Cleaning A Bicycle Chain

[Red Light]

A dirty chain can cause accelerated wear of drivechain components, poor shifting and sometimes excess drivechain noise.

The best way to clean a chain on a bike is just to get a lot of rags, and wipe it till clean. Covering the rags in something like GT85 helps in serious cases. After you have cleaned the chain, apply lubricant.

The alternative is to buy a specific chain cleaning tool, however these use horrible solvents and wash the lubricant out of the inside of your chain - so not ideal.

Having a clean outside to the chain really doesn't matter - chain wear occurs inside where you cannot see. The only reason for having a chain that is clean on the outside is so that when you lubricate it it doesn't wash the dirt on the outside where it is harmless into the inside where it will grind the chain pins and bushes away.

I would recommend getting a quick link then take the chain off, give it the Sheldon Shake treatment and then lubricate it and put it back. Or if you are really anal about cleanliness Sheldon has another solution.

 

[mickle]

We don't always see eye to eye, but I do respect your knowledge on all things cycling Mickle.

What problem do you have with giving it all a really thorough clean if it is properly lubed afterwards ?

Linford, the only time we see eye to eye is when you stand on your box.

(I love you too really, just don't tell anyone.)

The first thing to remember about chains (particularly narrow 'uns) is that they are consumables like brake blocks and tyres, expendable items which wear out and must be replaced - hopefully before they get so worn out that they wreck sprockets and rings upon which they run. Time spent cleaning bicycle chains always seemed to me to be time which might usefully be served doing something better. Such as riding my bike or watching Top Gear. Life's just too short.

I've tried dedicated solvent baths (by Park and others) and jars of white spirit, but what you're left with is a chain soaked in solvent from which all the lube has been stripped. How do you get the solvent out of the chain and fresh lube back in where it's needed without the solvent degrading the new lube? Wash it out with water? Wait for it to evaporate? And (particularly if you give a sh!t about your environmental impact) what to do with the manky old solvent which now fills your mum's favourite glass storage jar? And the mess - Jeez! To say nothing of the palaver. Did I say life's too short? Life's too short.

The mickle Method (it's not really mine btw, folk have been doing it for years before I came along) is motivated by laziness. I do not want to spend any more time than is absolutely necessary maintaining my chains. But the fact is - it's actually better than the solvent route. It retains lube where it's needed, it repels dirt and these factors make chains last a long time.

And don't imagine that the whole - remove chain, soak in solvent, drain solvent, dry-off, re-lube and re-install is in any way superior just because it takes longer. It isn't. Mickled chains look like new right up to the day they go in the bin.

The excessive wiping of the chain which characterises The Method eliminate the usual gack build up because it minimises the amount of lube left on the surface. It leaves lube inside the chain where it's needed. It's win win.

 

[mickle]

Having a clean outside to the chain really doesn't matter - chain wear occurs inside where you cannot see. The only reason for having a chain that is clean on the outside is so that when you lubricate it it doesn't wash the dirt on the outside where it is harmless into the inside where it will grind the chain pins and bushes away.

I would recommend getting a quick link then take the chain off, give it the Sheldon Shake treatment and then lubricate it and put it back. Or if you are really anal about cleanliness Sheldon has another solution.

The second only reason for having a chain which is clean on the outside is that grit and sh!t might end up between the chain and the chainrings/sprockets... causing premature wear.

 

[Linford]

Linford, the only time we see eye to eye is when you stand on your box.

(I love you too really, just don't tell anyone.)

The first thing to remember about chains (particularly narrow 'uns) is that they are consumables like brake blocks and tyres, expendable items which wear out and must be replaced - hopefully before they get so worn out that they wreck sprockets and rings upon which they run. Time spent cleaning bicycle chains always seemed to me to be time which might usefully be served doing something better. Such as riding my bike or watching Top Gear. Life's just too short.

I've tried dedicated solvent baths (by Park and others) and jars of white spirit, but what you're left with is a chain soaked in solvent from which all the lube has been stripped. How do you get the solvent out of the chain and fresh lube back in where it's needed without the solvent degrading the new lube? Wash it out with water? Wait for it to evaporate? And (particularly if you give a sh!t about your environmental impact) what to do with the manky old solvent which now fills your mum's favourite glass storage jar? And the mess - Jeez! To say nothing of the palaver. Did I say life's too short? Life's too short.

The mickle Method (it's not really mine btw, folk have been doing it for years before I came along) is motivated by laziness. I do not want to spend any more time than is absolutely necessary maintaining my chains. But the fact is - it's actually better than the solvent route. It retains lube where it's needed, it repels dirt and these factors make chains last a long time.

And don't imagine that the whole - remove chain, soak in solvent, drain solvent, dry-off, re-lube and re-install is in any way superior just because it takes longer. It isn't. Mickled chains look like new right up to the day they go in the bin.

The excessive wiping of the chain which characterises The Method eliminate the usual gack build up because it minimises the amount of lube left on the surface. It leaves lube inside the chain where it's needed. It's win win.

I keep forgetting I'm just below 5'3" on cyclechat

I'm not trying to sound daft, but what do you lube the chain with, and you say you basically just wipe it clean with a rag ?

 

[Beebo]

The mickle Method (it's not really mine btw, folk have been doing it for years before I came along) .

Sshhh, dont tell everyone, you're ruining your legend status.

 

[mickle]

I keep forgetting I'm just below 5'3" on cyclechat

I'm not trying to sound daft, but what do you lube the chain with, and you say you basically just wipe it clean with a rag ?

Chain lube. Just enough to provide a drop per roller, allow it to seep in and wipe off the excess. And then wipe it off again. And again..

http://www.cyclorama.net/viewArticle.php?id=349&subjectId=9

 

[TheDoctor]

Lube wipe wipe lube wipe wipe...
Repeat until clean.

 

[HovR]

Having a clean outside to the chain really doesn't matter - chain wear occurs inside where you cannot see. The only reason for having a chain that is clean on the outside is so that when you lubricate it it doesn't wash the dirt on the outside where it is harmless into the inside where it will grind the chain pins and bushes away.

I would recommend getting a quick link then take the chain off, give it the Sheldon Shake treatment and then lubricate it and put it back. Or if you are really anal about cleanliness Sheldon has another solution.

As Mickle said, a clean outside of the chain will reduce the "Grinding Paste" effect on sprockets and rings.

Further more, most dirt doesn't just fly straight off your front wheel directly into the innards of the chain. The gaps to the interior of the chain are so small that the dirt will have to be worked in from the outside. If there's no dirt on the outside, it can't be worked into the inside. Not to mention that if the outside of a chain is caked in crud shifting is compromised.

This is one of the few areas in which I disagree with Sheldon. I've used his method before, and it's at least a good 20 minutes work, messy and leaves you with loads of dirty solvents. Much rather wipe down the chain as a preventative measure little and often.

 

[Red Light]

As Mickle said, a clean outside of the chain will reduce the "Grinding Paste" effect on sprockets and rings.

Further more, most dirt doesn't just fly straight off your front wheel directly into the innards of the chain. The gaps to the interior of the chain are so small that the dirt will have to be worked in from the outside. If there's no dirt on the outside, it can't be worked into the inside. Not to mention that if the outside of a chain is caked in crud shifting is compromised.

This is one of the few areas in which I disagree with Sheldon. I've used his method before, and it's at least a good 20 minutes work, messy and leaves you with loads of dirty solvents. Much rather wipe down the chain as a preventative measure little and often.

Correct that dirt won't fly off your front wheel inside the chain. But in lubricating it the lubricant will wash the dirt inside the chain if the outside is not clean.

As for the dirty chain grinding away the other components, its a very minor issue as the chain doesn't actually move much on them other than to attach and detach from the teeth and even then most of the wear is caused not by a dirty chain but a worn chain with a different chain pitch to the tooth pitch. Change a chain often but allow it to be dirty and your drivetrain will last forever. Keep the chain clean but not change it soon enough and your drivetrain will last as long as the chain,

 

[Red Light]

Lube wipe wipe lube wipe wipe...
Repeat until clean.

Worth working out how much you spend in lube with that method vs how much you save with the longer chain life especially with the modern expensive lubes. Often it can be better to not be too fussy and just replace the chain a bit sooner.

 

[TheDoctor]

About a pound a year, if that!
Seriously, one drop per link, have a cup of tea and then wipe it off.
Another drop per link, leave it and wipe the chain clean.
Takes about five minutes out of my day if that, and I do it every so often maybe a few times a year.

 

[HovR]

Correct that dirt won't fly off your front wheel inside the chain. But in lubricating it the lubricant will wash the dirt inside the chain if the outside is not clean.

Hence why you wipe first, to remove the dirt. Once the chain is completely clean, then lube. That's how I do it anyway.

 

[PpPete]

A slight variation on "the method" works very well on even the muckiest chain.
I use ProGold which is a very thin lubricant, available as a spray and in a dropper bottle.

1. Turning pedals a quick (maybe 2 seconds) spray over the chain where it runs over the cassette.
This loosens all the gunge on chain and cassette.
2 Wipe the chain, cassette, jockey wheels, chainrings.
3. Turn pedals some more, wipe chain again until clean.
4. Now revert to the dropper bottle method, one drop per link, before the wipe, wipe, wipe as previously described.

ProGold is amongst the more expensive of the specialist chain lubes... but with regular maintenance a 16oz spray bottle (from which some is transferred into a dropper bottle) keeps the family fleet of some 15 bikes going for at least a year.

Also if you come in dead tired from a wet ride and CBA to clean the bike, a 2 second squirt as 1) above will keep the rust from starting and you can leave the wiping till morning.