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What's your favorite way to clean a chain?

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What's your favorite way to clean a chain?

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Old 08-30-15, 01:39 PM
  #26  
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Originally Posted by iab
I occasionally wipe it with a rag.

When it wears out, I buy a new one at the LBS for $10.

Since they are so cheap, I won't go through contortions to clean it.
Pretty much this. Maybe a little more vigorous.

1. I turn the bike upside down, shift to big ring/small cog, with a rag in my hand I grab the chain right next to the freewheel/cassette, and start pedaling.

2. Then I oil chain and allow to sit for a bit if I have the time.

3. Then, with a cleaner rag, I repeat step 1.

4. After a ride or two, I try to remember repeating step 1 one more time.

I often splurge and spend $12-18 on chains, though
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Old 08-30-15, 01:52 PM
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My new favorite cleaner is WD40 foaming degreaser and it's awesome for chains. I clean mine with a rag about 200 miles and oil with Prolink. I do it all on the bike. I've used inline cleaner and soaking in a bucket but this has worked the best provided I do it often enough. Wait too long and you'll be soaking in a bucket to get it clean.

A word of caution, at one time I would take my chain off and soak overnight in degreaser. I either used Finish Line orange or good old mineral spirits. I learned the hard way that stuff will eat the finish off an expensive chain when left to soak. I had 2 Dura Ace chains that looked like they had been drug along a gravel road. Nasty stuff.
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Old 08-30-15, 02:15 PM
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Originally Posted by Pars
What is Seafoam?
https://seafoamsales.com/sea-foam-motor-treatment/

A miracle elixir, a bargain at any price.

It is the go to for stabilizing gas in motorcycles and other small engines over the winter (and snow throwers over the summer). Works for that, Sta-bil has much more mixed results. It's what I'd consider an "upper cylinder lubricant", a fuel additive that mildly lubricates while it cleans.

I stumbled onto cleaning chains with it when I had a couple ounces left in an old bottle of it that I was trying to use up. For chains, it's thin enough that it wipes away on the outer plates, but it sticks around inside where it provides light lubrication without picking up dirt.
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Old 08-30-15, 02:37 PM
  #29  
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Originally Posted by RIP Chainrings
Usually WD-40 and a rag
That's me, too. With the chain on the bike, hose it down with WD-40, wipe it dry, then hose it down with White lithium spray or (lately) Liquid Wrench chain and cable lube, from the hardware store. Wipe off excess. I have all those products at work, for keeping all our door locks and hinges nice and slick. Obviously, I cover the proximate area of the rear wheel with newspapers or something to keep the solvents and lube off of it.

If I'm recycling a really grungy chain I've pulled from a new-old bike I've acquired (my regular riders never get that dirty), I'll coil it up on a flat surface and hose it down with WD-40 and scrub it with an old toothbrush, and maybe rinse away the old goo with paint thinner (another thing I always have on hand).
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Old 08-30-15, 02:44 PM
  #30  
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Originally Posted by gaucho777
I thoroughly clean my chain every few months, but I let the ultra-sonic cleaner do most of the work for me. It may appear like a lot of steps, but none of these steps takes more than a few seconds. Total actual work time is close to iab's couple minutes every few months threshold.

1. Remove chain completely. (30 seconds)
2. Place in shallow tray or Regina chain tin with kerosene. (30 seconds)
3. Agitate & let soak for a couple minutes. (15 seconds)
4. Place in ultra-sonic cleaner. (15 seconds)
5. Remove from ultra-sonic cleaner and apply WD-40 to remove any excess water. (30 seconds)
6. Hang on hook and wipe dry. (30 seconds)
7. Re-install chain on bike. (45 seconds)
8. Lube with your preferred grease. (15 seconds)

I sill use some expensive vintage chains (Regina Superleggera hollow pin chains on a couple bikes, vintage Dura-Ace and Sedis chains, etc.) so it's worth it to me to do a little extra maintenance. I also use Regina freewheels, vintage chainrings, and Bullseye pulleys, so I do what I can to minimize overall wear. I like a clean drivetrain overall, as well. I think a bike looks best when you can see clean metal between the cogs.
I have a few variations on this approach:
2) I just use WD40.
4) I let my ultrasonic cleaner work for at least 30 minutes.
5) I place the clean chain (after rinsing) in an oven at about 200F for 30 minutes.

After it is dry I use ChainL to lube. Then I install and ride.
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Old 08-30-15, 06:55 PM
  #31  
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My favorite way to clean a chain.

1-Fly to Milan. Drink and eat and hang around. Return to the States. Wipe it off with a rag.

Otherwise:
2-Make a short-hand version of a Cornish Pasty, using two frozen pie crusts.
-Eat the Pasty.
-Wash out the spare foil pan.
-Put 1/2" of gas in it.
-Put the dirty chain in it. Smoke a cigarette.
-Remove the chain.
-Spray with degreaser and rinse.
-Wipe down.
-Spray WD40 on it.
-Wipe it down, let it dry.
-Relube.

I only do this if I paid more than $40 for the chain, and it has to be pretty dirty.
Otherwise, I just wipe it down with Grime Boss wipes and re-lube.

Last edited by RobbieTunes; 08-30-15 at 06:59 PM.
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Old 08-30-15, 07:19 PM
  #32  
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Easiest way to clean is to remove the chain, hang it to full length, then spray with Birchwood-Casey Gun Scrubber. Wipe down, repeat twice. Allow the solvents to evaporate completely in the sun. Re-lubrication is then accomplished in an old coffee or Nevr-Dull can. Takes less than an hour.

Could also soak in mineral spirits instead of using the Gun Scrubber. They're the same thing chemically.

I usually clean out the freewheel or cassette cluster at the same time.
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Old 08-30-15, 07:20 PM
  #33  
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Seafoam or generic engine cleaner with the chain on the bike.

Rinse with water from the hose and light lube and set it in the sun for 30 minutes to dry.

Then a heavy lube and wipe with on old terry towel.
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Old 08-30-15, 07:33 PM
  #34  
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Hose it off with WD-40. Spin backwards through a towel or rag or whatever. Wait a few. Repeat with lube of choice.
I don't know how often I do it. We'll go with "not very."
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Old 08-30-15, 07:39 PM
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Mineral spirits is what I use too.

Originally Posted by ThermionicScott
I clean mine in mineral spirits (shaken in a mason jar) every 750 miles or so before relubing, and rotate between two chains for each bike.
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Old 08-30-15, 08:05 PM
  #36  
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I take it off with the quick link, place it in a small tupperware with mineral spirits, let soak overnight, spray with water to clean and WD40 to rid it of water and let it hang somewhere till I'm ready to install. install and hit with Prolink lube.
That all sounds worse than it is.
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Old 08-30-15, 08:32 PM
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Originally Posted by gaucho777
I thoroughly clean my chain every few months, but I let the ultra-sonic cleaner do most of the work for me. It may appear like a lot of steps, but none of these steps takes more than a few seconds. Total actual work time is close to iab's couple minutes every few months threshold.

1. Remove chain completely. (30 seconds)
2. Place in shallow tray or Regina chain tin with kerosene. (30 seconds)
3. Agitate & let soak for a couple minutes. (15 seconds)
4. Place in ultra-sonic cleaner. (15 seconds)
5. Remove from ultra-sonic cleaner and apply WD-40 to remove any excess water. (30 seconds)
6. Hang on hook and wipe dry. (30 seconds)
7. Re-install chain on bike. (45 seconds)
8. Lube with your preferred grease. (15 seconds)

I sill use some expensive vintage chains (Regina Superleggera hollow pin chains on a couple bikes, vintage Dura-Ace and Sedis chains, etc.) so it's worth it to me to do a little extra maintenance. I also use Regina freewheels, vintage chainrings, and Bullseye pulleys, so I do what I can to minimize overall wear. I like a clean drivetrain overall, as well. I think a bike looks best when you can see clean metal between the cogs.
I don't use kerosene, but if you replace kerosene above with Simple Green, that's pretty much what I do.
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Old 08-30-15, 08:43 PM
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Simple Green in an ultrasonic for 'awhile'. Take it out, hang it to drip dry. Pop it in the oven (only done when SWIMPAL is out). Once cool, put it in a ziplock bag with a junk of paraffin. Put that in a second ziplock bag. Back in the ultrasonic, probably about 90 minutes. The paraffin takes about 30 minutes to melt. Take it out and hang it up.

Ride bike on previously cleaned chain. Do this every couple thousand miles. Works great. (YMMV)
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Old 08-30-15, 08:49 PM
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For the older bikes, I like to keep the old chain. A new chain is nice and if lucky, will sometimes score an NOS. Though usually I let the dog clean it. Lather with peanut butter and let her have at it.






(Oh c'mon guys, you darned well know I wouldn't do that! )
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Old 08-30-15, 09:14 PM
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A new chain starts life with Marvels Mystery oil on it. Every week or so I pull the chain through a rag to clean the outer. After two of these cycles I relube with Marvels. It really is that simple. Marvels is a solvent/cleaner/lube that penetrates. Chains last me a a good 3 seasons.
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Old 08-31-15, 03:55 AM
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get the butler to do it
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Old 08-31-15, 09:10 AM
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Thread needs a video.
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Old 08-31-15, 11:00 AM
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Originally Posted by roccobike
I don't use kerosene, but if you replace kerosene above with Simple Green, that's pretty much what I do.
Sometimes I use Simple Green instead of kerosene, too.
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Old 08-31-15, 11:34 AM
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Originally Posted by due ruote
Thread needs a video.
I was just thinking about this vid early this morning. Thanx for posting!!
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Old 08-31-15, 12:22 PM
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Chains are consumables, but you can drastically increase the life with regular cleaning and lubing. Those of us that just replace them do so as a value judgement: how much is your time worth? Back when I was much younger and had more time than money, I removed and cleaned them, using various different methods depending on what I could get my hands on for free/next to nothing. Now that I have more money than time, I just replace.

How many bike shops clean and replace chains? Not many, I would imagine, since their time IS money, and replacing is much faster than cleaning.

It's not a religious argument, although some might have the means, but continue to clean as a "greener" way to run their bike.
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Old 08-31-15, 12:26 PM
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Originally Posted by AZORCH
I guess I'm a little floored - no one cleans their chains? The consensus seems to be replace it when it starts to look dirty. I've always wiped my chain down after several rides; immediately afterward if it's been raining. I'd never imagined I would be in such a minority.
You are no the only one doing this . I wipe the chain after every ride . Wash it with degreaser every fourth ride . Replaced it at the end of each season .
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Old 08-31-15, 12:38 PM
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I can't believe this thread is on the second page and no one has posted the patented ShelBroCo method.
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Old 08-31-15, 12:54 PM
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toss it in the SRA 32D with diluted simple green HD (purple stuff, good for aluminum) for whatever. Rinse, wipe and hang dry. Lube in re-install. usually cassette goes in too. Love the ultra sonic. super easy to clean parts. I usually only do this 1-3 times in the life of a chain. when they get to 75% I toss them. The cassettes keep going. I do about one chain a season on my mountain bike and less on others. I only use XTR and dura-ace for replacement, but have been impressed with the life of KMC lately and will probably replace the stock KMC 11speed chain on my current mountain bike with same when the time comes.

SRA TruPower UC-32D Ultrasonic Cleaner, 3.2 liter Capacity
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Old 08-31-15, 12:55 PM
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Originally Posted by caloso
I can't believe this thread is on the second page and no one has posted the patented ShelBroCo method.
it works, used it in the past. ultra sonic is worth every penny if you are working on lots of bikes... often when a friend comes over to do some work on their bike, we trow it in the stand and first thing I do is toss the DT in the ultra sonic.
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Old 08-31-15, 12:58 PM
  #50  
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i like to take the chain off and put it in the pocket of some jeans about to be laundered. pour the laundry detergent for that load (darks only) into the pocket as well. run through on regular cycle then into the dryer.

use chain L to lube it when I'm feeling fancy even though I prefer the smell of wd40, by a lot
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