How do you keep your chains looking clean, I can put a new good quality chain on a bike and with a few rides its black and horrible.

I lube it regularly and wipe off the excess, clean the jocky wheels, chainrings ect but the chain always ends up looking cack.

is there an easy way of keeping these clean?

Drop mine in tub of white spirit for an overnight soak.

Dry off and lube…

Jet fuel. Not available to everyone though.

White spirit for me

Take it off, degrease it, put it back on…

just add more lube. ohhhh ss is fab

White spirit or diesel, pour into an empty 2 litre pop bottle, drop chain in bottle, put lid on bottle and vigorously shake until fed up of shaking, pour white spirit back into original bottle straightaway before all the sediment settles back to the bottom, remove chain and dry with a rag, re-lube.

Ss bikes – just wipe it with a tag and add more wet lube. Black gunk doesn’t seem an issue when there are no jockey wheels

Geared bikes – I clean new chains in white spirit. Then use squirt lube – which doesn’t go black and doesn’t require constant chain cleaning.

swarfega jizer. Dirty cheap, recyclable and its got a funny name. What more do you want!

But seriously, I use this stuff for just about everything. £20 buys you 5 litres (or more) of the stuff, which goes a hell of a lot faster than any bike dedicated/priced up product.

Safe enough on paint (wouldn’t leave it alone eating away at your bike though), and washs off with a hosepipe. Also ecologically sound.

I use it in £5 ebay chain cleaning device and its amaze balls.

I run it through a chain cleaner after most rides but every now and then, like today I dunked it in white sprit which brings it up like new… 😀

Chain cleaner followed by GT-85. Leave for 30 mins and lube.

Usually Bilberry wheel cleaner which I use for the whole bike.
Kerosene and a toothbrush for the chain when it’s proper dirty.

chain off
little glug of degreaser in a plastic milk bottle
add chain
shake
remove chain and rinse

feed degreaser to next doors cat

job’s a good ‘un

Washing up liquid and a Grunge Brush. Takes seconds.

Its the removing chain thing i was trying to avoid, guess i should get a quick link then.

jet wash, wd40, leave to dry, finish line winter lube before riding.

As above, thoroughly clean chain before fitting, then use Squirt lube. Chain seems to stay shiney, and I’ve gradually moved other bikes in the household onto it. I know some people don’t like it, but it seems to work for me for the riding I do.

I spray citrus degreaser on it and the cassette whilst turning the cranks to make sure it all gets a coating. Wait 5 mins, then spray chain with hose (mid chain stay, so away from any bearings). All grease and dirt gets blasted off and chain looks mint.

Couldn’t be bothered with taking it off to clean….

Diesel in a cheap Aldi chain cleaner.

Chain cleaner, twice if really sh!tty, rinse with low pressure hose, towel dry, leave air dry for five then purple extreme lube, doesn’t clag up.

I use Rock n Roll Extreme lube, so every time the chain is lubed, its cleaned at the same time.

Infrequently?

Its the removing chain thing i was trying to avoid, guess i should get a quick link then.

I used to feel exactly the same way.. then I got a quick link..

now I have chain OCD

before the quick link I used to just keep spraying cheap grease at it for years at a time..

I use ambersil, it’s used to clean f1 engine parts, I buy it from Cromwell industrial supplies,

I just stick a little in my chain cleaning type thing give it 20 sec or so, scrub the crank and mech with a brush using the dirty cleaner from the chain type thingy , quick hose down , dry , relube , done

With a hose pipe and reading some posts here get a very respectable amount of use from that and the cassette.

GT85, scrubbing brush, hose off. Dry with a rag, apply Mucoff G3, spin it a few times then wipe excess away.

Lasts for a very long time.

Wash off with the rest of the bike, give it a good wipe off with an old rag/towel/whatever, use a chain cleaning device with degreaser followed by isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol – available cheap enough on amazon) every few cleans or when I think required. Then GT85 to disperse moisture prior to lube,

I found it more important to lube sparingly and use just one drop of oil on each roller on the chain to prevent vast amounts of crap building up. Anal, but working for me after lots of experimenting and no chain removal.

Following the advice of shimano and kmc? At the most extreme; washing with warm soapy water and rinsing. Then lubing with dry lube. Wiping chain with clean rag whilst in middle chainline and using rag pulled down to put chain under load. Followed by more lube and wiping off. NEVER using solvents or chain cleaning machines…

Loving squirt lube for the way it can be removed taking crap with it. I wouldn’t clean a new chain until it was really dirty.

Generally spray some degreaser onto a cloth l, spin pedals relube. Chage ASAP after winter.

I use a combination of Spunk and Hate.

Why make life complicated. Take the chain off, put it in the dishwasher. If you are feeling generous put it in the ultrasonic cleaner (with all the bearings).

Good old wire brush and detol.Same as my fork stanchions. 🙂

Squirt +1.

Most of the time, it self cleans. If there is gunk remaining that is too much for me, then hot water + a quick scrub with a scrub brush gets the outside of the inner links clean. I let it dry, and put a drop of Squirt on each roller.