Chainset cleaning
- Thread starter 71coupe
- Start date
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Globalti
Legendary Member
Remove the chain and clean it 3 to 4 times in a flat tray or tin of turps subs / white spirit / paraffin / kerosine / barbecue fluid / whatever. Pour the dirty liquid into an old jam jar; it will settle and you can re-use it next time around.
Dry the chain by pulling it through an old towel. Leave for the rest of the liquid to dry off, preferably overnight. Re-lube with Finish Line.
Meanwhile fold the towel and run it back and forth between the big and small rings, changing often. Clean the inside and outside of the rings. Put the rear wheel on your lap and do the same between the cogs of the cassette, which will helpfully rotate itself as you clean.
Pour beer, relax and watch the sunset.
Dry the chain by pulling it through an old towel. Leave for the rest of the liquid to dry off, preferably overnight. Re-lube with Finish Line.
Meanwhile fold the towel and run it back and forth between the big and small rings, changing often. Clean the inside and outside of the rings. Put the rear wheel on your lap and do the same between the cogs of the cassette, which will helpfully rotate itself as you clean.
Pour beer, relax and watch the sunset.
Brandane
Legendary Member
- Location
- Costa Clyde
Diesel, and a paint brush. Apply diesel liberally to chainset, chain and cassette. Rinse. Clean bits of bike that have been spattered with diesel. Done! 
If really dirty, remove chain first and soak in diesel; or invest in one of these:
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/park/cm5-chain-cleaning-kit-ec005497?query=chain cleaning
If really dirty, remove chain first and soak in diesel; or invest in one of these:
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/park/cm5-chain-cleaning-kit-ec005497?query=chain cleaning
lulubel
Über Member
- Location
- Malaga, Spain
My favourite product for bike cleaning at the moment is baby wipes for pretty much everything. (Since I discovered them, my drivetrain is cleaner than it's ever been!) You can leave the chain on the bike, and just hold a wipe in your hand and keep turning the pedals to run the chain though, replacing the wipe each time it gets disgustingly black. Tear them into narrow strips and roll into "sausages" to get between the chainrings and cassette sprockets.
fossyant
Ride It Like You Stole It!
- Location
- South Manchester
An old rag and maybe a bit of wd40 sprayed on rag only. Easy
HLaB
Marie Attoinette Fan
Baby Wipes :-)
Hacienda71
Mancunian in self imposed exile in leafy Cheshire
- Location
- Wilmslow, Cheshire
Suprised no one has mentioned the Mickle method yet! 
slowmotion
Quite dreadful
- Location
- lost somewhere
2Loose
Guru
- Location
- Loughborough, Leicestershire.
I pop my chainset off (external bearing so easy), dump it in a bucket and a spray with flash followed by a rub down with a sponge.
Off clean and on again in less than 5 minutes. The chain takes longer to get a nice result.
Flash spray does a great job on the cassette too, although do watch the runoff so it doesn't head hub bearing- wards.
Off clean and on again in less than 5 minutes. The chain takes longer to get a nice result.
Flash spray does a great job on the cassette too, although do watch the runoff so it doesn't head hub bearing- wards.
doog
....
- Location
- The beautiful south
Yep
Wet wipes...18p a packet at Tesco and use the above method. They will do the whole bike. They also clean up stains on the carpet and nearly everything else you want...been using them since my son was born......19 years ago
I just use a rag, water and some general motorcycle chain cleaner to wipe off the crap. Leave it dry and then re-lube.
slowmotion
Quite dreadful
- Location
- lost somewhere
I clean the cassette and chainrings with wet wipes. My chain has a quick link so it's easy to get off. Every couple of months or so I take it off and feed it into an empty one litre plastic mineral water bottle which into which I pour about a third of a litre of Jizer. This is a workshop degreaser which is water rinsable. Put the top on the bottle and shake it like crazy for a couple of minutes. Extract the chain ( you may have to cut the top off the bottle to get it out), give it a wipe on a J cloth, and put it into another bottle with a water/washing up liquid solution. Shake like crazy, empty, and then rinse in the bottle with clean water until there are absolutely no traces of bubbles from the washing up liquid.
Get the chain out and wipe it before sticking it in an oven for a couple of hours at about 70 degrees C. Put the dry chain on some old newspapers with the pins horizontal, and drip two tiny drops of lube onto each roller between the plates. When you have done that, wiggle each link back and forth to encourage the lube to penetrate. If you are feeling particularly virtuous, you can turn the chain over and repeat the process. I use Cross Country Finish Line Wet lube and apply it with a disposable plastic syringe with an 18g hypodermic needle. You only need 1-2 ml of oil for the entire chain. Finally, wipe the chain down, put it back on the bike, do a bit if Mickleing with a rag, and that's it.
Get the chain out and wipe it before sticking it in an oven for a couple of hours at about 70 degrees C. Put the dry chain on some old newspapers with the pins horizontal, and drip two tiny drops of lube onto each roller between the plates. When you have done that, wiggle each link back and forth to encourage the lube to penetrate. If you are feeling particularly virtuous, you can turn the chain over and repeat the process. I use Cross Country Finish Line Wet lube and apply it with a disposable plastic syringe with an 18g hypodermic needle. You only need 1-2 ml of oil for the entire chain. Finally, wipe the chain down, put it back on the bike, do a bit if Mickleing with a rag, and that's it.