Removing your chain is far too much faffing about just to clean it! Doesn’t get any better results than a scrubby machine thing either!

Anyone tried using a steam cleaner on their chain?

Mrs Wombat wants on and I’d be much more keen on the idea if it had a proper use rather than just having it for the hob/bathroom/wooden floors…

Mad Pierre – Member

Removing your chain is far too much faffing about just to clean it! Doesn’t get any better results than a scrubby machine thing either!

Wrong on both counts… It’s easier than fannying around with a scrubby machine, and also cleans it better

(you can do the old gilette test on this if you like- machine clean first then shoogle in paraffin, see how much more crap comes off)

DoctorRad – Member

* Take chain off bike
* Put in jamjar filled with neat degreaser for at least half an hour while you clean the rest of the bike
* Take out chain and put it in an old takeaway container / Tupperware box etc
* Rinse under hot top in the container and shake until the water remains clear. This can take a surprisingly long time as micro-grit gets dislodged from deep in the chain.
* Dry chain as you see fit, use WD-40 if you must.
* Re-fit and re-lube.

+1

never rated the brushed versions – they just dont seem to get it as clean as this method.

Park one here too.

I also sometimes do the chain off into bottle of degreaser/paraffin/diesel, but that’s a bit of a faff compared to the chain tool.

By the way, if you are buying the Park CM5 Cyclone one from wiggle then do not buy this one for £25:

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/park-tools-cm5-cyclone-chain-cleaner/

Instead buy this “Chain Gang” kit, which includes the CM5 plus a brush and bottle of degreaser for £22:

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/park-tools-cg-2-chain-gang-chain-cleaner-set/

Best feature of the Park one is the little magnet in the bottom to pick up all the little metal bits. Surprising amount of swarf comes off a chain!

Halfords chain cleaning tool and Fenwick’s foamer for me.

Degreasers, cleaners and solvents all strip the lube from the rollers, which is just silly.

All you need to do is wipe your chain with a rag until it’s clean, and then apply the lube of your choice.

Degreasers, cleaners and solvents all strip the lube from the rollers, which is just silly.

True, but it depends how old the chain is. I wouldn’t degrease a newish chain cos that’ll still have good factory lube inside the rollers, but if it’s an older chain then it’s probably long stripped anyway.

True, but it depends how old the chain is. I wouldn’t degrease a newish chain cos that’ll still have good factory lube inside the rollers, but if it’s an older chain then it’s probably long stripped anyway.

I give you the Mickle Method.

http://www.cyclorama.net/blog/advice/51/

Northwind – Member
Wrong on both counts… It’s easier than fannying around with a scrubby machine, and also cleans it better

(you can do the old gilette test on this if you like- machine clean first then shoogle in paraffin, see how much more crap comes off)

I really can’t be arsed with that much faffing. Especially to prove a point to a STWer! So we’ll have to agree to disagree.

I can have it cleaned quicker than I can lay my hands on the tool to get my 10 speed link apart so….

I reckon it’s more down to the de-greaser than the method anyway. As I said earlier the expensive, citrus, cycle specific stuff is a load of shite

@ransos

Degreasers, cleaners and solvents all strip the lube from the rollers, which is just silly.

All you need to do is wipe your chain with a rag until it’s clean, and then apply the lube of your choice.

This is pretty fine for road riding, but how else do you get the micro-grit out of the gaps in your chain in order to stop it wearing out (even) faster? Or is the idea of ‘The Method’ that you are flushing out the micro-grit with the lube?

This is pretty fine for road riding, but how else do you get the micro-grit out of the gaps in your chain in order to stop it wearing out your chain (even) faster?

I agree it’s a dilemma.

I see your point in theory, but I’m not convinced it’s a huge problem. Since I changed to the “Mickle Method” I’ve found that my chain lube seems to last longer in really filthy conditions, I spend less time cleaning, and I don’t seem to be wearing components out any more quickly.

I can have it cleaned quicker than I can lay my hands on the tool to get my 10 speed link apart so….

You need more efficiency 🙂
No tools needed 2-3 secs at most to disconnect the link, maybe 10 secs to put it back

“The Method” is basically what the instructions say to do on Rock’Roll lube.

What lube is actually in there in the first place anyway? Isn’t it just some kind of anti-corrosion coating, or is it something useful in wet and muddy off-road conditions.

I must get round to trying ‘Squirt’ lube sometime. I tried White Lightning back in the day and quite liked it, but it didn’t seem compatible with filthy conditions, only lasting 10-15 miles in the filth. Squirt is supposed to last longer. Anyone get on with it?

One way to prevent the chain getting sh1tted up in the first place is to use a dry lube. The problem with wet lubricant is that the sand and grit sticks to the chain, gets wetted and over time creates an effective grinding paste that gets into all the nooks and crannies. I’ve started using wd40 dry lubricant and it works a treat and the chain stays much, much cleaner for longer and all I do after each ride is wipe down with GT85 and a rag and liberally re-lube. You don’t get the grinding paste at all with dry lube even when cycling through wet muddy conditions.

squirt lube…

i used squirt lube for a while. once your chain is total degreased it is very easy to maintain. the problem for me was when used in low temperatures, because it’s wax based it hardens in the cold, which caused links to stiffen up.

what you need is a Dirty Little Scrubber

blurb from their web page

Quick and easy to use no hands chain cleaner.

The Dirty Little Scrubber hangs on the lower chain and a hook bar swings up behind the jockey wheel so when you back pedal the cranks, the cleaner stays in place. The fact that you dont have to hold the cleaner with one hand brings 3 main advantages

1) It finds its own position of least resistance, so you dont get annoying chain suck when back pedalling the cranks – this is assuming that you have it in a gear that backpedals freely in the first place!? With hand held cleaners, it is all too easy to twist or tilt the cleaner which inhibits the free movement of the chain through the cleaner.

2) You can use one hand to the hold the bike up and the other hand to turn the crank, so you dont need a workstand to hold the bike steady

3) Because it is easier and more convenient to use, you are more likely to clean your chain more regularly which will increase the lifespan of your drive train and keep it operating more smoothly which makes your riding more enjoyable!!

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=5783

Cheaper here

Barbieri cleaner at £8 with degreaser and lube for £8…what is not to like?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Barbieri-Bike-Chain-Cleaner-With-Lube-Degreaser-/360488967070?pt=UK_Spots_Leisure_Cycling_Tools_RepairKits&hash=item53eed11b9e

PaulD

Probably that it was £4 at Lidl earlier this year. Bought one and it works fine for a quick freshen up, but prefer using a missing link.

jota180 – Member
You need more efficiency
No tools needed 2-3 secs at most to disconnect the link, maybe 10 secs to put it back

If you can do a SRAM 10 speed power lock with your bare (bear?!) hands then you are a better man than me. 9 speed yeah no problem but not the 10 speed ones.

And more than 10 secs to thread the chain through all mechs, chain device etc for sure!

My chain would be clean and I’d have downed my first pint while you’re still messing about. I’d bet that pint on it!

er just use chain link pliers – they cost less than a chain cleaning brushed tool and it takes a couple of seconds.
[img]http://www.jejamescycles.co.uk/product-images-large/kmc-missing-link-remover-pliers-58578.jpg[/img]
if your cleaning your chain, your doing it at home and can take your chain off doing a ‘propper job’, brushed tools may be easier but they are not better imo. I own both – but rarely use teh brushed tool.

I’ve used a park tools cleaner for years n’ years n years, takes all of 60 seconds every so often and after use i blast the chain with a brake cleaner spray which removes/dries up the degreaser lube then i apply whatever lube dependant on riding conditions – simples.

Disclaimer – Other folk may have different routines that work equally as well but for me this is the simplest option that just lets me ride without faffing about.

monkeyboyjc – Member
er just use chain link pliers – they cost less than a chain cleaning brushed tool and it takes a couple of seconds.

if your cleaning your chain, your doing it at home and can take your chain off doing a ‘propper job’, brushed tools may be easier but they are not better imo. I own both – but rarely use teh brushed tool. already got those. It’s not quicker to remove, clean an re-thread a chain than use a scrubber and never will be. And I’m not always at home. The most important times are those long weekends away where it’s only really the chain that gets cleaned between ride and pub and next days ride.

Without doubt, the best chain cleaner i have ever used and been using for the last 5 years !
It’s always been used with Gunk and warms up just nicely 😀

Since I’ve been using Squirt, and just swishing the chains under hot water after a ride, they’ve been lasting fooking ages.

I don’t get chain cleaners.. they just pre-load the chain with degreaser to wash the fresh lube straight out.

Maybe stop oiling your chains with engine oil and you won’t need to use a cleaner? I just use the minimum amount of Tri-Flow and my chain never holds dirt.

KMC recommend.

Cleaning

Never use acidic or alkali based detergents (such as rust cleaners), these agents can damage the chain and may cause breakage.
NEVER EVER use a so-called ‘chain washing machine’ in combination with solvent. This is the one and only sure way to instantly ruin your chain.
Avoid the use of solvents, not only are these bad for the environment, they remove lubricant from the chain’s bearing.

So that pretty much rules everything out!

Personally I ignore the advice and use the Park chain cleaning machine, I like to live life on the edge.

Just started using a chain cleaning device after using a rag for a long time

I’m impressed how much crap is caught in the machine and how clean the rag is when i wipe it down

The chain looks nice and shiny straight afterwards and feels smoother

To early to tell if it makes my chain & cassette last any longer – but it does look very shiny – and shiny is good!! 😀

I bought a Park cleaner (for nowhere near the UK RRP) after using a mates on holiday and being impressed by it. Use it as part of regular bike cleaning and it takes seconds. If I think the chain needs a ‘proper’ clean (feels and sounds wincingly gritty) I take it off (split link) and do the degreaser-in-milk-carton-and-shake method.

When I used to work in labs I used to take advantage of the ultrasonic baths and acetone/ethanol, now that made for a clean chain.

Not sure I get all this “washing the lube out” and “preloading with degreaser”. when the chain is grinding the rollers are full of grit and water youve already lost any lube, and as I rinse it after using degreaser its then full of clean water. Which is removed by WD40 or the lube.