Chain washing machines bad?
03-27-12, 12:11 AM
#1
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Sheridan, WY
Posts: 13
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Chain washing machines bad?
Saw there hasn't been a new post on chain cleaning for a day or two and thought we better get back on it! But, really specifically, I read in a forum and just found on KMC's website this claim:
"NEVER EVER use a so-called ‘chain washing machine’ in combination with solvent. This is the one and only sure way to instantly ruin your chain."
That's it. No explanation of how one will "instantly" ruin the chain with a chain cleaning gizmo.
My plan (having received a gizmo for Christmas) is to run the chain through it every week or so, wipe it down, maybe dry it off with a blow dryer if it's not hot and sunny out and re-lube. Probably will take the chain off a couple times a year and really dowse it in solvent (plastic bottle trick), dry and re-lube.
So, how can KMC make that claim? Is there really a danger of ruining the chain, even if "instantly" is forgivable hyperbole?
"NEVER EVER use a so-called ‘chain washing machine’ in combination with solvent. This is the one and only sure way to instantly ruin your chain."
That's it. No explanation of how one will "instantly" ruin the chain with a chain cleaning gizmo.
My plan (having received a gizmo for Christmas) is to run the chain through it every week or so, wipe it down, maybe dry it off with a blow dryer if it's not hot and sunny out and re-lube. Probably will take the chain off a couple times a year and really dowse it in solvent (plastic bottle trick), dry and re-lube.
So, how can KMC make that claim? Is there really a danger of ruining the chain, even if "instantly" is forgivable hyperbole?
03-27-12, 12:32 AM
#2
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: San Jose, California
Posts: 3,504
Bikes: 2001 Tommasini Sintesi w/ Campagnolo Daytona 10 Speed
Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 145 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 35 Times
in
30 Posts
"solvent"
That's the keyword...
=8-)
That's the keyword...
=8-)
__________________
5000+ wheels built since 1984...
Disclaimer:
1. I do not claim to be an expert in bicycle mechanics despite my experience.
2. I like anyone will comment in other areas.
3. I do not own the preexisting concepts of DISH and ERD.
4. I will provide information as I always have to others that I believe will help them protect themselves from unscrupulous mechanics.
5. My all time favorite book is:
Kahane, Howard. Logic and Contemporary Rhetoric: The Use of Reason in Everyday Life
5000+ wheels built since 1984...
Disclaimer:
1. I do not claim to be an expert in bicycle mechanics despite my experience.
2. I like anyone will comment in other areas.
3. I do not own the preexisting concepts of DISH and ERD.
4. I will provide information as I always have to others that I believe will help them protect themselves from unscrupulous mechanics.
5. My all time favorite book is:
Kahane, Howard. Logic and Contemporary Rhetoric: The Use of Reason in Everyday Life
03-27-12, 05:41 AM
#5
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Fairplay Co
Posts: 9,512
Bikes: Current 79 Nishiki Custum Sport, Jeunet 620, notable previous bikes P.K. Ripper loop tail, Kawahara Laser Lite, Paramount Track full chrome, Raliegh Internatioanl, Motobecan Super Mirage. 59 Crown royak 3 speed
Mentioned: 26 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 789 Post(s)
Liked 1,739 Times
in
630 Posts
As long as you don't use harsh solvents there is no way I can see any chain cleaner machine sold damaging a chain even with wrong cleaners I don't see it if you wipe down the chain and lube it with just about anything after .
03-27-12, 06:30 AM
#6
Thrifty Bill
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Mountains of Western NC
Posts: 23,523
Bikes: 86 Katakura Silk, 87 Prologue X2, 88 Cimarron LE, 1975 Sekai 4000 Professional, 73 Paramount, plus more
Mentioned: 96 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1236 Post(s)
Liked 964 Times
in
628 Posts
Suggest you ask the ****ber on the other fourm that question. The internet and forums are full of opinions, some (rarely) with data, most without.
03-27-12, 06:33 AM
#7
Senior Member
03-27-12, 07:21 AM
#9
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: S. E. Michigan
Posts: 513
Bikes: Mongoose Switchback
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Chlorinated (mineral spirits) solvents are the monster.
https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...inated+solvent
https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...inated+solvent
03-27-12, 07:44 AM
#10
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2002
Posts: 6,956
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 6 Times
in
5 Posts
If you want a recommended cleaner for your chain scrubber, I suggest Finish Line Citrus Degreaser. Then dump it out and use the scrubber again with hot sudsy water (Dawn dish detergent or whatnot) as your rinse cycle, dry the chain (blowing it out with compressed air is good, or a light lube that displaces water) and relubricate it. KMC is being ridiculous.
If your lube is simply getting depleted, you can always start by applying more lube and wiping off the excess.
If your lube is simply getting depleted, you can always start by applying more lube and wiping off the excess.
03-27-12, 08:05 AM
#11
Mad bike riding scientist
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Denver, CO
Posts: 27,341
Bikes: Some silver ones, a red one, a black and orange one, and a few titanium ones
Mentioned: 152 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6200 Post(s)
Liked 4,201 Times
in
2,357 Posts
Saw there hasn't been a new post on chain cleaning for a day or two and thought we better get back on it! But, really specifically, I read in a forum and just found on KMC's website this claim:
"NEVER EVER use a so-called ‘chain washing machine’ in combination with solvent. This is the one and only sure way to instantly ruin your chain."
That's it. No explanation of how one will "instantly" ruin the chain with a chain cleaning gizmo.
My plan (having received a gizmo for Christmas) is to run the chain through it every week or so, wipe it down, maybe dry it off with a blow dryer if it's not hot and sunny out and re-lube. Probably will take the chain off a couple times a year and really dowse it in solvent (plastic bottle trick), dry and re-lube.
So, how can KMC make that claim? Is there really a danger of ruining the chain, even if "instantly" is forgivable hyperbole?
"NEVER EVER use a so-called ‘chain washing machine’ in combination with solvent. This is the one and only sure way to instantly ruin your chain."
That's it. No explanation of how one will "instantly" ruin the chain with a chain cleaning gizmo.
My plan (having received a gizmo for Christmas) is to run the chain through it every week or so, wipe it down, maybe dry it off with a blow dryer if it's not hot and sunny out and re-lube. Probably will take the chain off a couple times a year and really dowse it in solvent (plastic bottle trick), dry and re-lube.
So, how can KMC make that claim? Is there really a danger of ruining the chain, even if "instantly" is forgivable hyperbole?
A "solvent" is anything that dissolves something else and makes a homogeneous mixture. Water is a solvent in seawater. Aluminum is a solvent in an alloy as is iron in steel. Nitrogen is a solvent in air. There are lots of other examples. In the case of chain cleaners, the type of organic solvent you use is more likely to damage the cleaner than the chain. The chain is very robust and organic solvents will take the oil off the chain without damaging the steel in the chain. If you have a lot of grit in the oil that you used on the chain, you may force the grit further into the chain which can damage the chain but the solvent won't. It certainly won't ruin it "instantly". Few things short of melting the chain can ruin it "instantly".
The major problem with chain cleaners is that they are ineffective and very, very messy. I own one and I think I've used it once. It was a royal pain to use. It sprayed solvent around like a male cat and really did nothing to clean the chain. Taking the chain off (use a master link and it's easy), cleaning it, drying it, installing it and lubricating it is actually less of a mess than the machine. If you use a lubricant that doesn't attract dirt and grit, i.e. a wax based lubricant, you can clean the chain once fresh out of the box and not have to worry about cleaning it ever again. Wax lubes work wonderfully in the dry high plains conditions of Wyoming and the Rockies.
You are essentially correct. However, short of salt water and long exposure times or mineral acids, there aren't many solvents that will damage the steel of the chain. I'd be more concerned about the incompatibility of the chain cleaner and some solvents. Mineral spirit and water based degreasers aren't going to damage the cleaner but something like acetone would. Acetone, however, is a very crappy solvent for chain lubricants.
The only chain lubricant that I can think of that isn't carried in a solvent is Phil Wood Tenacious Oil which is, I think, just a high viscosity oil. But that stuff is nasty and messy. If you use it, you should just shorten the process and throw a handful of dirt on the chain because it's going to get there anyway.
Chlorinated (mineral spirits) solvents are the monster.
https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...inated+solvent
https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...inated+solvent
Second, the solvent in that thread wasn't 'chlorinated'. It was a water-based degreaser that was labeled as 'green mineral spirits'. And the problem was due to very long term storage...on the order of months...of a chain in a cleaner that might have been contaminated with chloride...probably from road salt. Having chloride ions in the solvent isn't the same as the solvent being 'chlorinated'. Very different chemistry and chemical process.
You could store a chain is a chlorinated solvent like TCE for decades and nothing would happen to the chain. You could also store the chain in regular mineral spirits, i.e. not water based, for the same time. As I demonstrated in the thread, you can't store a chain in a salt solution for more than a few weeks before it cracks.
__________________
Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
Last edited by cyccommute; 03-27-12 at 08:10 AM.
03-27-12, 09:02 AM
#12
Bikaholic
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Western, Michigan
Posts: 1,461
Bikes: Trek Fuel 90, Giant OCR, Rans Screamer Tandem
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
I have used one for over a decade on many bikes with zero issues. I use degreaser and rinse throughly before re lubing. The various issues reported out there with regards to harming the metal in the chain came after long term storage IN A BATH of SOLVENT. Who does this? Clean and dry yourt chain, lube it, and store it or use it. Wether or not you use a chain bath is a personal choice and you can read for days the various oppinions out here on the web. Forget all that. make a choice, maintain your bike and spend all the time saved actually enjoying the bike.
03-27-12, 09:43 AM
#14
Super Moderator
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Ffld Cnty Connecticut
Posts: 21,843
Bikes: Old Steelies I made, Old Cannondales
Mentioned: 12 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1173 Post(s)
Liked 927 Times
in
612 Posts
I'm supposed to clean my chain ? I just lube & wipe every now & then.
I used to swish them around in a coffee can of solvent, then let them air dry for a few hours before re-lubing and installing. Too lazy now, and wonder if that actually puts grit inside the rollers that wasn't there before.
I used to swish them around in a coffee can of solvent, then let them air dry for a few hours before re-lubing and installing. Too lazy now, and wonder if that actually puts grit inside the rollers that wasn't there before.
__________________
Bikes: Old steel race bikes, old Cannondale race bikes, less old Cannondale race bike, crappy old mtn bike.
FYI: https://www.bikeforums.net/forum-sugg...ad-please.html
Bikes: Old steel race bikes, old Cannondale race bikes, less old Cannondale race bike, crappy old mtn bike.
FYI: https://www.bikeforums.net/forum-sugg...ad-please.html
Last edited by Homebrew01; 03-27-12 at 09:56 AM.
03-27-12, 10:23 AM
#15
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2011
Posts: 832
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 2 Times
in
2 Posts
So much bad information.
A "solvent" is anything that dissolves something else and makes a homogeneous mixture. Water is a solvent in seawater. Aluminum is a solvent in an alloy as is iron in steel. Nitrogen is a solvent in air. There are lots of other examples. In the case of chain cleaners, the type of organic solvent you use is more likely to damage the cleaner than the chain. The chain is very robust and organic solvents will take the oil off the chain without damaging the steel in the chain. If you have a lot of grit in the oil that you used on the chain, you may force the grit further into the chain which can damage the chain but the solvent won't. It certainly won't ruin it "instantly". Few things short of melting the chain can ruin it "instantly".
The major problem with chain cleaners is that they are ineffective and very, very messy. I own one and I think I've used it once. It was a royal pain to use. It sprayed solvent around like a male cat and really did nothing to clean the chain. Taking the chain off (use a master link and it's easy), cleaning it, drying it, installing it and lubricating it is actually less of a mess than the machine. If you use a lubricant that doesn't attract dirt and grit, i.e. a wax based lubricant, you can clean the chain once fresh out of the box and not have to worry about cleaning it ever again. Wax lubes work wonderfully in the dry high plains conditions of Wyoming and the Rockies.
There are a couple of sentences in there somewhere. Whynotjustspeeduptheprocessandavoidthespacestoo?
You are essentially correct. However, short of salt water and long exposure times or mineral acids, there aren't many solvents that will damage the steel of the chain. I'd be more concerned about the incompatibility of the chain cleaner and some solvents. Mineral spirit and water based degreasers aren't going to damage the cleaner but something like acetone would. Acetone, however, is a very crappy solvent for chain lubricants.
In most cases, the lubricant is carried in a solvent. If you are using a oil based lubricant, adding more lubricant is driving the grit that grinds the chain to dust from the outside of the chain to the inside.
The only chain lubricant that I can think of that isn't carried in a solvent is Phil Wood Tenacious Oil which is, I think, just a high viscosity oil. But that stuff is nasty and messy. If you use it, you should just shorten the process and throw a handful of dirt on the chain because it's going to get there anyway.
You haven't learned what you think you've learned from that post. First, mineral spirits aren't chlorinated solvents. Chlorinated solvents are solvents in which one (or more) of the hydrogens on a aliphatic hydrocarbon has been replaced by chlorine. Chloroform, methylene chloride, trichloroethylene (brake cleaner and dry cleaner solvent) are chlorinated solvents. They don't have any deleterious effect on the steel in the chain but they are rather hazardous to the user.
Second, the solvent in that thread wasn't 'chlorinated'. It was a water-based degreaser that was labeled as 'green mineral spirits'. And the problem was due to very long term storage...on the order of months...of a chain in a cleaner that might have been contaminated with chloride...probably from road salt. Having chloride ions in the solvent isn't the same as the solvent being 'chlorinated'. Very different chemistry and chemical process.
You could store a chain is a chlorinated solvent like TCE for decades and nothing would happen to the chain. You could also store the chain in regular mineral spirits, i.e. not water based, for the same time. As I demonstrated in the thread, you can't store a chain in a salt solution for more than a few weeks before it cracks.
A "solvent" is anything that dissolves something else and makes a homogeneous mixture. Water is a solvent in seawater. Aluminum is a solvent in an alloy as is iron in steel. Nitrogen is a solvent in air. There are lots of other examples. In the case of chain cleaners, the type of organic solvent you use is more likely to damage the cleaner than the chain. The chain is very robust and organic solvents will take the oil off the chain without damaging the steel in the chain. If you have a lot of grit in the oil that you used on the chain, you may force the grit further into the chain which can damage the chain but the solvent won't. It certainly won't ruin it "instantly". Few things short of melting the chain can ruin it "instantly".
The major problem with chain cleaners is that they are ineffective and very, very messy. I own one and I think I've used it once. It was a royal pain to use. It sprayed solvent around like a male cat and really did nothing to clean the chain. Taking the chain off (use a master link and it's easy), cleaning it, drying it, installing it and lubricating it is actually less of a mess than the machine. If you use a lubricant that doesn't attract dirt and grit, i.e. a wax based lubricant, you can clean the chain once fresh out of the box and not have to worry about cleaning it ever again. Wax lubes work wonderfully in the dry high plains conditions of Wyoming and the Rockies.
There are a couple of sentences in there somewhere. Whynotjustspeeduptheprocessandavoidthespacestoo?
You are essentially correct. However, short of salt water and long exposure times or mineral acids, there aren't many solvents that will damage the steel of the chain. I'd be more concerned about the incompatibility of the chain cleaner and some solvents. Mineral spirit and water based degreasers aren't going to damage the cleaner but something like acetone would. Acetone, however, is a very crappy solvent for chain lubricants.
In most cases, the lubricant is carried in a solvent. If you are using a oil based lubricant, adding more lubricant is driving the grit that grinds the chain to dust from the outside of the chain to the inside.
The only chain lubricant that I can think of that isn't carried in a solvent is Phil Wood Tenacious Oil which is, I think, just a high viscosity oil. But that stuff is nasty and messy. If you use it, you should just shorten the process and throw a handful of dirt on the chain because it's going to get there anyway.
You haven't learned what you think you've learned from that post. First, mineral spirits aren't chlorinated solvents. Chlorinated solvents are solvents in which one (or more) of the hydrogens on a aliphatic hydrocarbon has been replaced by chlorine. Chloroform, methylene chloride, trichloroethylene (brake cleaner and dry cleaner solvent) are chlorinated solvents. They don't have any deleterious effect on the steel in the chain but they are rather hazardous to the user.
Second, the solvent in that thread wasn't 'chlorinated'. It was a water-based degreaser that was labeled as 'green mineral spirits'. And the problem was due to very long term storage...on the order of months...of a chain in a cleaner that might have been contaminated with chloride...probably from road salt. Having chloride ions in the solvent isn't the same as the solvent being 'chlorinated'. Very different chemistry and chemical process.
You could store a chain is a chlorinated solvent like TCE for decades and nothing would happen to the chain. You could also store the chain in regular mineral spirits, i.e. not water based, for the same time. As I demonstrated in the thread, you can't store a chain in a salt solution for more than a few weeks before it cracks.
Good god, man. We know that you're a scientist. We get it. You're of above average intelligence and have the encyclopedic knowledge to counter all of the posts here and to rebut the responses and then rebut those responses. Everyone is aware that you have the ability to share with us vast, expansive treatises on the myriad of cave man, lesser-brain topics which appear on BF.
It's a chain. Lube it, wipe it, when it makes noise, repeat. When it stretches 1/16", change it. Even if you got 15% more life out of your chain by Mr. Wizarding it, the savings is pennies per year.
03-27-12, 10:58 AM
#17
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Springfield, MA
Posts: 1,060
Bikes: 2012 Motobecane Fantom CXX, 2012 Motobecane Fantom CX, 1997 Bianchi Nyala, 200? Burley Rock 'n Roll
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Good god, man. We know that you're a scientist. We get it. You're of above average intelligence and have the encyclopedic knowledge to counter all of the posts here and to rebut the responses and then rebut those responses. Everyone is aware that you have the ability to share with us vast, expansive treatises on the myriad of cave man, lesser-brain topics which appear on BF.
03-27-12, 11:04 AM
#18
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 4,224
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 6 Times
in
6 Posts
Chain-cleaning threads just bring out the OCD in cyclists like nothing else.
I use KMC links on my chains, pop them off for cleaning, throw the chain in an old water bottle with a little odorless mineral spirits, agitate, remove chain, wait about one minute for mineral spirits to evaporate, re-install chain and lube. I can do this in less than 10minutes.
I like to avoid water when it comes to cleaning my chains.
Thank you Sheldon Brown (RIP).
I use KMC links on my chains, pop them off for cleaning, throw the chain in an old water bottle with a little odorless mineral spirits, agitate, remove chain, wait about one minute for mineral spirits to evaporate, re-install chain and lube. I can do this in less than 10minutes.
I like to avoid water when it comes to cleaning my chains.
Thank you Sheldon Brown (RIP).
03-27-12, 11:12 AM
#19
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Fairplay Co
Posts: 9,512
Bikes: Current 79 Nishiki Custum Sport, Jeunet 620, notable previous bikes P.K. Ripper loop tail, Kawahara Laser Lite, Paramount Track full chrome, Raliegh Internatioanl, Motobecan Super Mirage. 59 Crown royak 3 speed
Mentioned: 26 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 789 Post(s)
Liked 1,739 Times
in
630 Posts
Maybe I'm not getting something when it comes to the chain lube clean thing I just use the better guaility PB-50 or WD40 witch ever is on sale and if a chain has issues just buy a nice new chain for under $10.
03-27-12, 12:01 PM
#20
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: San Jose, California
Posts: 3,504
Bikes: 2001 Tommasini Sintesi w/ Campagnolo Daytona 10 Speed
Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 145 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 35 Times
in
30 Posts
Good god, man. We know that you're a scientist. We get it. You're of above average intelligence and have the encyclopedic knowledge to counter all of the posts here and to rebut the responses and then rebut those responses. Everyone is aware that you have the ability to share with us vast, expansive treatises on the myriad of cave man, lesser-brain topics which appear on BF.
It's a chain. Lube it, wipe it, when it makes noise, repeat. When it stretches 1/16", change it. Even if you got 15% more life out of your chain by Mr. Wizarding it, the savings is pennies per year.
It's a chain. Lube it, wipe it, when it makes noise, repeat. When it stretches 1/16", change it. Even if you got 15% more life out of your chain by Mr. Wizarding it, the savings is pennies per year.
And my cat actually leaves the house into the garage when I order her to...I kid you not!
And that ladies and gentleman makes me a genius....
[Assuming folks are still paying attention - as though they have to...]
1. Spray a lighter lube than the one used previously.
2. Wipe the crud away.
3. Spray the normal lube on liberally...
4. Wipe off the excess.
5. Ride the damn bike for crying out loud.
I expect to pay for a new chain once in a while. Anyone who thinks otherwise is going to be 1000X scarier than cycommute and I...
Trust me...
=8-)
__________________
5000+ wheels built since 1984...
Disclaimer:
1. I do not claim to be an expert in bicycle mechanics despite my experience.
2. I like anyone will comment in other areas.
3. I do not own the preexisting concepts of DISH and ERD.
4. I will provide information as I always have to others that I believe will help them protect themselves from unscrupulous mechanics.
5. My all time favorite book is:
Kahane, Howard. Logic and Contemporary Rhetoric: The Use of Reason in Everyday Life
5000+ wheels built since 1984...
Disclaimer:
1. I do not claim to be an expert in bicycle mechanics despite my experience.
2. I like anyone will comment in other areas.
3. I do not own the preexisting concepts of DISH and ERD.
4. I will provide information as I always have to others that I believe will help them protect themselves from unscrupulous mechanics.
5. My all time favorite book is:
Kahane, Howard. Logic and Contemporary Rhetoric: The Use of Reason in Everyday Life
03-27-12, 12:10 PM
#21
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2011
Posts: 832
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 2 Times
in
2 Posts
"Chlorinated solvents are solvents in which one (or more) of the hydrogens on a aliphatic hydrocarbon has been replaced by chlorine. Chloroform, methylene chloride, trichloroethylene (brake cleaner and dry cleaner solvent) are chlorinated solvents."
Whatever. I'm over it.
03-27-12, 12:24 PM
#22
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 461
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Having spent years in the electronics industry, I can confirm that cyccocomute is right about chlorinated solvents: they're dangerous, and mineral spirits is not one of them. They're highly carcinogenic and don't belong in anyone's garage.
If your position is "just ride the bike and ignore this technical stuff", why are you participating in this forum? Many of us like clean well-maintained bikes, for no logical reason, and are always interested in better ways to acheive that goal.
My own experience is that citrus-based degreasers have virtually no impact on tenacious wet lubes like Finish Line Green and are a waste of time. On the other hand, so-called "green mineral spirits" seems to work well, which surprises me; I'd like to know why it works, if it's actually water-based.
If your position is "just ride the bike and ignore this technical stuff", why are you participating in this forum? Many of us like clean well-maintained bikes, for no logical reason, and are always interested in better ways to acheive that goal.
My own experience is that citrus-based degreasers have virtually no impact on tenacious wet lubes like Finish Line Green and are a waste of time. On the other hand, so-called "green mineral spirits" seems to work well, which surprises me; I'd like to know why it works, if it's actually water-based.
Last edited by jim hughes; 03-27-12 at 12:27 PM.
03-27-12, 12:47 PM
#24
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2011
Location: NoVA
Posts: 1,421
Bikes: Specialized Allez Sport
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 12 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time
in
1 Post
Anything related to chain cleaning/lub shouuld have its own forum under the name: Bike Religion.
03-27-12, 01:06 PM
#25
Mad bike riding scientist
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Denver, CO
Posts: 27,341
Bikes: Some silver ones, a red one, a black and orange one, and a few titanium ones
Mentioned: 152 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6200 Post(s)
Liked 4,201 Times
in
2,357 Posts
Good god, man. We know that you're a scientist. We get it. You're of above average intelligence and have the encyclopedic knowledge to counter all of the posts here and to rebut the responses and then rebut those responses. Everyone is aware that you have the ability to share with us vast, expansive treatises on the myriad of cave man, lesser-brain topics which appear on BF.
It's a chain. Lube it, wipe it, when it makes noise, repeat. When it stretches 1/16", change it. Even if you got 15% more life out of your chain by Mr. Wizarding it, the savings is pennies per year.
It's a chain. Lube it, wipe it, when it makes noise, repeat. When it stretches 1/16", change it. Even if you got 15% more life out of your chain by Mr. Wizarding it, the savings is pennies per year.
Being informative and being pretentious are two different things.
"Chlorinated solvents are solvents in which one (or more) of the hydrogens on a aliphatic hydrocarbon has been replaced by chlorine. Chloroform, methylene chloride, trichloroethylene (brake cleaner and dry cleaner solvent) are chlorinated solvents."
Whatever. I'm over it.
"Chlorinated solvents are solvents in which one (or more) of the hydrogens on a aliphatic hydrocarbon has been replaced by chlorine. Chloroform, methylene chloride, trichloroethylene (brake cleaner and dry cleaner solvent) are chlorinated solvents."
Whatever. I'm over it.
What a chlorinated solvent is...and what isn't a chlorinated solvent...is a high school level chemistry question. I could have smacked down this kind of description of a chlorinated solvent
if I really wanted to be pretentious. Sorry if I didn't dumb it down enough. I'm not into dumbing down anything. I assume that if you don't want to read the boring pretentious Mr. Wizard stuff you can avert your eyes...no one is holding your head to the screen.
Yep. Pretty much is. Along with 'don't bore with the details, you egg headed buffoon'.
__________________
Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
