Bicycle Mechanics - Chain Maitenance Question

I have an Orbea with a Campy group. I bought it in March.
I clean the chain twice a month because it is so dirty. I use White Lightning lube ( I have on my mountain bike for several years).
Every time I clean the chain I find metal in the bottom of my cleaner (park). This is something that hasn't happened on my mountain bike.

Is this normal on a road bike? normal for Campy?
What am I wearing out? Chain? Chainrings? Cassette?


TIA,
Karl

I have an Orbea with a Campy group. I bought it in March.
I clean the chain twice a month because it is so dirty. I use White Lightning lube ( I have on my mountain bike for several years).
Every time I clean the chain I find metal in the bottom of my cleaner (park). This is something that hasn't happened on my mountain bike.

Is this normal on a road bike? normal for Campy?
What am I wearing out? Chain? Chainrings? Cassette?


TIA,
Karl

Everyone has their favorite chain lube. I would suggest ditching the cleaner gizmo and removing the chain (along with the chainrings and cassette) from the bike for a proper cleaning once in a while. You might also want to consider installing an SRAM powerlink (quick-release link) that makes future removal of the chain effortless.

I don't particularly care for wax-based lubes. YMMV. It would be normal to find metal in the spent cleaner, as the gunk on your chain also includes those little chainring, rear cog, and chain bits that are part of the normal (if microscopic) wear and tear.

OK,
If I get ride of the chain cleaning gizmo and remove the chain, how do I clean it?

I mean with the gizmo I use the enviormentaly friendly stuff and the brusshes in the gizmo really do most of the work.

If i remove the chain the only thing I know that will clean it is real solvent.

So what would you use?

White lightening is very good for mountain bikes, especially in sandy areas. It's really not adequate for a road bike. I'm using Finish Line Teflon Plus at the moment. It's a dry lube and like the wax, it doesn't pick up dirt. It doesn't last long so it needs to be reapplied every couple of hundred miles. There are many other good options out there, some last a lot longer, so check the archives.

I use SRAM chains with the link and just remove the chain when it looks real dirty. I clean it with deodorized mineral spirits.

Personally, I never remove the cassettes or the rings. I clean in-place. I figure the removal/installation puts too much wear on stuff.

Al

I have an Orbea with a Campy group. I bought it in March.
I clean the chain twice a month because it is so dirty. I use White Lightning lube ( I have on my mountain bike for several years).
Every time I clean the chain I find metal in the bottom of my cleaner (park). This is something that hasn't happened on my mountain bike.

Is this normal on a road bike? normal for Campy?
What am I wearing out? Chain? Chainrings? Cassette?


As my name indicates, I commute every day. I wipe down the chain every day or two--after every ride if I go through rain or snow or if it gets noticably dirty. I generally just run it through a rag, but I add lube every few times. I bought the current chain in April and it is still silver approximately 1500 miles later. Taking the chain off will weaken it a little, but it may be worth it to get it really clean. Regularly wiping down your chain will let you go longer between more serious cleaning. Also, don't forget about cleaning out the gears.

You should also clean the chain rings regularly. Soap and water works for me, but others prefer a degreaser. You can use a toothbrush or rag (run the rag between the rings). This will help keep your clean chain clean.

Taking a chain off does weaken it a little but it may be worth it to get it truly clean. But if you regularly wipe down your chain, you will lengthen the time between major cleans. My chain will stretch out before I need to take it off for cleaning.

Use a SRAM chain. Take it off the bike and drop it into an empty 2-liter soda bottle. Add enough of your favorite chain cleaner to cover. Put the top on the bottle and give it a good shake. Let sit for awhile while the grime dissolves. Then rinse and hang to dry. Reattach to bike using the PowerLink and lube with your fave slippery stuff. I also don't like wax based lubes. I think they have a hard time reaching the inner parts of the chain, and they don't last very long. I have been using Finish Line dry formula for years, and it seems to work fine for me, and it is available in every LBS I have ever set foot into.

Use a SRAM chain. Take it off the bike and drop it into an empty 2-liter soda bottle. Add enough of your favorite chain cleaner to cover. Put the top on the bottle and give it a good shake. Let sit for awhile while the grime dissolves. Then rinse and hang to dry. Reattach to bike using the PowerLink and lube with your fave slippery stuff. I also don't like wax based lubes. I think they have a hard time reaching the inner parts of the chain, and they don't last very long. I have been using Finish Line dry formula for years, and it seems to work fine for me, and it is available in every LBS I have ever set foot into.


I also use the SRAM link, with a Shimano chain. A smaller water bottle will also work is one doesn't have a 2 liter job at hand. For cleaning I like to use mineral spitits (paint thinner). After shaking the chain in the bottle, pour off the dirty solvent into another clean bottle, the dirty stuff will settle to the bottom and you can reuse the clean solvent on top again next time.


For lube, I use Finish Line Cross Contry oil. This stuff is a heavy oil and works great to lube the chain. Messy it is so keep this in mind. I've tried various dry lubes but always go back to oil due to the superior lubing properties.

Good luck.

Ed

Thanks for the input.

I do clean the cassette and chain rings each time I clean the chain. I do all of this in place.

I have use the Nashbar and the Performance solvent. It doesn't really cut the grime. It looks to me the only reason things come clean is the brushing (I have been a gear head for a while, working on cars, mc's bikes) and i am tempted to go to a real solvent, but I know that will kill the chain cleaner I have because it's plastic.

i want to stay away from removing the chain very often because of the wear it puts on the chain to break it and put it back together.

I will try another lube for now.

Thanks again.

I use the Finish Line cleaning machine and it works great, and I use the Finish Line Teflon Dry and it works great as well. I switched after many years of Tri-Flow use to different wax based crap lubes and they all only lasted about 60 miles before the chain would start to raise a fuss. That chain fuss (noise) is wear and that wear will put small bits of metal from your chain, chaingear, rear gears into the cleaning tank. You need to stop using the wax crap, I never get metal particles in my cleaner tank. Keep in mind just like your car you need to keep the oil clean, but unlike your car the chain oil does not get filtered so you have to clean it and lube it frequently.

I've never used the Park chain cleaning thingy but I do use the Finish Line one and I think it works great. It's not made real well but so far it's lasted year so not bad for the price; but it did seem to have more and better brushes then the other cleaners I saw.

I take my chain off (and it's really long), put it in a covered coffee can, fill partially with mineral spirits and set it on top of a variable speed random orbit sander. Crank that thing up a bit and hold it. Excellent agitation. It really gets the grit out from the nooks and crannies.

Every time I clean the chain I find metal in the bottom of my cleaner

The cleaner you are referring to uses a magnet in the bottom. Keep in mind that not all the metal you are seeing comes from the chain. Lubes tend to pick up dirt, which will contain iron.

A counterpoint:
1) I use SRAM chains, assembled without the PowerLink, which I carry for emergency on-road repair.
2) Since I live in a dry climate, I lube the chain with White Lightning.
3) I rarely remove a chain for cleaning, because I believe pressing a rivet in and out will enlarge the holes in the chain's outer links, potentially leading to failure, which I have never experienced and do not care to.
4) I replace a chain as soon as it has stretched by 1/2 percent, per Sheldon's forumla.
5) I "floss" the cogset, intact and on the bike, by seesawing an old towel between teeth and between cogs.
6) The only other driveline cleaning I do is to wipe or scrape the wax residue off the chain and out of the rear derailleur wheels and cage, where it really tends to accumulate.
7) If I have any questions about the effectiveness of my chain lube, I test the chain rollers with a matchstick, to make sure they spin easily.

The cleaner you are referring to uses a magnet in the bottom. Keep in mind that not all the metal you are seeing comes from the chain. Lubes tend to pick up dirt, which will contain iron.


Yes,
The cleaner does have a magnet. I hope you are correct and some of the metal I am seeing is comming from outside sources.