The only complete way to clean a chain is to buy an ultrasonic cleaner one that does ultrasonic lubrication as well.

operator, in your findings, how much of a difference does the ultrasonic cleaning make, compared with the brushy gadget?

After a couple of days of riding, I challenge anyone to tell the difference between a chain that was cleaned by an on-the-bike chain cleaner and a chain that was completely cleaned in an ultrasonic cleaner.

My current cleaning technique is to put the chain in a plastic bottle with some old (but filtered) paint thinner and slosh it around. Then I filter out the paint thinner and repeat. Then I do a final rinse with clean thinner and I've got a chain that sparkles. It may not be as clean as an ultrasonic cleaner would get it, but by next week it will be indistinguishable. The difference between 99% clean and 99.9% clean is pointless when you're just going to get it dirty the next time you ride. I guess if you ride on an indoor track it might be worth it.

How much does an "ultrasonic cleaner one that does ultrasonic lubrication as well" cost, anyway?

Keith

My maintenance.

Wipe chain after every ride, lube about every 2-5th ride.

After washing bike (once a year whether it needs it or not), lube all pivots in ders, brakes, clipless pedals (yes, they have pivots that hold the locking mechanism in place) and lube shifter mechanism.

Replace rear tire when it starts to square off, move front tire to rear, put new tire on front. At that time, give bike the once over, check all bearings, headset, wheels, pedals, BB.

When replacing bar tape, flush shifters with solvent and re-lube.

Replace stuff when it breaks.

Lennard Zinn has a couple of good books on bike maintenance. Check them out.