'd be better off buying a new chain than one of those baths.

The trouble with these bath cleaners is that:

- they are/can be a bit messy to use
- they remove dirt, grease and lub from everywhere on the chain, including bits of the chain from which you do not want to remove grease and/or lub

This is to what Mickle is referring in his posts about how to clean a chain.

Chains need lub between the links, in the load-bearing little bit that takes all the stresses and strains. Clean this out and you will shorten the life of your chain significantly.

The choice comes down to:
1 - use one of these marketing-hype plastic degreasing baths
- AND find a way of putting it (factory grease/lub) back in the critical areas
- AND tell us all about it.

2 - don't give in to marketing hype, protect the environment, don't re-invent the wheel ...


... and use the Mickle Method

[this post is an example of self-moderation.

Without it, it would read:

JUST USE THE DAMN MICKLE METHOD !!

]

 

[Scoosh]

For those who might be/still are mystified by this 'Mickle method':

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 two minutes each time.