Chain cleaners worthwhile ???

[Stockie]

Went to lbs today to buy a chain cleaners but shop guy said he thinks they are not much use. Would appreciate views of anyone who has got one.

 

[ianrauk]

rubbish and messy.
Just stick to the Mickle method and you can't got wrong

*Mickle method
Lube, wipe, lube, wipe, lube, wipe. Job's a good'n

 

[numbnuts]

Remove chain pour some white sprite into a screw jam jar and shake, hang up to dry refit and lube

 

[Stockie]

Thanks guys it seems like the guy in shop saved me £30. Now what can I spend that on????? Better be the missus lol

 

[Fab Foodie]

Mickle method as recommended by KMC chains.
(Numbnuts method only in extremis).

 

[Scilly Suffolk]

No they aren't.

 

[Aushiker]

I use one and find it convient and effective. My chain wear rates are detailed here and my service approach here. So for me it works, but then I have bothered with other procedures nor have I seen any evidence to warrant a change in my approach. Each to their own but for me it works.



Andrew

 

[Scilly Suffolk]

I use one and find it convient and effective...

First of all, kudos for a great blog; very informative, particularly the links to pardo.net.

If I understand Mickle correctly, the two main arguments against the use of degreasers are that as well as the gunk, they also remove the lube which has worked its way into the chain, ie that you would want to keep; and after their use, you have to rinse the chain thoroughly otherwise the remaining solvent will destroy the fresh lube.

To summarise: it's not that degreasers don't work, but their use adds extra work and introduces the possibility of failure (of the new lube).

But like you say, each to their own and it's hard to argue with someone with a such comprehensive data to support their argument as you!

 

[Aushiker]

First of all, kudos for a great blog; very informative, particularly the links to pardo.net.

Thanks for the comments. Appreciated.

If I understand Mickle correctly, the two main arguments against the use of degreasers are that as well as the gunk, they also remove the lube which has worked its way into the chain, ie that you would want to keep; and after their use, you have to rinse the chain thoroughly otherwise the remaining solvent will destroy the fresh lube.

I think that the rinsing comment is a fair point which is why I rinse pretty throughly, but then I would also ensure chains cleaned in kero are throughly dried for the same reasons.

I don't see three or maybe four rinses with water a lot of effort but I guess others might

Andrew

 

[Cubist]

I was given a chain cleaner (Muc-Off ) for Christmas. It cleans a really dirty chain nicely, but I still find myself defaulting to Mickle wiping to get rid of the residue. The little brushes get into the rollers nicely on the MTB chain, but I still only ever use dry-lube, which means shite build-up is minimised in the first place.

 

[Cubist]

Thanks for the comments. Appreciated.



I think that the rinsing comment is a fair point which is why I rinse pretty throughly, but then I would also ensure chains cleaned in kero are throughly dried for the same reasons.

I don't see three or maybe four rinses with water a lot of effort but I guess others might

Andrew

You need to rinse a degreased chain in detergent to deactivate/remove the degreaser before you try to relube it. The joy of the Mickle method is that you simply replace the dirty lube with fresh stuff.

The description of Mickle's method as lube, wipe, lube, wipe etc is not all that accurate. It's lube, wipe, wipe, wipe, wipe, wipe, wipe, lube, wipe, wipe, wipe, wipe, wipe, lube, wipe, wipe, wipe etc.

 

[HLaB]

I found chain cleaners look liked they done a good job but always fell apart; after further reading I decided to stop using degreasers as they seemed to strip vital lube, particularly from parts you can't see/ relube, reducing the life of parts.

 

[Aushiker]

You need to rinse a degreased chain in detergent to deactivate/remove the degreaser before you try to relube it.

I just use water and well I am happy with the results as documented. None of the degreasers I have come across say anything about using detergent to remove the degreaser. If you have any thing authoritative to suggest that they should be used I would be interested in reading more.

Andrew

 

[Cubist]

I just use water and well I am happy with the results as documented. None of the degreasers I have come across say anything about using detergent to remove the degreaser. If you have any thing authoritative to suggest that they should be used I would be interested in reading more.

Andrew

Nothing authoritative to show you or link to I'm afraid. It's down to personal preference perhaps, but I believe that some proprietary degreasers like Gunk leave a residue, but more importantly stuff like White Spirit which is often recommended on here leaves a smelly, oily residue. If I degrease stuff I use a detergent to wash off all the emulsified grease and whatever, before rinsing thoroughly in loads of clean water. I then dry very carefully so that I know I am down to bare metal before I start adding anything else that may be contaminated by residues etc etc.
Nice blog by the way.
This SRAM 971 has been used for a few months of commuting and treated to the Mickle method and dry ceramic lube:

:

 

[mickle]

With all due respect Aushiker, and you are due a lot, I think it's really admirable that you've put so much time and effort into documenting the wear rate of each and every chain you've used and that you put so much time and effort into degreasing, rinsing, rinsing, rinsing and re-lubing them.

But it's only a bloody bicycle chain, a consumable, disposable item. If, instead of all this hard work and dedication, you'd simply adopted The 'KMC Method' you'd have had enough spare time to have had a life. Isn't life just too short and precious for all these shenanegans?

BTW. How do you dispose of your degreaser once it's been contaminated?