Viewing 24 posts - 1 through 24 (of 24 total)
  • Properly de gooing chains
  • lovewookie
    Full Member

    My hack/commute/general bike doesn’t get much love. It’s got to the stage that even my bike degreaser isn’t going to clean the chain/chainring/cassette. There’s a thick layer of greasy dirty residue that won’t budge, even with scrubbing with a toothbruch.

    Methinks I need something a little more potent.

    Before I go raiding my lab for chemicals, anything out there that will dissolve away this goo? I used to use Gunk on my old bikes when I was a kid, it’s pretty much dissolve anything, but alas, that was the early 80’s and there were fewer chemicals on the banned list back then…

    recommendations (that doesn’t involve diesel or petrol)?

    ta

    banks
    Free Member

    Terps – jam jar – overnight. Requires so little effort I should do it more often

    Nipper99
    Free Member

    Disc brake cleaner – about £10.00 for 5lts.

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    headfirst
    Free Member

    Fenwick’s foaming degreaser is very good at making everything shiny

    Stoner
    Free Member

    jam jar of petrol

    *dons flameproof suit, metaphorically and literally, because someone will be a long in a minute awailing and agnashing of teeth at the humanity of it all*

    lovewookie
    Full Member

    used fenwicks foaming. not bad, but not up t the task…

    I have lots of terps, may try that, and I also have lots of disc brake cleaner….

    cheers

    🙂

    trail_rat
    Free Member

    bucket of diesel.

    mines gleaming silver after being thick with black gunge :d

    What winter of commuting did to my silver nexus chain.

    left it in the diesel for a couple of days picked it up , blasted it with the hose – job done

    Northwind
    Full Member

    Variant on a theme- plastic food tub and paraffin (knocked the bottom out of a jam jar shaking a chain) Diesel works too. But you do need to relube it well as this approach takes out all the old lube, a wee wipe isn’t enough.

    stufive
    Free Member

    Diesel petrol white spirit any oil based solvent will do it, i use white spirit in a chain cleaner works a treat

    Onzadog
    Free Member

    I wipe the lumps off with baby wipes (you’ll be amazed at what they shift), then some swarfega jizer gets it like new. (not that my bikes ever get like that).

    robdixon
    Free Member

    + 1 for swarfega jizer … Works a treat

    quartz
    Free Member

    What do you do with the ‘solvent’ once you’ve finished with it?

    trail_rat
    Free Member

    leave it in the bucket with a lid over – under my land rover for next time 😉

    stufive
    Free Member

    I only use a tiny bit i usualy just chuck it onto a bit of soil in the garden

    crazy-legs
    Full Member

    What do you do with the ‘solvent’ once you’ve finished with it?

    Leave it all to settle out, the crap will sink to the bottom and you can just pour off the clean(ish) solvent into another jar for re-use later.

    surroundedbyhills
    Free Member

    oldkit56
    Free Member

    Hi, If you have a small saucepan which can be used, and an old paintbrush try a strong solution of whatever you use to wash your laundry.. D*z, Pers*l etc and boiling water.(Cheap and readily available) 🙂 I usually follow this by washing in paraffin the relubing.
    If it don’t look like a new un after that its probably four X’d
    Cheers Kit 🙂

    Northwind
    Full Member

    Yeah, likewise, let it settle out then reuse. I’ve made it all a bit OCD and overcomplicated with 3 jars- a clean one, a settling one and a proper dirty one. Once settled I pour most of the fluid off into the clean jar, the last wee bit always still has dirt floating in it so it goes in a different slop jar which eventually gets full enough to settle out more. Wastage is almost zero, just what gets wiped out of the jar to clean it (and whatever I spill on the floor!)

    oldkit56
    Free Member

    Hi, If you have a small saucepan which can be used, and an old paintbrush try a strong solution of whatever you use to wash your laundry.. D*z, Pers*l etc and boiling water.(Cheap and readily available) 🙂 I usually follow this by washing in paraffin the relubing.
    If it don’t look like a new un after that its probably four X’d
    Cheers Kit 🙂
    Sorry Double post 😳

    quartz
    Free Member

    What about biodegradeable chain cleaner/degreaser?

    mindmap3
    Free Member

    I’ve found the best bought stuff to be Finish Line Citrus degreaser. It’s expensive but does a good job…I’ve tried the Juice Lubes stuff and its rubbish as is the Muc Off version. The Park stuff is ok too.

    The two that I didn’t like didn’t touch the Finish Line wet lube once it had picked up some muck.

    martinhutch
    Full Member

    Bottle with lid, half fill with white spirit or other solvent, put chain in, put lid on, shake for a bit, leave for a bit, shake it again, drain white spirit, remove sparkly chain, rub dry, leave for a bit, relube.

    chriswilk
    Free Member

    as others have said, I use a tupperware box with white spirit.
    Put in chain, shake for 2 mins, remove and leave to dry.

    andybanks
    Free Member

    Chain cleaner and white spirit every time. Sparkling in 5 mins.

Viewing 24 posts - 1 through 24 (of 24 total)

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