Cleaning Chain & Gear Mechanisms

[rossjevans]

The weather has been great this weekend and managed to get out for the first time on my shiny new Spesh Tricross and very nice it was too. I live on the coast and rode along a sea front cycle route which although paved was covered in a thin layer of sand. When I returned I noticed a small amount of sand on the chain/bottom bracket and gear mechanisms - it seems to have stuck to where they have been oiled/greased.

Would be interested to know what the most effective method of cleaning these bits are? Do products like muc-off work on these parts? Or is it a case of soap & water followed by re-oiling the components?

Any assistance appreciated. Thanks.

Ross.

Edit: Just saw the 'Cleaining It' Thread - should have scrolled down!

 

[Brommyboy]

My way of cleaning the drive train is to wipe with a dry cloth, then flood with light machine oil and dry again afterwards. When I did rely on proprietary products I found the life of the chain very short! Sometimes the jockey wheels need to be removed for cleaning but take care - they are not always both the same so do one at a time!

 

[JohnHenry]

I use (don't laugh) baby wipes with cotton buds for the "important and inaccessible places" followed up with light oil - use it sparingly.

As long as you make sure there are no bits of cotton left around the jockey wheels (I use a wooden cocktail stick) it works for me.

Main thing is that there's not too much gooey stuff left for grit 'n' stuff to stick to which will make a nice grinding paste.

 

[Globalti]

If you ride on or near the beach give the bike a good wash with car shampoo to clean off the salt. Don't use dishwash liquid; it contains salt.

 

[rossjevans]

Thanks for the input guys.

So far I've been using baby wipes to clean the frame and white spirit to clean the chain. However I've also got this Park Tools Chain Cleaning Kit which my LBS recommended, however I haven't tried it out yet.

 

[Paulus]

As you have got a chain cleaning tool, use white spirit to clean the chain, it works a treat, and is much cheaper than other recommended brands.

 

[mickle]

.. (don't laugh) ..

Ha!

 

[Globalti]

If you use that chain cleaner make sure you twiddle the chain around with the bike leaning to the right, not the left, because paraffin is very runny and will dribble along the axle and get into the BB bearings. Guess how I know this?

 

[rossjevans]

Useful tip there!

I still have the citrus degreaser included with the chain cleaning kit to use which I guess is not as harmful as paraffin but I'll take extra care if using white spirit or any other 'harder' solutions.

Thanks for the info guys.

 

[evilclive]

The weather has been great this weekend and managed to get out for the first time on my shiny new Spesh Tricross and very nice it was too. I live on the coast and rode along a sea front cycle route which although paved was covered in a thin layer of sand. When I returned I noticed a small amount of sand on the chain/bottom bracket and gear mechanisms - it seems to have stuck to where they have been oiled/greased.

Would be interested to know what the most effective method of cleaning these bits are? Do products like muc-off work on these parts? Or is it a case of soap & water followed by re-oiling the components?

Sand is specially nasty stuff. Riding on a blowy day near a beach got a fair amount in my chain. For me that means chain off, clean in something like paraffin, replace and relube.

(for a vaguely obsessive friend who rode across a beach on a tour one day, it meant dismantling the chain completely, cleaning each pin and plate, then getting half way through putting it back together before giving up and buying a new one :-) )

 

[gbs]

Thanks for the input guys.

So far I've been using baby wipes to clean the frame and white spirit to clean the chain. However I've also got this Park Tools Chain Cleaning Kit which my LBS recommended, however I haven't tried it out yet.

If you have left the packaging unopened Isuggest you ask for a refund - it is not a a very robust product aand saves little time compared to hand cleaning.

 

[itchyrider]

Excellent tip! Thanks.....

As you have got a chain cleaning tool, use white spirit to clean the chain, it works a treat, and is much cheaper than other recommended brands.