jimmuller 

This hasn't been discussed for a while. What are your favorite methods and devices for cleaning chains? And then keeping them clean (even as you ride)? And how do you dispose of cleaning materials?

I'm asking because I'm thinking about finding some sort of chain cleaning device. New chains are so nice and shiny.

okane

...currently working on a 1936 Columbia with years (decades) of caked on, very thick, hardened grease/oil.

Finding the master link is the hardest job, but when removed from the bike, I place the chain in a plastic container, spray both sides with easyoff oven cleaner, let it sit for about 5 minutes, then use a parts cleaning brush to loosen the real heavy stuff, then wash with water. Wear gloves and work outside Might want to weat protective glasses in case of splashes.

Next step is to spray with wd40 (water displacement), hang chain and lube it. . Whole process takes about 10 minutes. Takes the chain down to bare metal so you can determine if is rusty or just dirty. (rusty gets replaced)

Not recommended for bikes you are currently riding or that have received normal mantainence, but if you have a much neglected CV ride, it works well. I gong to look at a 1954 bike this afternoon and it will most likely need this treatment

This method is way over the top for most cleanings, but I thought it my be useful for others like me. Also should mention that it will remove paint, anodixing, etc., so do this only if the chain is off the bike.

Chombi

I put my dirty chains in a glass bottle (Ball canning bottles work really good) and pour in some WD40 (Sometimes I also use mineral spirits, in place of the WD40 or a combination of both, but have been using WD40 more and more as the news about chain side plate embitterment cause by some types of mineral spirits had worried me.) I then cover the bottle and shake/agitate it and then let it sit a while then I repeat the agitation and refresh the WD40. Then I remove it from the bottle and put it in a small, shallow aluminum foil pan that I save from frozen food stuff from the grocery. I spray the chain liberally with more WD40, blasting it with the spray between the plates and rollers till there is enough in the small aluminum pan that the chain is half submerged in it, then I hit the chain with an old toothbrush to get the most stubborn gunk off between the plates. drain the pan. I also use a steel or copper bristled small brush on it if there is some corrosion on the plates that need to be removed, wash the chain with warm water and soap and then blast it again with WD40 to get any left over loosened gunk and dirt off and to displace the wash water then give it a final wipe-down with some paper towels and hit it with some lube like Phil Wood Tenacious oil, or what I have handy at the time, before re-installing on a bike. If your chain is not too rusty and too worn out to start with, the thorough cleaning method might sound like over the top for some I described could get it close to looking and working like brand new again.

ironwood

Sheldon Brown's method of putting the chain and cleaner in an old soda bottle, and then shaking it, seems to work . It's cheap also.

Matariki

^^^^^^^^^^^^
I do this routinely, but occasionally (when I have some time) I will dump the chains into my heated ultrasonic cleaner for the spa treatment. I really don't think it is functionally better but it makes me feel good to see a chain that clean.

intransit1217

I hang my bike on the wall in the garage, chain side out, get a rag and a can of spray degreaser, and use copious amounts. Spray and wipe, spray and wipe. Then re-apply a dose of Rock and roll wet formula. I do this according to type of weather and terrain. Religiously after I've been in the rain. Less so on nice days and clear streets/ paths.

It paid off. I have 2000 miles on the original chain and my lbs suggested a new one (I was buying a new cassette) but they measured it and said I didn't need one.

Dan Burkhart 

That's Sheldon's short cut method. His complete chain cleaning method is shown here.
The ShelBroCo Bicycle Chain Cleaning System

John E

Since I live in a relatively dry climate, I use a paraffin-based one-step chain cleaner and lube. In more than 100K miles of cycling, I have had only one roller on one chain freeze up, and I get a lot of service out of a chain before it reaches Sheldon's 0.5 percent elongation standard for replacement.

ironwood

The only problem with that method, as shown in the video, is that they are not wearing complete Haz Mat suits with face plates and air hoses.

rootboy 

I use kerosene in a one gallon Seal-Tite paint bucket. Agitate and use a nylon bristle brush. Hang on a bent spoke outside under my deck, where I spray it down with LPS-1 then wipe off excess. When the crud settles in the paint bucket I decant the kerosene off into a red plastic gas can to use again. Put a drop of lube on each roller of the chain and install.

auchencrow

^^^ It shocks me to learn that any one of our respected C&V brethren would do anything less!

auchencrow

Why didn't I think of that.

nlerner

I've become much more hesitant to do the full on degreasing down to bare metal on chains after reading on the interwebs that getting rid of all of the original lubricant isn't a good idea (and iirc manufacturer's instruction caution against full degreasing). I'll spray with WD-40 while the chain is on the bike, run it through a rag to get off the worst of the gunk, and re-lube with whatever product I have on hand.

intransit1217

Good grief ! Doesn't the act of disassembly and reassembly cause wear? But then, a chain is 60 bucks. 60 Bucks!? holy heck.

Italuminium

Ask him.

TimmyT 

+1 on WD40. I wipe down the chain, and I put it in a jar of WD40. I shake the jar a few times over the course of the day, and then I wipe down the chain meticulously when I'm done. Sometimes I use a nylon brush to do this, but I always use a rag on each individual link.

I think all the suggestions of an agitated solvent hit the mark. It's good to hear that there are many ways of skinning this cat, and it's good to hear what other people are doing.

I decant the WD40 into a separate jar when I'm done. The final task is wiping up the grit at the bottom of the jar, which I do with a rag or paper towel. The WD40/grit/rag mixture gets tossed in the bin.

Yeah, I understand where your coming from, but I disagree with this. There's absolutely no way that a chain on a bike gets as clean as a chain off the bike. Sand, silt, and other road grit get in the links and act like polishing wax --- wearing on the chain.

It depends on if you have a quick link. If not, then you'll change the tension on one of the pins, and it can stick. This will cause shifting problems. 60 bucks? Look on ebay. They run from $6 to $30 depending on what you want. NOS are more, however.

nlerner

Okay, I'll also admit that I rarely clean my chain. Partially it's because I have a lot of bikes in the rotation, so none gets that dirty, but also mainly because of neglect. I'll lube the chain on my commuter once the squeak gets loud enough to be annoying. I will also wipe a chain down after a ride with lots of salted slush on the roads. But mostly I see chains as consumables, particularly when you can get an SRAM PC-850 for less than $10.

intransit1217

I was referring to the Sheldon Brown act of link-by-link cleaning. But I can understand the issue you mentioned. Thank you, TimmyT.

Dan Burkhart 

Umm, you got that was a joke, right? Sheldon did have a wicked sense of humor.

jimmuller 

Wow, that was fast. 17 responses so far, with some good ideas and some, ah, shall we say, curious ideas.

The problem I have isn't really with chains wearing out as much as it is with them making everything around them dirty. I don't mind paying for a worn-out consumable, and anyway replacement doesn't happen so often as to break any play-money budget (such as it may be). But no matter how much I wipe them down, spraying with any sort of solvent as the last treatment leaves a film of organic material which attracts dirt like a lightning rod, dirt which at the least provocation will quantum-jump from the chain or chainrings to my hands or clothes. However I do like the idea of soap and water followed by WD40 for the really bad boys.

The idea of mineral spirits "embitterment " of the side plates is curious. Beer is good with an embittering agent (like hops) but I've never tried eating a side plate so I don't know what effect it would have. I also have a hard time believing that an mineral spirits would cause embrittlement of any metal component. But then, I've never played a metallurgist on TV, let alone be one.

3alarmer 

...I have been known to just put on a new one and throw the old one away.

Almost everything I own is 8 speed or less, so the KMC chains for them are pretty cheap, like ten bucks.
But the soda bottle thing and the ultrasonic cleaner seem to make the most sense to me.

Chombi

Bicycle chains are not "sealed" like motorcycle chains that use actual O-rings at the roller, side plate interface, which retains factory provided pin/roller lubricant, essentially for the service life of the chain. The seams between the side plate and rollers on bicycle chains are open to drain with even just a long ride in the rain, so I wouldn't worry about trying to retain any factory provided lubricant, as it is essentially a total loss system that needs to be replenished by application of lube to the chain every time after you give it a good clean, or after every wet ride.

intransit1217

No I did not as Mr. Brown is so often linked/ quoted that I assumed him to be serious here as well. Especially since he referred to me as "Lazy" and "Careless".

Perhaps I'm a bit wound too tight and should have known something was amiss considering the "clean room" shot and a $300.00 cleaning "kit". But then again, my chain is the one thing I am easily the most ocd about. To the point of frowning at my fellow riders if their chain gives even a solo squeak, or sounds "dry". Maybe I need a therapist?

Prowler 

After reading LOTS of opinions and procedures I've settled on the following. I've had no problem with KMC missing links so I use them. Cuz a dat all my chains are easy to remove from the bike. I also keep a couple of rinsed and dried 1 gallon plastic milk bottles on the shelf. I also have one of those long grabber things that you can push on one end and on the other end, about 18 inches away, the three grabby hooks come out and grab whatever. I have two 'split rings' like used car dealers use to connect the key to the info tag.

So I take the chain off the bike. Set the link aside and feed a slip ring thru each end of the chain (ensures that last roller does not fall out of that last link on each end). Put about 1/3 gallon of mineral spirits in a dry milk bottle and cap it. Put Little Feat's "Waiting for Columbus" on the CD player and shake that bottle quite a bit. Stop and do something else for a few minutes while that chain soaks. Repeat 2 or 3 times. Turn the bottle often to flip the chain over and over.

Uncork the bottle and use that long grabber to snag the chain and pull it out. I mop the MS off with a paper towel as I pull the chain up (paper towels go into the wood stove). I hang the chain for a while over a towel to drip dry. I may even take it out on the driveway and sling it around a couple of times letting centrifugal force do it's job. In the winter I'll lay the chain on the wood stove for a bit to bake dry. In the summer I'll set it on the dashboard of my hot car for the same effect.

Then back on the bike and a link by link lube with chain saw bar oil. I know, I know, I know no lube thread please but this is what works best for me. I wap the bung back onto the milk bottle and set it aside for a few weeks. The crud settles out so the MS is almost clear so I reuse 90% of it and what's left also feeds the wood stove - drain it onto a small pile of sawdust then into the stove.

dddd

+1^^^

When it comes to the need to clean a chain, I would first ask if it is to clean an encrusted chain on a used-bike purchase, or, if it is to maintain the chain on one's own regular ride.

I see no reason why my chain would ever get particularly dirty. It looks almost dry after I do my normal lube-and-wipe-down, so attracts little dirt.

I adjust the mix ratio of lube to solvent such that after lubing wiping down the chain and allowing the solvent to dry, there is no excess of lubricant inside the chain to creep out while riding and create a mess. The solvent-diluted lube application normally lasts some hundreds of miles of road riding and the solvent-diluted lube can be applied to the moving chain (pedals going backward) in all of 10 seconds.

So, it's lube and wipe, period, with no buildup over the ~5k-mile life of the chain. The chain is happy and the sprockets seem happy.
I avoid using $10 chains (such as TaYa or KMC "Z"-series chains) and look for quality 8 and 9-speed chains in the ~$15-20 range online.

BTW, as far as lubrication and wear, un-lubed chains have been tested to last as long or longer than average lubed chains. The lube keeps things quiet, prevents rust, reduces pedaling losses and can somewhat repel entry of dust, but the metallurgy of mating parts inside the chain is sufficient to prevent excessive wear sans-lube.

My chain will soil my hands if handled, but doesn't ever get to looking gunked-up. The application of new lube/solvent mobilizes whatever grunge is in it and on it, and most gets wiped away each time with the terrycloth shop rag, whole task takes perhaps two to three minutes, including the very thorough wipe-down.

An older gunked-up chain may have hardened deposits that are extremely hard to remove, so consider tossing any such chain if it shows much stretch wear, if it shows rust (rusty chains break) or if it can be upgraded from an old-fashioned or wide type of old chain.
9sp chain can offer a huge improvement to rear shifting on all Suntour and Uniglide/Hyperglide freewheels.