Originally Posted by
DropBarFan
Interesting, thanks. The truck bypass filters seem to be a bit $$. Wondering about DIY solutions like filtering thru activated charcoal or whatnot? But that would probably be more of PITA than needed.
No real need. You are over thinking this. If you remove the particulates with a coffee filter, anything that remains is going to be benign in terms of chain wear.
Originally Posted by
DropBarFan
Solvent & grease are not black but what about other organic contaminants like soil, asphalt residue, auto tire/brake residue etc? Not disputing your post but to me pretty surprising that chain-wear metal particles can cause so much discoloration.
You are headed in the right direction but just haven't arrived at your destination yet. Soil doesn't really contain much that is going to be soluble in mineral spirits. Soil is mostly mineral in nature with some large organic molecules called humic substances thrown in. The organic molecules are
usually not soluble in a non-polar solvent like mineral spirits because they are more soluble in water (think tea). The more humic substances you have in the soil, the darker the soil will be and the richer the soil is. The humic substances are used by plants as part of their nutrient base so the humid substance need to have some way of getting into the plant. Water is the best way to do that. The small amount of humic substances that might dissolve in a non-polar substance are going to be highly colored...i.e. brown...so they would darken the solvent some.
Carbon black, rubber and brake residue are probably not going to be that soluble in the solvent either. However, any that did dissolve would be black and wouldn't take much to darken a solvent.
However, there are other culprits that you can blame for the dark color of the solvent. Asphaltenes...the "residue"...you mention are going to be dark in color. Motor oil, of which there is lots on the road way, is going to be dark. There could even be some nanometer sized iron particles in the solvent that would impart a dark color.
Finally, the chain's original lubricant isn't colorless in solution. I clean this soft wax off my chains before I ever put them in service. My solvent a strong tea color (i.e., dark brown) and it never sees a chain that has been used on the road.
But...this is all rather moot. None of the things that can be in your cleaning solution has a detrimental effect on the chain nor the solvent's capability to dissolve the lubricant on the chain. As long as you remove the particulate, it shouldn't matter. Removing the particulate is efficiently done with a paper filter and you don't really need to go to more extreme measures. Distillation, centrifugation, ultrafiltration, etc. are all wasted the minute you pedal away from your house.
Originally Posted by
DropBarFan
Well one can avoid cycling in the rain or in areas with sandy roads. But as to idea of not washing w/solvent I'm not so sure. Rain & mechanical action seem near-guaranteed to get grit into chain recesses. I used to ride every day year-round, no way to avoid chain getting thoroughly dirty after 1 or 2 weeks.
I don't wash my chains in solvent except for the first time I install them. I never have problems with grit getting into the internal workings of my chains despite riding in sand, water, mud, cowpies and other disgusting stuff. That's because...wait for it...I use a wax based dry lubricant that doesn't serve as a vehicle to trap grit. I don't have to put it on every ( put some ridiculously low number here) nor do my chains wear any faster than wet lubed chains. I do have to reapply it if the chain gets wet but you have to do the same for wet lubricants too. I've also used a wax lubricant from dry Colorado to the Deep South in every condition you'd expect to ride a bike in...and a few you shouldn't. It does work.