Should I clean the chain on a new bike?

[GrasB]

I use a degreaser shampoo on my chain, this stuff is designed to take surface grease & oil off parts without penetrating into the middle of bearings etc. For use with chains they recommend taking the chain off & soaking then shaking in a very thin/searching low-lubrication penetrating oil dry it off every 15 or so applications of the shampoo.

Problem is I'm using fairly expensive car/motorbike cleaning products that are supplied in large volumes primarily for use with my cars. As you'll use so little of them to clean a bike I'm using the excess I made for car washing which is basically free rather than buying bike specific products.

 

[Jonathan M]

I just splash some Finish Line Dry lube on a new chain, ride it, when I think its needed I use the cloth method of cleaning ans then re-lube.

 

[knapdog]

Anyone ever used Gunk Engine Degreaser to clean the gunge off a neglected chain?????

 

[zacklaws]

If you read Sheldon Browns, chain maintenance section on his website, he is dead against removing the manufacturers lubricant and is far superior than anything you will apply afterwards.

What beats me about this is, if the lubricant is that good, how come I never see it in shops to buy?

 

[Steve Austin]

What beats me about this is, if the lubricant is that good, how come I never see it in shops to buy?

Because its a bugger to apply. YOu would need to soak the chain in the stuff, and have removed any possible traces of degreaser, oil, gunk etc.
it also serves two purposes, the useful purpose: lubricating the chain, the 2nd and not so useful purpose_ preventing the chain rusting into little bits whilst in storage. Its a bit overkill for the everyday chain
Finish Line Wet for everyday

 

[Mr Pig]

If you read Sheldon Brown, he is dead against removing the manufacturers lubricant

Well that's just great if it remains the only thing in there! I don't care how good a lubricant is, once it's mixed with grit, dust, dirt and grime it's not worth a stuff.

 

[zacklaws]

Well that's just great if it remains the only thing in there! I don't care how good a lubricant is, once it's mixed with grit, dust, dirt and grime it's not worth a stuff.

He claims its OK for several hundred miles before you need to apply any other lubrication, not leave it on permanently

 

[Mr Pig]

He claims its OK for several hundred miles before you need to apply any other lubrication, not leave it on permanently

I'm beginning to think that the people who advocate not cleaning a chain fall into two categories; roadies and bike mechanics. Maybe if you're whizzing along tarmac all day that advice might hold true but dirt trails and off-roading can make a right mess of your chain in no time, there's no way you could sensibly leave it for hundreds of miles.

And bike mechanics. Have you ever know professionals, whether plumbers, builders or whatever, to do a job the best way possible irrespective of how long it takes them? They trade thorounes off against time required, all of them. Good tradesmen will take longer and choose a better technique but there is still often room for improvement. Why would a bike mechanic choose to clean a chain in a way that cost the customer more than the cost of a new chain? So slapping on oil it is then.

 

[GrasB]

Anyone ever used Gunk Engine Degreaser to clean the gunge off a neglected chain?????

If it's that bad then new chain. The stuff I use is to take of oil splashes on paint etc. it'd not touch a greasy engine block.

 

[Mr Pig]

If it's that bad then new chain.

How does that work? If your chain gets dirty it need replaced irrespective of how worn it is?

 

[GrasB]

How does that work? If your chain gets dirty it need replaced irrespective of how worn it is?

Gunk Engine Degreaser is a fairly aggressive & invasive degreaser, it's good for taking the oil blow from a HG failure, a turbo oil blow or 100k miles of accumulated oil saturated crud off the engine. If you're needing to use one like this then you've got more problems than oil & crud on the chain, you'll have all kinds of dirt contamination inside the chain so you're best to start a fresh. If you're just picking on the stuff cause you have it then you'll be better off getting a milder workshop degreaser designed to get the superficial oily deposits off things.