Chain Degreaser

[Danny]

OK, but doesn't all the crud you get on your chain, particularly in winter, wear down your gears if not cleaned off?

I'm sure I remember a thread on the old C+ forum where some people were advocating cleaning your chain after every ride - which I have to say struck me as verging on the obsessive.

 

[Joe]

So why are there so many chain cleaning kits on the market. Are they just a con?

Imo, yeh! I have the Park one and it's rubbish. No better results than with a rag.

 

[Saddle bum]

"Hyper-Clean", made by Comma. Water soluble degreaser, so reasonably bio-friendly. Use in the chain cleaning gizmo, wash off with water, apply WD40 to drive out water and then lube. Excellent.

 

[gary r]

dunk it in a tray of Diesel,Oil based so doesnt dry out the chain like white spirt

 

[User482]

I use SRAM chains so they come off without tools. I then drop it into an old plastic takeaway container, fill with "Muc-off" or similar, put the lid on, shake, and leave for 30 mins. Chain always comes out sparkly clean.

Washing up liquid isn't bad if you're out of degreaser.

 

[Kevin Howton]

I use a really cheap degreaser called Elbow Grease that I buy from a pound shop (£1 for 500ml). It seems to do a similar job to Muc-off. It probably has the potential to damage Ali but so does Muc-off. I try to leave on for as little time as possible and give everything a good squirt with water after cleaning to minimise any detrimental effect on frame /wheel finishes. I leave the chain to dry after spinning off as much water as I can. Then I squirt with GT85 to dispel what water remains. Finally I lube the rollers from the inside of the chain as suggested by Sheldon Brown. Seems to work quite well.

 

[Spoked Wheels]

A have used differents products. parks degreaser, washing up liquid, orange based degeaser, all of them together with the parks little machine and the results are not too bad BUT the best result is obtained with white spirit.

A get a lot of sand in my chain and I must clean it every week otherwise the cassette, chain and chainring would need changing too often.

It's not a difficult job and it's a pleasure riding with a clean chain


Rick

 

[Jacomus-rides-Gen]

How do you get the white spirit off before putting lube on?

 

[davidwalton]

Not sure I yet understand the need to be degreasing yet

As an x Motorcyclist, I know that I would never of dreamed of degreasing that regularly, if at all. Just used a lube that did not attract dirt.

I was always told that since chains improved some 20 plus years ago, degreasing could remove any lube on the inside where it is most important to be. You can't replace that lube either very easily.

Anything outside, just give it a wipe if or when needed.

Perhaps cycle chains are different though?

 

[Amanda P]

How do you get the white spirit off before putting lube on?

Hang up the chain to dry. Most of the spirit drips off. Over a couple of hours, the rest evapourates, especially if you put it somewhere warm.

If it's really grotty - say every three months or so during winter weather, or after a spell of riding dirt roads, I'll use spirit like this.

I like to clean mine by rinsing in spirit in an old plastic milk bottle. If it's very gritty, I'll clean it up using an old toothbrush and more spirit. I let the spirit dry out, and then, sometimes, to remove any remaining grit, rinse it two or three times with hot water and washing up liquid in the milk bottle. Dry thoroughly on a radiator or stove.

Yes it's true that a proces like this removes the lube from inside the rollers - but any worthwhile lube will "creep" its way back in there when it's applied. The trick is to remove unnecessary lube from the outside of the chain, where it will attract grit, which will then form grinding paste with the lube. Which will wear away at your cogs - especially alloy chainrings.

 

[BentMikey]

Unleaded petrol is even better and leaves less residue than white spirit. Just don't light a cigarette for a while after you've used it.

Please don't anyone use petrol to clean stuff. It just takes a static spark, and you may spend months in a burns unit. I know someone in my family who got burnt this way, it's horrible.

 

[Paulus]

I've used white spirit for many years, works for me. Once the chain is clean wipe it with a rag to get the excess off and then let it dry. Then lube. I use Finish line green

 

[mickle]

Oh Lordy.
(1) How does your chain get so manky that it requires such radical measures?
(2) How do you avoid exposure of your delicate membrane to the carcenogenic volatile compounds without the use of a positive pressure ventilator.
(3) How do you ensure that all of the volatile compound has left the inside surfaces of the chain to prevent it contaminating or otherwise diluting the fresh lube?
(4) How do you dispose of the used volatile compound once it has become contaminated with chain mank?