OK, got it off, it’s covered in gunky black stuff that doesn’t want to come off. what to use for cleaning? got cif, flash, bleach, fairy liquid.

do you have any degreaser type cleaning fluids?

if not fairy and hot water and a tooth brush and scrub.

try the chain cleaning device from lidl £4 it’s loads easier with some degreaser like muc off, sh#t shifter, etc neat in it

happy cleaning

oh forgot dry in oven and then lube with prefered solution

I use a couple of nail brushes, add some degreaser too them and run the the chain between the pair on top and across, works really well.

Soak it in white spirt or petrol if it’s off the bike, rinse with water then lube. You’ll struggle with cif, washing up liquid etc

Dunk it in white spirit. Scrub with old toothbrush. Dry thoroughly with rag. Apply lube. Wipe off excess. Be happy.

Paraffin… Or white spirit but paraffin is cheaper.

Lidl are currently doing chain cleaner things. Dont know if they are any good but at £4 they have to be worth a punt.

get an old pop bottle, put chin in bottle with some warm water and degreaser of choice citrus based cleaners work a treat, screw lid on shake like a loon for a while, rinse and repeat until the water is clear, cut top off the bottle and take chain out to dry, throw scaggy bottle in bin.

Winner

Unless you get some decent degreaser, any cleaning you achieve with kitchen cleaning stuff is going to be little more than cosmetic. I’d not waste your effort until you can get something like neat Fenwicks, Green Gunk from Halfords or Finishline Ecotech.

MBUK did a thing about this ages ago, exactly what tazzymtb said. Never tried it but I presume it works well. 😆

The Lidl chaincleaner is the same Barbieri one my LBS has at £15 but I’ve found that Astonish engine degreaser spray £1 is as good as anything

I’ve never cleaned my chain, I just squirt more oil on it.

This works for me:

Sheldon Brown method

🙂

sheldon Brown – this guy knows his onions

What Tazzy said, it works an absolute treat. You can try all sorts to get your chain clean, but pop it in a 2 litre coke bottle (empty of coke), pour a bit of white spirit in and about 3 or 4 times as much water, screw the lid on, shake vigorously for a minute, empty the white spirit/water/gunk (into a container to take to the tip later, not down the sink!), rinse the chain repeatedly with clean water, cut the bottle open to retrieve chain. Then use GT85 or the like to cover the chain to disperse all the water.

Bingo, chain is as good as new, with minimal effort.

tazzymtb – Member
get an old pop bottle, put chin in bottle with some warm water and degreaser of choice citrus based cleaners work a treat, screw lid on shake like a loon for a while, rinse and repeat until the water is clear, cut top off the bottle and take chain out to dry, throw scaggy bottle in bin.

Wouldn’t that chafe a little?! 😉

I bought Comma 5litre tin of degreaser (hyperclean) for £15 from my local motor factors, lasted a long time. Splint link and pop in a plastic container, job done.

Or the simplest method:
£3 tin of Gunk/Jizer – drop chain in – shake vigourously- fish out and rinse in warm water – done!

A year or so later take down to recycle centre and splash out on £3 again

+1 for the white spirit old plastic milk bottle method.

allow the WS to settle and all the muck sinks to the bottom and with a bit of care you can reuse the clean stuff on the top (reducing waste).

i mix a bit of WS with washing up liquid in a squirty bottle to do the cassette, cheaper than muc-off.

also, i sometimes use a hair straightning brush thingy that i nicked off oreetwoman. tis like 2 hair brushes hinged at the bottom, pop it over the chain, and it scrubs it allround.

those chain cleaner thingys bug me

I’ve just read the Sheldon Brown method. While I cant argue nothing would get it cleaner and better lubed, its a reet ball ache isnt it.

agree, how long would it the to do the SB method!!

Whether it’s washing up liquid or a ‘proper’ degreaser, use the hottest water you can without scalding yourself. Makes a huge difference.

I’ve tried umpteen methods over time. As far as I can see, regular cleaning makes a big difference, the exact method of cleaning doesn’t make that much.

So I just use whatever chain cleaning machine I can get my hands on – just bought the £4 Lidl one.

Chain cleaning machines aren’t much faff, so you actually bother cleaning and lubing the chain regularly. Immersing everything in Jizer and getting everything clean, drying it all then getting it oiled is probably better, but it’s such a faff I very rarely do it.

Or use the dread putoline chainwax. Chains stay pretty clean and when you relube them in the molten wax bath he remaining grit is removed. ONly needs to be done fairly infrequently as well

Dishwasher and relube piece of cake, her indoors might use chain to beat you with if she catches you.

I bought this:

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/lifeline-chain-cleaning-kit/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=base&utm_campaign=products

for cleaning my chain.

It’s lasted well & does a pretty good job. I use Fenwicks FS-1 and squirt about a 50/50 mix with hot water into the cleaner, then whizz it round for a while.
I then sloosh the cleaner out & rinse the chain, before doing it again. Normally this is enough to get it pretty clean. Finally, just rinse the chain & lube.

I use Rock n Roll lube. When you apply the lube the parfin-type stuff in it cleans the chain, then you wipe it all off and off comes the dirt. There’s a waxy bit in the lube that stays inside the chain.

Seems to work very well in a minimum-faff kinda way.

Never ever use washing up liquid, it is full of salt that will rust your chain and other ferrous components of the bike.