CharlieWoo

I cleaned my chain once. It was an overrated experience.

Wanderer

I soak them in a coffee can with an inch of kerosene. Shake occasionally while I am cleaning everything else. Then blow dry them over some paper or cardboard with an air compressor. Dry in the sun while I clean everything else, blow again, and relube.

I should be doing that right now! LOL

making

i use simple green on my chain every time I wash my bike. Every couple weeks, seems to work very well.

dstrong 

I've been using Sheldon Brown's chain cleaning system for years. Linky

linux_author

+1

(shaken, not stirred, in a Gatorade bottle)

Nachoman

I NEVER use aerosol. It's totally uncontrollable and creates such an ugly mess.

bitterspeak

If you use Simple Green, just make sure you rinse it out REALLY good and remove all traces of Simple Green. Not only is it corrosive but it will break down the lube that you apply on it, wearing out your chain quicker.

BikeWise1

FWIW, KMC says the fastest way to kill your chain is to use a degreaer on it. I clean and lube with the same product: ProLink.

socalboomer

+1

2WheelFury

WD-40 or kerosene in a jug, drop the chain in, shake all the crud out. Take the chain out, wipe it down and use a brush with the same cleaner (either WD-40 or kerosene). Then re-install and lube up with raceline wax.

Works wonders.

ted ward

I just use boeshield. It seems to have a decent solvent in it to clean and lube in one step. I also check chain wear every couple of lube sessions.

Flash

this sure redefines my perception of chain cleaning:

orcanova

Yes, I read an article on it, I think in Velonews, complete with detailed pics and a response by the manufacturer of simple green. If you leave it sit for several days it will corrode the chain to nothing. They have come out with an alternative product, I think its Simple Green marine formula or something like that.

If it doesn't dwell, and the chemical is thoroughly rinsed off, you should be OK, but that was enough warning for me to not want to risk degrading my drive chain, when there are other products out there that do a good job of degreasing.

(edit: not having read the entire thread, khuon covered it very well with his own pic and the link to the Leonard Zinn article in Velonews. Also, it was not for the marine industry but aviation, I stand corrected.
https://industrial.simplegreen.com/ind_prod_ext_mor.php )

do-well

+1.

I'm glad to see someone I respect on these forums take a similar approach. I've considered going to a degreaser, but the smart people in my neck of the woods recommended ProLink as the "all-in-one" approach. Has always worked for me, even thought I doubted myself and wondered what all the fuss concerning degreaser was about.

Booger

I guess I'm the only one that uses regular old degreaser. Degrease --> rinse --> let dry --> lube

ivan_yulaev

I find that spraying the chain with WD-40 and then soaking in simple green for about 5 minutes works GREAT. The WD-40 helps loosen grease and dirt and the SG washes it clean. Then, I hose the chain down, swing it around to dry it off, and re-lube.

2WheelFury

Best S.G. product I've come across is Simple Green Precision Parts Cleaner. It's good enough to use on aluminum aircraft parts, so I imagine any issues with reacting to a bicycle chain are pretty much non-existent.

curiouskid55

The only product that you should put on a modern chain is chain lube. It already has a solvent in it that is safe to use that will not damage the intertnal lubes built into the chain. All this soaking with harsh industrial solvents may have been fine twenty years ago but is now not necessary and actually damages the lubricants that are an integral part of the chain. When you buy a new chain try reading the directions that come with it instead of relying on outmoded "traditional" procedures.

mud

I use SG on a rag to clean the chain, cassette & rings. I then apply Boeshield to each link, let sit for 15 minutes and wipe clean. I never let SG soak on anything, I have seen the damage it will do to metal surfaces. I believe that SG contains lye.
Mud

dark13star

Use a citrus degreaser instead. It works better and is less corrosive. I buy it by the 1/2 Gallon at Home Depot. Seems to work just as well as Pedros and Park and it is cheap. I just put it in the Park chain cleaning tool and spin.

HWS

I take the chain and cassette off the bike and toss them in a small container of kerosene and let it soak while everything else is getting washed. A couple of wipes with a rag and they are as clean as when I bought them.

TeleJohn

So how does the dirt come off the chain?

making

Magic

wcoastbikr

I used paint thinner last time and prefer it over dish soap. Dish soap is probably the safest thing you could use if you're worried about anything happening to the chain. Paint thinner or any other solvent should be fine considering most lubes have solvents in them anyways.

I tried whitelighting for the first time and shifting was a dream after using it. Although it doesn't last very long.

do-well

Consumer Reports and/or some lab needs to get on the ball and do some testing. The fact that 100 out of 100 people ( I made up the numbers) use different approaches is astounding - although it merely continues to prove Mr. Brown's conclusion as correct. Seems like some of the approaches are reaching into "fairy tale" land to me, but what the hell do I know?

Questions to answer:

1)Is there a modern solvent built into chains? Does it work?
2) If answer to either part A or B of question 1 is no, is degreaser beneficial?
3) If answer to Part B of one is Yes, what is the relationship between solvent and degreaser?

I'm not very good at controls and the like (I'm a piss-poor scientist), but that has to be a start, if nothing else. Hell, it doesn't even have to be Consumer Reports. Bicycle Magazine should do us all a favor and contribute something meaningful everyone once and awhile.

Granted, getting answers and having people buy into them are two separate issues. I'm sticking with ProLink, and ProLink only, until the bitter end. Research be damned. Now if I could just get that endorsement deal...