stevel610 

Extra thick pipe cleaners (found at craft stores) and some kind of oil.

rekmeyata

The problem with that thought is that it's incorrect. There are several lubes on the market that tell you to wipe the chain after every ride, then only do a thorough cleaning about every 500 miles or so. I don't really trust going that long, so I clean my chains now about every 250 miles and wipe after every ride. Most lubes on the market though wiping after every ride will do nothing, but Rock n Roll Gold, Pro Gold Extreme, and Chain L both tell you to wipe the chain after every ride and if you do that the chain will look fairly new looking.

I'm still out in the lower 40 about whether or not Pro Gold and Chain L will make my chains last longer, I use the Pro Gold Extreme on my Lynskey and the Chain L on my Le Tour Luxe and the most any of those chains have is 1800 miles so chain life has not been verified.

caloso

Ask your doctor if Paxil is right for you.

Jed19

Last time I tried to make an appt to see him regarding obsessive cleaning of my bicycle chain, I was told he's busy cleaning his bicycle chain. So, I guess I have the wrong doctor, eh?

prathmann

My chain cleaning method consists of three easy steps which I do about every 6000 miles:
1) take apart a link of the chain to remove it
2) throw chain in the trash with other recyclable metals
3) install new, clean chain.

G jeep

If your method worked you would not need to clean your chain every 250 miles. I have tried those wipedown products and are they simply do not clean the chain. The dirt that does damage is deep inside the chain. I dont have time to clean my chain every 250 miles, I clean mine every 1000 or so and lube when it starts making noise. I manage a shop and know what works for cleaning a chain.

skoda2

I agree with Prathmann, chains are fairly inexpensive compared to freewheels/cassettes. Replace chains yearly or even more often if you ride many miles. leave the factory lube in place then wipe down andlube with a quality lube as required. Your gears and chain wheels will last longer!

Bruce27

Cleaned out a house earlier this year that had 5 gallons of old gas that I used to clean a few chains this summer. Then I soaked in wax. I'm sure it's not the best option for solvent cleaning but hate the thought of wasting gas. Still have about 3 gallons left.

john.b

Because most of my miles are on crushed limestone trails or gravel, I stick to Teflon-based dry lubes like the Finish Line Dry. I tried a wax-based lube but it was messier and had to have time to set up before being wiped off. Also, I think wax lubes don't work as well now that the weather is turning colder.

I was using the Finish Line degreaser, but I've switched to the Extreme Simple Green which is solvent free.

Ivy wang

The good way to clean your chain is that take the chain off the bike and soak it in solvent,then add some special oil after installing on the bike.

vanttila

You make a good point, but I'm not sure about the methodology.

Yes, replacing your chain often is a VERY GOOD IDEA. I try to swap mine out every ~500 miles or so. However, it doesn't make sense to toss the out chain. Instead, rotate between 3 chains, each with a quick link. When you take it out, you can do a super clean on it whatever way you prefer (solvent, ultra sonic, tooth brush, rag, bottom of bottle, etc.), and all your expensive parts will last longer because they won't be ruined by a single stretched chain. That is, if you only had one chain, when it comes time to get a new one, it's pretty much guaranteed to skip, causing you to have to buy a used chain (nobody does that) or just replace all the pricey parts.
So, swap your chain but as I mentioned before, also clean and lube it when on the bike. I have a hard time seeing just wiping with a rag being enough, as suggested by some -- that pushed all the gunk inside the chain, the last place you want it. Pick your choice from the other options suggested.

black771

So the simplest, most efficient method gets the most push back. Interesting. You are certainly more then able to sterilize your chains if you want, but I spend maybe 4 minutes a month cleaning chains using this method and still get 1500 to 2500 miles per chain. I'm not real sure what your chains are looking like, but theres never any 'gunk' that get pushed anywhere. Obviously this isn't the only maintenance that I do, but wiping it once every week or two, its not all that dirty when I start cleaning it and its more then clean enough when I'm done roughly 30 seconds later. No tricks.

I don't really see the purpose of complicating something that isn't.

rekmeyata

I clean my chain because I want too not so much because I have too. But on my new bike with the thin jewelry chain I already have 1089 miles on the chain and the chain still measures as good, it's also why on my older wider chains I average 13,000 to 15,000 miles per chain. I keep my engine oil clean too, I don't change the oil after I start hearing engine noises, why? Because then it's too late, excessive engine wear has already started! The same is true with a chain. I change my cars engine oil sooner than the manufacturers suggest even though the oil is probably still good for another 1,000 to 2,000 miles yet.

While some chains are fairly inexpensive you still have to deal with the fact that an old chain is going to the landfill, the longer you can make that chain last the less amount of chains will end up buried.

Let's not forget something, this all personal philosophy on how to take care of something, not one of your ideas are wrong, just different, so the OP needs to decide which philosophy appeals to them. I've found mostly that people who change their car oils more frequently also care for their chains more frequently, while people who neglect their cars oil will neglect their chains.

GeneO 

I clean my 10 speed chain frequently - almost every ride - with OMS and a chain cleaner as I ride in a gritty environment. I have 2300 mi on it and no stretch.

HonestOne

This may sound like a complete noob question but aside from keeping it clean to look nice, what is the purpose of using a bunch of fancy lubricants? I tend to just use motor oil on my chains and I haven't found a single problem. If it stretches, I make adjustments at the derailleur.

gaucho777 

1. remove chain.

2. put chain in a small container (old freewheel tin, tupperware, paper cup, etc.), spay with WD-40, shake, wipe down with rag, towel, etc. (For this I highly recommend Scott Shop Towels. I buy a case of 12 rolls from Costco for ~$20 and they are a million times better than paper towels. Very absorbent and don't get shredded up like paper towels. I use rags when I can, but for something like an initial wipe of greasy chain crud, a disposal shop towel is the way to go.)

3. Put chain in an ultra-sonic cleaner with either solvent or simple green solution.

4. Hang chain and wipe dry. At this point the chain is quite clean. If I've used a water & simple green solution, I might spray it with WD-40 again to displace the water, or heat the chain briefly at a low temperature in the oven (when the wife is not at home or asleep), but I more often use a solvent that evaporates.

4. Reinstall on bike.

5. Lube chain as Sheldon recommends with a drip oil dispenser on the inner side of the chain.

This may sound excessive, but none of these steps takes more than a minute or two (except waiting for the sonic cleaner to do your work for you).

GuyWood

So how does that work then?!

rekmeyata

I didn't catch that until you did and now I'm thinking the same thing as you!

mprelaw

Start pricing new chain rings. You'll need them before too long. Stick to Tiagra cassettes on the rear, too. You can find them for $30 most of the time.

black771

Are you kidding me? What horrendous advice! Maybe this forum isn't the place for me after all...

Motor oil is a FINE lube. Heck, you could even reuse the old oil that came from your car if you cared about that kind of stuff. The only issue is you need to apply it more often because motor oil has no tack additive and it will sling off the chain quicker. I know others will crap their pants that I said that, but oiling a bike chain isn't rocket science. It really doesn't care if you use a rag to clean it or a $4000 machine to do it. It will be just fine as long as you keep it lubed often enough. The only difference is how long you can go without needing to lube it again and thats some what dependent on the lube you choose. I am a creature of habit so I lube mine once a week and clean it with a rag and kerosene a couple times a month.

Pretty simple. but I am not the 'bike snob' type. I have never owned a carbon anything. I have owned Ultegra once and saw no difference between that and 105 in performance, only price and 105 lasted longer. I'll take my aluminum Trek 2.3 and stack it up against anything else out there and prove that its as good, if not better. I don't buy into marketing and I don't buy into advice that makes no sense.

mconlonx

Get the rear wheel off the ground so you can backpedal with one hand. Bike stand, trainer, rope over a rafter, whatever you need to do to be able to turn the pedals -- maybe even just lean it up against something in a way that the nds crank/pedal doesn't hit stuff.

While backpedaling, oil the chain, aiming the tip of an oil bottle at the inside plate/roller interface. Cycle the chain through a couple times, first time slowly to get a drop of oil on each link, then a couple speedy rotations.

Wrap an old T-shirt around the chain with a fairly firm grip and backpedal, letting the chain slip through the cleaning rag under tension. ***warning--if you are running FG/SS/IGH, be careful about not getting your fingers in between the the chain and chainring, don't grip the chain tight enough that your hand gets sucked in.*** Otherwise, just be relatively careful -- chainrings are sharp. Keep doing this until your chain is as clean as you want it to be.

If things get really gunky, I might pre-clean with kerosene or WD40 before going through the lubing routine. If I've really gone to town, I'll wipe the chain down again after a ride.

ThermionicScott 

Easy, tiger. mprelaw was responding to the "if the chain stretches, I just adjust the derailleur" part, not the motor oil part.

HonestOne

Maybe i'm getting my info mixed up but can't you just adjust the "B" height adjustment screw if in fact the chain has stretched? Or if significant enough, take out a link? I've never had a chain "stretch" to a point where it didn't allow the bike to perform properly.

mprelaw

I might have an interest in that $4000 chain cleaner he mentioned, though, if I can pick the right Powerball numbers tonight.

rekmeyata

WD40 doesn't work near as well as solvent does for cleaning chains, I was trying that this last spring and early summer, and it just didn't do the job as well.