Bicycle Mechanics - The Truth About Chain Cleaners

So are these gizmos all they are cracked up to be? Are they really mess-free? Doesn't the chain get wet anyway and spray all over everything anyway?

I heard of folks soaking their chain in mineral spirits - that sounds easy enough, cuz then you just wipe it and or let it drip-dry? But doesn't that strip the lube from the innards and make it difficult to re-lube every joint?

Anyone use an automated unit and like it - or is it just hype? The sample videos I've seen don't show an actual cleaning - they are always of clean chains without any solvent in the device.

It would be well worth your time to search the forum.

It's hard to imagine that anything concerning chain maintenance has been left UN-said, at this point.

The Sheldon Brown method is the best: http://sheldonbrown.com/chainclean.html

The newer versions of these machines work well. They certainly are not mess free. I use the Finish Line machine and the latest Park machine and they both do a good job and are easy to use. You can use any type of degreaser in them, I use mineral spirits. I use one of these machines about once every 500 miles. Between those cleanings I use a rag with mineral spirits wrapped around the chain while turning the cranks. I also use a rag to floss between the cogs.

Al

I'm not doing the complete chain dis-assembly - that's nuts.

If you don't take the chain completely apart, as recommended by Sheldon, then you are not being completely and obsessively thorough.

I'm not doing the complete chain dis-assembly - that's nuts.

So was Sheldon - but in a good way. He was kidding.

I have one of those gizmo's - the plastic things with the brushes inside a see-thru box. I used it once. I highly doubt I'll use it twice. It doesn't do a very good job - unless you run it several times with clean solvent each time. And that's expensive. I'll keep using charcoal lighter-fluid as my chosen solvent. And NOT in a plastic gizmo.

I'm not doing the complete chain dis-assembly - that's nuts.

Your bike WILL fall apart, then.

I read it on the Interwebs, some place.

I'm not doing the complete chain dis-assembly - that's nuts.

I do that after every ride . . . you should also.


Your bike WILL fall apart, then.

True story, I've seen it happen.

rumrunn-

I have the Park Chain Cleaner. It does a pretty good job, and my chains seem to last a long time. If you want to try it, I bet my office is not too far off of your commute. PM me and we can discuss...

I hope you all don't end up owing him a new chain...:innocent:

It doesn't do a very good job - unless you run it several times with clean solvent each time.

If the solvent gets dirty, doesrn't that mean that the chain is less dirty? What method dosen't get the solvent dirty?

A bike mounted chain cleaner has to be messy. The chain gets drenched with solvent that has to end up all over the chainrings.

I take the chain off and out it in an old water bottle filled about 2/3 with mineral spirits. I shake the bottle for about a minute, pour off the mineral spirits into a storage container for reuse, then clean the chain again. You can use another batch of solvent or hot water and dishwashing soap. I use the soap, then finish up with a hot water rinse.

To relube, I just apply my 4/1 mix of naptha and oil. WD-40 works too. I don't know where folks get the idea that you can't get lube to the pin area. The clearances are loose and any relatively thin oil will penetrate quickly. The idea that the pin are gets dry from cleaning and can't be relubed easily is total nonsense.

WD-40 works too.

Here it comes . . .

Yep! It's BOHICA Time! - bend over here it comes again...

http://bicycletutor.com/no-wd40-bike-chain/

:D :eek: :D

It's time for a front row seat and popcorn, just enjoy the show!!!! Maybe a little WD40 instead of butter.:popcorn

But a really good chain (and most anything) lube is this -

http://www.rei.com/product/759028?preferredSku=7590280017&cm_mmc=cse_froogle-_-datafeed-_-product-_-7590280017&mr:trackingCode=43E8088F-0419-DE11-B4E3-0019B9C043EB&mr:referralID=NA

Available at many outlets.

demoncyclist - thanks for your offer - that's more than generous - but probably more trouble than actually cleaning my chain! :-)

I haven't heard that WD40 shouldn't be used as a cleaner. In fact it says WD40 was invented as a cleaner, but that while it even contains lubricants, the lubricants are not adequate for a bike chain, meaning OK to use as a cleaner, not OK to use a lubricant. of course spraying it anywhere near greased ball bearings would be counter productive, unless of course you were cleaning them and re-greasing them

so far I'm not convinced these devices are worth buying

+1 for storing and reusing solvents! better idea than just spraying WD40 all over the place - man that stuff stinks too

Panthers007 - I would get that but it's not available in a gift box ...

I've been using this:

http://www.rei.com/pwr/product-reviews/Cycling/Bike-Lubricants-and-Cleaners/Bike-Lubricants/Finish-Line/p/634907-Finish-Line-Dry-Lube-4-oz-Squeeze-Bottle.html

Yep! It's BOHICA Time! - bend over here it comes again...

http://bicycletutor.com/no-wd40-bike-chain/

:D :eek: :D

I hope that nobody believes that nonsense you keep posting. I've lubed one of my Campy 11 speed chains with nothing but WD-40 for nearly 1000 miles now and the chain wear is about the same as I get using my homebrew lube with synthetic motor oil and 80/90W gear lube. Sure there are better lubes than WD-40, but it does an adequate job.

It used to be dead easy to break apart a chain in order to give it a soak, but you can't really do that very easily with chains today. So, it's one of those machines, or nothing, because just cleaning the outside of a chain is pretty much useless. It's inside of it you have to worry about. My feeling about chain cleaning is that good enough is good enough. It's easy to get carried away. Clean as best you can with one of those chain cleaning things and then replace the chain whenever it needs it.

If you really like cleanliness, use something like White Lightning, but only if you are prepared to give it a quick lube after rain or after any longish ride.

It used to be dead easy to break apart a chain in order to give it a soak, but you can't really do that very easily with chains today.

Still is. Powerlinks work well in that regard.

Failing that, there is one other way, though it's not for your weekly chain cleaning. Just detach the cage from your RD and remove the unbroken chain. It's not that hard, and it's the only decent way to get the jockey wheels clean anyway.

Still is. Powerlinks work well in that regard.

Failing that, there is one other way, though it's not for your weekly chain cleaning. Just detach the cage from your RD and remove the unbroken chain. It's not that hard, and it's the only decent way to get the jockey wheels clean anyway.

You forgot about the FD cage and the rear triangle of the frame. Not many frames come apart.

The problem with these cleaners isn't the cleaners themselves, or the mess they make of the bike, it's the total methodology of cleaning this way.

Whether you use mineral spirits or water & detergent, the cleaning process is as likely to carry fine silt into the chain as out. This can be resolved with multiple passes changing the liquid, until it stays clear.

That still leaves a second, more important problem. The solvent remains inside your chain, and takes an extremely long time to evaporate because there's almost no surface to evaporate from. That means that any lube you add will either remain on the outside, or be severely diluted and compromised by the solution. Therefore unless you use a hair drier, or otherwise dry the inside of the chain, you'll be riding on cleaning solution as chain lube.

My recommendation is skip these gadgets, and clean your chain dry, by wiping or brushing dirt off, and then only as necessary. If you need more, try some cleaner on a rag and damp wipe the chain clean, and lastly if you want a thorough wash and have a removable link, pull the chain and give it a few cycles in a coffee can or plastic soda bottle, followed by a thorough hot drying before re-lubing.

Lastly- and consider this a highly biased opinion, try using a lube that lasts long enough, and stays reasonably clean to avoid this process altogether.

You forgot about the FD cage and the rear triangle of the frame. Not many frames come apart.

I assume that any decent home mechanic has a hacksaw and a TIG welder.

FBinNY...

So I need a lube that lasts the same 4-6,000 miles as my chain?

My homebrew lube uses the same solvent to thin it as I use to clean the chain. Even if I use a hot water rinse as the final step in cleaning, homebrew or WD-40 will displace the water and lube the chain quite adequately.

A chain does not need cleaning to get silt into the area around the pin. The clearances are loose and it will get there quite readily while riding. Cleaning can only help to remove it.

If I can't remove the chain for cleaning, I apply my homebrew heavily to flush as much dirt out as possible. Of course I always wipe the exterior before lubing, but the area with the greatest amount of grit in it is between the inner and outer plates, which can't be reached with a rag. Without a real cleaning a chainn will always sound gritty if you twist it slightly.

With the new 11 speed chain, I have resorted to mutiple heavy brushings with diesel fuel or mineral spirits to clean the chain on the bike. I hold a folded paper shop towel under the chain to catch the excess solvent, but it's still a messy job. I've also given them a heavy blast of WD-40. It's better than nothing but far short of good cleaning.

Dave-

Life isn't digital, so there's a whole spectrum of options between never cleaning and re-lubing, and cleaning and lubing every few rides. I'm not saying that any lube will last the life of the chain, (unless it's so poor as to yield extremely short chain life). What I'm am saying is to clean and re-lube only as necessary, and to do it the smartest way, causing the least underiseable side effects.

I don't know if you're riding on or off road, but on road the dirt is certainly more manageable than you make out. And off road, though more frequent cleaning may be necessary, there are alternatives that yield good reliable results. Since the OPs question was about chain machines, I listed two: the coffee can and the soda bottle that work very effectively and allow effective lubrication if the chain is properly dried afterwards.

For the record, I certainly have no financial incentive to tell folks to clean their chains less frequently. If anything, encouringing folks to wash and then relube more often will cause them to use and maybe buy more chain lube.

whether you use mineral spirits or water & detergent, the cleaning process is as likely to carry fine silt into the chain as out. This can be resolved with multiple passes changing the liquid, until it stays clear.

That still leaves a second, more important problem. The solvent remains inside your chain, and takes an extremely long time to evaporate because there's almost no surface to evaporate from. That means that any lube you add will either remain on the outside, or be severely diluted and compromised by the solution. Therefore unless you use a hair drier, or otherwise dry the inside of the chain, you'll be riding on cleaning solution as chain lube.

My recommendation is skip these gadgets, and clean your chain dry, by wiping or brushing dirt off, and then only as necessary.

++21

Ugh! WD-40, a great SOLVENT, poor LUBE. I say again, great SOLVENT, poor LUBE. USE it on your chain, to clean it, use real lube (I use tri lube) to lube it. It works for me. And as for removing the chain, since I got a bike with a hyperglide chain, its not practical to remove the chain to clean it any more, I clean it on the bike.

Ugh! WD-40, a great SOLVENT, poor LUBE. I say again, great SOLVENT, poor LUBE. USE it on your chain, to clean it, use real lube (I use tri lube) to lube it. It works for me. And as for removing the chain, since I got a bike with a hyperglide chain, its not practical to remove the chain to clean it any more, I clean it on the bike.

Can you back that up with a real-world test of chain life? As I noted, I'm still using WD-40 on an 11 speed chain with no ill effects after the first 1000 miles. WD-40 has about the same amount of oil in it as a typical home brew lube. I'm working on the theory that dirt is the major cause of chain wear. Lube frequently to flush out the dirt.

I've used a lot of Campy 10 chains with a very thin lube and measured no more than 1/3 of the allowable .5% elongation, even after 6,000 miles. Obviously a thin lube can do an excellent job of lubricating the pin.

I once obsessed about my chain, but quickly stopped worrying. Rain "cleans" my chain, and then I re-lube it. Maybe a random wipe with a rag every few months. Since I'm fairly low mileage it's quite adequate. Been using the same chain for at least 3 years. I'll probably think of replacing when the cassette starts looking worn - new cassette, new chain. Much happier since I stopped worrying about it and just got on with the riding. YMMV

I highly recommend cleaning your chain in the bathtub, scrubbing it with your wife's toothbrush using her nailpolish remover as a solvent, then drying it with the good guest towels. :innocent:

I highly recommend cleaning your chain in the bathtub, scrubbing it with your wife's toothbrush using her nailpolish remover as a solvent, then drying it with the good guest towels. :innocent:

Don't forget to re-lube with her Oil of Olay.

Flood your chain with WD-40. Remove the WD-40 from your chain with a hard jet of water from your garden hose. Careful - don't make a mess or spray any bearings, etc. At this point your chain will be shiny clean. Spray it again with WD-40 to displace the water. Wipe off the WD-40 and lube as usual.
Do this only if for some reason you want your chain to be really, really clean and well lubed. Like if you were going to sell your bike or something.

I'm waiting for California to ban sales of WD-40 - they'll claim it may cause cancer. And that's enough for California's weirdo legislature to jump to action. It was beyond easy there to convince a smaller city (name evaporated like WD-40) to shut down the water-supply in one city. The legislature of that city were told that the water contained dihydrogen monoxide, which can be fatal if inhaled.

I agree that WD-40 makes a great solvent - but a lousy lubricant. You could spray it on your chain, as a lube, if you are willing to add more close to continuously as it evaporates. I'll take my Boeshield T-9 any old day.

BOHICA!

I use a Park chain cleaner every few months. I use a mild solvent in it the first time, then I empty it out, rinse it with fresh water and then clean the chain twice more with fresh water. Seems to work fine. I don't find it messy at all, hardly get my hands dirty. After I clean it I let it dry and then I lube it thoroughly with Finish Line wax based lube. My first chain on my Giant lasted about 5000 miles. That is good enough for me!

Can you back that up with a real-world test of chain life? As I noted, I'm still using WD-40 on an 11 speed chain with no ill effects after the first 1000 miles. WD-40 has about the same amount of oil in it as a typical home brew lube. I'm working on the theory that dirt is the major cause of chain wear. Lube frequently to flush out the dirt.

I've used a lot of Campy 10 chains with a very thin lube and measured no more than 1/3 of the allowable .5% elongation, even after 6,000 miles. Obviously a thin lube can do an excellent job of lubricating the pin.

I have used WD-40 on all of my guns for the last 40 years and they look brand new.

Currently I am trying Dupont Teflon (dry lube) on my bike to see if I can cut down on the amount of dirt the chain picks up.

I use the Park chain cleaner tool (mineral spirits as the solvent) to clean the chain on the bike. I run the mineral spirits through a coffee filter when it gets dirty and this allows me to use it many times before I need to discard it. IMO the Park tool is well designed, and as far as it making a mess I don't find this to be a problem. In fact, any solvent that does not stay on the chain are places I was going to clean with solvent anyway.

Sheldon makes reference to the Dry lubes,and, that they are good to use...Whats the concensus on them???

Bud

I've used both Finish-Line and TriFlow teflon dry-lubes. They work great on chains. 1 drop per link.

last weekend while cleaning an old chain, I used wd40 on papertowels and ran the chain through it with rubber gloves of course. pretty stinky process. then I got down to using a screw driver to scrap crud between individual links. where I saw crud inside the links I used a brush and sometimes a jet of wd40. then I wiped it and wiped and wiped it with paper towels, this was an old chain from a trek frame I got for free. it had no rust just grimey. I did let it dry for a couple of hours before "dry" lubing it.

I guess no matter what your method - it is a labor of love

what does "mineral spirits" smell like? does it evaporate well? does it have any lubricating qualities?

I've used both Finish-Line and TriFlow teflon dry-lubes. They work great on chains. 1 drop per link.

+1 on Finish line, pretty in-expensive, doesn't pick up much grime at all . . . plus, it tastes great!

I do that after every ride . . . you should also.

Only AFTER each ride? I do it at rest stops too. geez what are you thinking?

About once a month I spray the chain with the water hose to knock off all the loose stuff then I use Engine Brite and an old towel to clean the chain. i use another clean towel to dry the chain. After the chain is dry I use simple old 30w engine oil to lube the chain. Been working pretty good for me. The engine brite gets the chain nice and shiny and the 30w oil keeps it lubed up pretty good.

I agree that WD-40 makes a great solvent - but a lousy lubricant. You could spray it on your chain, as a lube, if you are willing to add more close to continuously as it evaporates. I'll take my Boeshield T-9 any old day.

BOHICA!

Once again, can you back up the lousy lubricant claim with a real-world chain wear test?

WD-40 does not evaporate. The solvent in it evaporates, leaving behind the 20-30% oil that's in it, just the same as the homebrew lube I use. I think that the synthetic motor oil or 80/90W synthetic gear lube in my home brew is a better oil, but may not yield much more chain life. My homebrew is a lot cheaper to use than aerosal cans of WD-40. I spend about $12 to make 5 quarts. A gallon of WD-40 is about $14 at Home Depot. Aerosal cans probably cost 3-4 times more.

Once again, can you back up the lousy lubricant claim with a real-world chain wear test?



You mean, like, a LUBRICANT? Nah - for 'dat I use Skippy Super-Chunk. But on Sundays I use Fluffernutter. WD40 is strictly for arthritis* and recreational abuse.



* - Really! A lot of people swear by WD40. They spray it on their arms & legs to loosen their joints.

BOHICA!

I just bought the Park Tools chain cleaner. Haven't used it yet, but it looks like it's a pretty good item. It also says to use soapy water after using the chain cleaner. I have this "Natural" citrus based cleaner that is a basic general cleaner that I thought I'd use after the Park Tools cleaner, but then I will spray WD-40 on it as WD stands for Water Dispersant. Then I will dry off the chain with a rag and will then oil it with a good chain lube. The books say to let your chain dry for a day after oiling so it won't collect dirt, so I'll just do this at the end of a ride so I can go the next day.

What's more relaxing than sitting in the garage, cleaning the chain while listening to music and drinking my post exercise recovery beverage made of grains, hops, and barley? (LOL)

Ummm.....Huffing WD40 out of a paper-bag?



(SERIOUSLY KIDS: Don't Do That!)

Only AFTER each ride? I do it at rest stops too. geez what are you thinking?

Yeah, I've been getting lazy, however, I did hit a small puddle yesterday, and removed and cleaned all the links on the spot. Of course everyone walking by was like "WTF?"

I carry the whole "Sram Deluxe Kit"

* Park CT-3 Professional Chain Tool
* Shelbroconol Pre-soak
* Shelbrothane Cleaning Solvent
* Deakinol Rinsing Solvent
* Phil Wood green grease
* Deakins White RollerGrease
* Cotton Swabs
* Pipe Cleaners
* 57 Sram Power Links

In a backpack just in case.

WD-40 does not evaporate. The solvent in it evaporates, leaving behind the 20-30% oil that's in it
That 'oil' from what I've seen and heard is very very LIGHTWEIGHT and not enough to lube a bike chain. Most of whats in WD40 is just solvent, thats all, when its dry its about all gone. I have no proof that WD40 alone is not good enough, I had posted originally to refute the goofy post that said to never never ever put WD40 on a chain. Others have said before that you can use it for a solvent, I agree. I follow up with tri-lube. Works great, the chain lasts and lasts for years.