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06-12-12, 09:09 AM
I don't mean to dredge up another chain/lube religion debate but I thought this tidbit might be of interest to some.
I've been using an on-bike chain cleaner for years because it was easier and effective. Well I finally got a park master link tool and popped off the chain to do a good off-bike chain soak and cleaning. With the chain off I discovered that one of the jockey wheels on my derailleur was "gritty" and wasn't turning very well, something I couldn't tell with the chain on the bike. The moral of the story is that regardless of your cleaning mantra, periodic inspection is important to a well functioning bike.
While I'm spouting tidbits, here's another I found for off-bike chain cleaning. I use an old plastic rotisserie chicken container (from Costco) as a chain cleaning tray. There are little raised bumps on the bottom that rattle/jiggle the chain around when you clean the chain with a "panning for gold" motion, I find this gives similar results to Captain Browns soda bottle technique without the fishing for tangled chains. I use simple green as a cleaner because its so darn effective (and cheap).
I've been using an on-bike chain cleaner for years because it was easier and effective. Well I finally got a park master link tool and popped off the chain to do a good off-bike chain soak and cleaning. With the chain off I discovered that one of the jockey wheels on my derailleur was "gritty" and wasn't turning very well, something I couldn't tell with the chain on the bike. The moral of the story is that regardless of your cleaning mantra, periodic inspection is important to a well functioning bike.
While I'm spouting tidbits, here's another I found for off-bike chain cleaning. I use an old plastic rotisserie chicken container (from Costco) as a chain cleaning tray. There are little raised bumps on the bottom that rattle/jiggle the chain around when you clean the chain with a "panning for gold" motion, I find this gives similar results to Captain Browns soda bottle technique without the fishing for tangled chains. I use simple green as a cleaner because its so darn effective (and cheap).