Originally Posted by HillRider

Other than a visibly clean chain, does this procedure make it last any longer or shift any better? I expect routine use of a water base cleaner is a chain killer and sooner rather than later.

By contrast my cleaning procedure is to wipe the chain with a dry rag every few hundred miles, lube with a home-made version of "Pro Gold", wipe off the excess and ride. I typically get 6,000 miles or more from a Shimano or Wippermann chain before the elongation reaches 1/2%. They don't look pretty but they do last and shift very well.