Anyone use a chain cleaner that you can recommend to me? I gotta do a major cleaning on mine.
Thanks.

Anyone use a chain cleaner that you can recommend to me? I gotta do a major cleaning on mine.
Thanks.

Masterlink + jar + degreaser

Explain please. I'm confused.

Operator takes the chain off, sticks it in a jar, and uses degreaser to clean it.
I take one rag in each hand and clean my chain manually. Like you I am looking into a chain cleaner sometime soon.

Thanks for the clarification Data.

Well, ah I generally wipe mine with a rag. If I'm being fussy, I'll scrub it with automotive paint type prep solvent (doesn't evaporate very fast), and wipe it again. The genuine scrubber might be neater, but I'm fairly frugel.

I go to the autoparts store and buy whatever engine degreaser is the cheapest. The best results I have are when I take off the chain, stick into a jar of the degreaser, shake around, let sit for a bit, then repeat, but using clean water to rinse. I've tried to shortcut the process by just using degreaser and wiping the chain, but it doesn't get nearly half as clean. My only concern is/was the repeated removing the chain, but so far I haven't broken a chain. Be careful with the degreaser on aluminum parts.

Thanks for the helpful info.

While wiping off the chain is good -> takes the junk off the surface of the chain you still aren't cleaning the actual places which you can never reach physically - inside the rollers.

Only way to do that is degreaser immersion...!

First I spray the chain with WD-40. I have found that WD-40 is a great gunk solvent. It puts the gunk into solution. Then I put a chain cleaner on the bike (I just don't want to fuss with removing the chain even though it is not that big a deal). I put simple green degreaser into the chain cleaner and run the chain through it. I pour out the simple green. Iput water in & run the chain through the cleaner and repeat until I have gotten the degreaser off. I wipe the chain dry with a paper tower and then apply the lube and wipe the excess off with a paper towel.

I do this about every 200-300 miles of operation or after every rain ride.

Simple Green works for me.

I recommend Speed Clean by Finish Line for major cleaning. It's used by many LBS.

WD40 with a clean rag first, then any bike-specific chain lube with a second clean rag. But that's once in a blue moon. Usually just using bike chain lube with a rag, especially after rain, works fine. Some elitist bike snob at American Cyclery in S.F. told me that WD40 is the "worst thing" for the chain while trying to sell me degreaser that cost four times the price for a tiny bottle, citing "years of experience in the bicycle industry" as the reason why. What malarcky, she was younger than me and my dad's been using that stuff on my bikes since training wheels age with no problems. And he didn't even apply chain lube after that (which definitely is a mistake!), however no problems arose. Telling new bike riders not to use WD40 is just stupid...get them to degrease with SOMETHING as opposed to nothing, but telling that to someone with an army of bikes just makes you look like a snake oil salesman.

wow i would never ever do that, but whatever works for you. i don't want water getting on my chain, much less clean it with water.

i wouldn't use WD-40 to clean either, as it leaves a residue/lubricant. your chain lube might not want to stick to the chain if you've already got a coating of WD-40 on it.

engine degreaser (it's like $1 for a huge can) or brake cleaner for a cheap cleaner, let that dry thoroughly (won't take long, evaporates quick) and then use your lube.

Here's what i do:

I use a Park Tools CM-5 "Cyclone chain scrubber" and diluted dishwashing soap.

The Park chain scrubber has brushes that brush the top of the chain AND the sides. It works really well. (Park even recommends running the chain through it multiple times-- which is refreshing since most other brands only suggest using Ultra-Toxo Chain Kleen with their respective gizmos and that once is all it takes.)

Anyway-- i've used various chemicals: Finish Line "eco" stuff, Park's own "Chain Brite", Pedro's stuff, white petrol, paint thinner, White Industries degreaser.

And believe it or not, i've found the chain scrubber and dishwashing liquid to be just as effective as anything else-- actually moreso since the chain is physically SCRUBBED with soapy water. It's not toxic, no harmful fumes and the dirty water isn't an environmental disposal hazard. Plus it's far far CHEAPER.

The chain scrubber is a quality Park product so it's rebuildable. It also gets the chain cleaner than the old "chain in a coke bottle" trick.

I rinse with more water and blow dry the chain with my air compressor.

ProLink Gold lube seems to keep the chain cleaner, too.

Good luck

I use kerosene.

Or denatured alcohol evaporates complety too, and you can buy in one quart cans at most hardware stores.

If you perform a search on BF using chain cleaner or cleaning, search titles only, you will probably have enough reading to carry you through the entire weekend.

These threads are like car accidents, just can't resist slowing down to watch the carnage.

+1, always worked well for me

Watch out, that stuff will absolutely devour your paint/clearcoat. The brake cleaner is really harsh and you should avoid skin contact as well.

usually lots of wd40 and a huge brush, wipe off excess, let it dry, lube

for used to have one of those pull-through chain cleaner machines (still do, i think) but it didn't seem to work as well as the big brush, less nasty stuff getting all over the place though.

I spray simple green on chain and cassette. Let it soak in for a minute or 3. Brush with a park chain brush. Rinse well with water. Wipe off water with rag and let it dry overnight. In the morning I relube with chain spray then wipe off the excess.