cyccommute 

I'm just saying that if the goal is to keep contamination out of the chain, wiping the chain isn't the way to do it. Yes, it removes surface contamination but removing it does nothing other than force it into the cracks where it becomes internal contamination. Flushing with new solvent just forces that contamination further in.

To be clear, I don't spend a lot of time cleaning chains either. They get cleaned once when they are installed and then I use a chain lubricant that doesn't provide a vehicle for contamination to become trapped. I don't suffer from chainring tattoos nor do I have to wear a hazmat suit to handle the chain.

Finally, I fully agree that chains are a wear item. I'd go further and say that people obsess way too much about their chains. But most of that is because they use lubricants that require them to obsess about the filthiness of their chains.

roval

how do you get rid of the mineral spirits? i cleaned a cassette yesterday and i'm seeing if it will evaporate leaving the sludge for me to clean with paper towels.

how may minutes with the us cleaner for a chain?

Andrew R Stewart 

Eliminating the solvent from inside the chain is pretty straight forward. Wicking- by wrapping with paper towels, rags. Compressed air- blasting the liquids mostly out. Draining- gravity. But all these don't fully remove the solvent from insides of the links. (BTW water based solvents have the same issues). So time to evaporate or add heat to hasten this. Andy

cyccommute 

I would agree with one exception. Water-based solvents indeed have the same issues but it also has water in it. Water takes longer to evaporate and mineral spirits don't serve as a vehicle for metal oxidation.

I'm not a fan, by the way, of using compressed air to blow out mineral spirits. While mineral spirits does have a high flash point, blowing it into an aerosol form increases the flammability significantly.

Andrew R Stewart 

Good point about water being an oxidizer increaser. And while I understand the flash point/vapor issue (using compressed air) I will say that in 40+ years of shop wrenching I have never heard or experienced said problem.


I have heard of auto mechanics who while smoking a cigarette and then releasing the pressure from a tire which had been inflated with an aerosol can/fix a flat and having what was basically a flame thrower directed at their face. Andy.

noglider 

My favorite chain cleaning tool is cash. When my chain gets grimy, I replace it. Is that environmentally unfriendly?

sdmc530

I too do this. A basic chain that is decent is less than $20. I just replace my chain every spring and call it good. During the riding season i lube as needed and wipe off excess and call it good. Just easier to buy it once a year than to mess with it.

Carbonfiberboy 

That's what I do, too. But I think my chains maintained this way last longer than they did back when I used one of those brush chain-cleaning boxes. Cheaper, quicker, better. Less is more.

Daniel4

What's the Park Tools cleaning fluid? Is it a mixture of lemon juice and something else? I'm think of mixing lemon juice and vinegar.

I was also weary about dumping the fluid even if it is supposed to be environmentally friendly. So I keep the used stuff in a yogurt container. Besides, if I do dump it, it can go on the asphalt driveway. The driveway already has all these toxins from gasoline, motor oil and bitumen anyways.

cyccommute 

Why? No matter what some "green" cleaning site says, vinegar is not the end all and be all of cleaners. Adding lemon juice might give it a lemony smell but it's not going to do anything either. Vinegar and lemon juice are both aqueous acidic mixtures. Acids are even more polar than water and water won't touch grease at all. Making the mixture more polar just ensures that it is completely ineffective. Dish washing soap at least has a fighting chance.

You might have a chance of removing grease if you used glacial (100%) acetic acid but you wouldn't like the smell and it is very caustic to your tissues, including the mucus membrane. Imagine the smell of vinegar multiplied by about 20 times.

"Green" cleaners often aren't all that "green". If you use more of a cleaner, you've just created more of a waste stream. A cup of mineral spirits (in a bottle but not a chain "cleaner") can clean 6 to 12 chains or even more. To do the same work with a "green" cleaner, you'll have to use about a gallon of cleaner per chain. I'll leave it as an exercise for the reader to determine which is "cleaner", a cup of waste or 6 to 12 gallons

noglider 

I really appreciate that perspective, @cyccommute. It's good to know the truth about this stuff.

Number400

I use the chain cleaning tool that came with a can of white lightning de-greaser. I removed the de-greaser can and clamped it to a can of Tri-Flo. I spray and spin for 4-5 seconds with it clamped around the chain and then run the chain another 10 seconds or so with no spray and then grab the chain with a towel and spin until the dirt is gone. This leaves the chain clean, with plenty of lube to set up in the rollers. It does not make a mess while doing it if you are careful but you will get some splatter on the floor if you are on a trainer for the first ride. Of course a little spatter will hit the bike on the first ride as well but a few second swipe with the de-greaser takes care of that. I can ride 500+ miles and still see a nice wetness seeping out of all the rollers.

It's a simple process and one can of Tri-Flo has lasted a few years with multiple bikes and two tandems and makes for a very quiet drive train.

davidad

Cleaning the chain on the bike is not very effective. The crud on the outside is meaningless unless you wash it into the chain where wear occurs making grinding compound. I started using an ultrasonic cleaner years ago and have gotten 16k and 19k plus miles on chains on my two bikes.

Number400

Chains can be pretty knackered and keep on going but either way whether contaminates are forced out with pressure on the bike, or the chain removed from the bike, crap can get back in quickly so it's most important to get a quality lube in there as a barrier. I replace chains before they are due but mostly because I want piece of mind when I am sprinting or we are doing a steep climb on the tandem. I cannot spare the mental energy depending on a 10k+ mile chain when it does not cost much to replace.

Good luck!

OldsCOOL

My chain cleaning is very simple. I take an old t-shirt in hand, grip the chain near the bottom of the chainring and briskly pull backward toward the rear derailleur. Pull and repeat until chain is clean. I then take Marvel Mystery Oil and do drip trick just one drop across the pins. Spin the crank several revs, wipe off excess. I do this every 3 weeks or couple hundred miles. MMO will deep clean the rollers and sufficiently lube. Simple and effective. My chains have satisfactory longevity and last 2-3 seasons with no troubles.

canklecat

Is it this White Lightning chain cleaning tool?



*****

I got this one last year, also a White Lightning, but a different model. Not too bad for ten bucks but fell apart quickly. But it worked well enough that I'm planning to buy a better chain cleaning tool. Gets between the links better than anything else I've tried, including manually brushing by hand.

Number400

Yup, that's the one. It's held up well. Just be careful that you don't let it spill after cleaning, especially after the can is half empty. The used lube does evaporates in between uses.

Racing Dan

A solution is to use a solvent that actually evaporates as at decent pace. 4t Alkylate petrol (for chainsaws) for instance evaporates at a much higher rate than water based degreasers and mineral spirits. It also doesn't leave a oily residue.

Sy Reene

any final rinse to get the dawn off the chain?

eja_ bottecchia

No, I use just enough to clean the chain. I aplly a good lube after the wash. Hope this helps.

ctpres

The older I get the less I think about chain life! Probability is very good that next new chain will outlive me. Wipe it with a terry rag once in awhile and done.

fietsbob

Quick link, and a can with solvent in it.. Open the chain take it off soak it in the solvent, hang it . Put it back on. re oil..