chain baths – are they any good?

I’m commuting a fair bit now and really chould clean the chain at least once a week.
Previously I’ve done a mixture of taking it off and doing a proper job, and just wiping it down with a rag.

So, is it worth investing in a chain cleaning bath?
What solvent/degeaser is best?
I tend to use white spirit as it’s really effective and cheap. Will this damage the brushes?

I use this, haven’t used a chain bath since

http://www.fenwicks.info/fenwicks-fs-foaming-degreaser.html

We use the White lightning one and it’s bloody great! Gets use 2-3 times a week in the workshop…very quick and easy…yours for £22 posted!

I loved my Park one… ’till I put it in the dishwasher 🙁

Then I kneejerk bought one of those cyclo ones, which is less than pleasing to use.

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Park Tool Melt[/url] by Flamejob[/url], on Flickr

I use the Park one with paraffin. Cheap as chips. Cheaper actually as the paraffin was free.

Clean it once a week. Spotless. On my second set of brushes but it’s probably 4 years old now.

I don’t use the handle though. I grasp the chainstay and hold the cleaner underneath. I have a rag wrapped round my hand and as the chain passes obver the top it collects up the paraffin and crud.

I’m considering going ultrasonic

+1 for the Park one.
I use it after every ride and it does a cracking job.

I prefer water in my bath.

And maybe a bit of radox. 🙂

I use an old ice cream container with diesel in it. If your doing it every week just put the chain in about 1cm depth of diesel, slosh around for a minute or so take out and rub down with an old rag and put back on your bike.

Will be well clean and lightly lubed too.

+1 for the Park scrubber… 🙂

They don’t work. They only clean the outside of the chain (very well, admittedly) and increase the likelihood of BB and rear hub/freehub problems by having degreaser dripping around the place.

It is actually faster and more effective to remove the chain and shake it vigorously for a minute or so in a contain of white spirits. Do the same again in a container of hot water and washing-up liquid, then rinse thoroughly under a hot tap (or container of boiling water).

Then comes the most important part, and one which chain “cleaners” simply omit, and that is to dry the chain as quickly as possible – blow water from the links and hang it on a hot radiator or on the washing line in the sun. The speed means that there’s no chance of spot corrosion, the overall drying means that the fresh lube you apply actually has something to bond with (ie the metal you’re trying to protect); otherwise the majority of fresh lube is not going to protect and will be forced out of or thrown off the chain as it rotates.

Chain baths are snake oil. They do not work.

chriswilk – Member

Previously I’ve done a mixture of taking it off and doing a proper job, and just wiping it down with a rag.

So, is it worth investing in a chain cleaning bath?

Taking off + wiping down = Faff

I’d say it’s worth getting one just for the covenience and for daily/weekly washes it’s great. I got mine from Halfords + 2 litre Citrus degreaser – all in for about £20. All done in about 2-3 minutes. Hose down, then lube up.

Put it this way – if the usual faff is putting you off doing it at all – then it’s worth getting one of these.

Well in reality what I actually do is…

…remove the chain, and give it to my maintenance gnome who separates it into rollers, pins and plates.
Ian (the gnome) then individually polishes each part, then bakes them in lubricant to make really sure.
After which he re-rivets each link in a custom press and presents it to me in a box made from the timber of the last tree left standing on the Mongolian Hohhot plains.

Then I splurge that sticky green lube all over it and go for a nice sandy ride.

Chain Bath.. do you mean puddles?

Ta all,

might try the Fenwicks foam stuff, with a proper off the bike clean every couple of weeks. I need to find a plastic tub that seals properly as the “dump it in solvent and give it a good shake” method seems like a good idea.

Problem is that I get home, shower, eat, put kids to bed and it’s ~9pm. I can’t really get motivated to go do a proper clean ready for 7am the next day.

Best container for degreasing is a big jar that used to hold cornichons,they come with a green plastic device that sits on the bottom of the jar and can be used to pull things out of the degreaser.The ones you buy in Carrefour are probably best.
Ian

if you do use the white spirit/plastic milk bottle/shake method, pour the used white spirit into a small jar and leave it for a couple of days, all the crap will settle to the bottom and you can re use the cleaner stuff at the top.

SRAM powerlink for easy removal, put in bottle full of petrol, shake well, scrub if necessary, rinse, wipe, lube. 5 mins max and perfect results. White spirit also very good.

Does anybody use a parts washer like this Linky to clean and degrease other bike parts ?

Sonic cleaner for me and some jizer, works for me.

a £40 ultrasonic cleaner from maplin and diluted Fenwicks (same strength as you would use as a bike wash) does the trick for chains, cassettes, jockey wheels, mech’s & any other small parts I can fit into it.

Does anyone do a power link for 10 speed chains?

Before changing to 10 speed I whipped the chain off left it in swafega overnight, rinsed dried and lubed – happy chain every time.

Are the ultrasonic cleaners that good?

Does anyone do a power link for 10 speed chains?

KMC.

Andy

Cheers Andy

Three Fish – It is actually faster and more effective to remove the chain and shake it vigorously for a minute or so in a contain of white spirits. Do the same again in a container of hot water and washing-up liquid, then rinse thoroughly under a hot tap (or container of boiling water).

Then comes the most important part, and one which chain “cleaners” simply omit, and that is to dry the chain as quickly as possible – blow water from the links and hang it on a hot radiator or on the washing line in the sun. The speed means that there’s no chance of spot corrosion

Washing up liquid contains salt, that is why you are getting rust spots. Use bike cleaner or another detergent that doesn’t contain salt.

Does everybody put a new link on everytime they replace their chain ?