Road Cycling - Chain Cleaners

Chain Cleaners:

Are they the best thing since the wheel? Or another useless accesory to leave on the shelf?

Personally I think they're over-rated but many disagree...

I used to thingk they were silly, silly silly. But then someone got me a Park chain scrubber, and I use it all the time. It works, its simple. I keep my chain cleaner now.

I just bought a Park Tool scrubber a few weeks ago. When you chain is not that dirty it does a great job. But when your chain is filthy, it takes awhile to get it clean.

Usually what I do is first spray on some degreaser let it work and then spray it off with a light stream of water. Then I put the chain scrubber on and run it through there a few times.

You still have to wipe the chain down with a rag to get it dry and really clean.

As stated, they do work. However, don't expect your chain to pop out perfect. If you want a perfect, shiny, brand-new look, you'll need to do a bit of work over and above what the chain cleaner does.

A chain cleaber is aabout the only option for those of us with Campy 10-speed. My routine is to lightly wipe off the chain to remove surface dirt, run the chain through the machine with degreaser, run it through again with water, and repear with degreaser and water. I then spray down the chain witha light stream of water and lightly wipe off the water. I let it dry for at least an hour and then apply lube. Since I've been using Pro Link lube, I find that my chain stays cleaner longer. All the same, I clean fairly frequently.