AnonymousGuy

Preface: My bike does not have a chain with a master link, and I lack the tools to punch a rivet and open it up. So my only method of cleaning the gears / chain is by spray.

I've used White Lightning Easy Clean, White Lighting Clean Steak, and Super Tech Brake and Parts Cleaner. The super tech stuff is from walmart, comes in a blue can, and is (according to the MSDS) made by CRC and is generic Brakleen. Super Tech also costs 1/4 as much as White Lightning.

I don't have the MSDS for Clean Streak on me, but judging by it's performance I'd say it's identical to Easy Clean but in a different can. White Lightning's stuff is mostly a petroleum distillate (Heptane) and a propellant with a little bit of ether and acetone mixed in. Super tech is Toluene, Methanol, and Acetone is equal proportions.

Let me tell you the White Lightning stuff mops the floor with the "Brake Cleaner". I went through the whole can of Super Tech and still had to finish up with 1/4 a can of White Lightning. The Super Tech stuff does something, but White Lightning just melts everything down to bare metal with a vengeance.

So my my next step to find a cheaper White Lightning is to give "Brakleen Non-Chlorinated Brake Parts Cleaner 50 State Formula" a shot. Its 3/4 acetone and 1/4 heptane. So I'm hoping that the heptane is the secret behind White Lightning. I also looked into Carb and Fuel Injector cleaner. Both are VERY similar to the Super-Tech brake cleaner (Toluene, Acetone, etc) so I suspect both will be equally ineffective.

gforeman 

Simple Green and a Garden Hose for the chain and sprockets. Been doing that for years. LBS says they use Simple Green also.

Just make sure you lube after. I prefer not to do this unless I am going to ride after, so all moisture is gone. Spraying the chain with WD40 and wiping down before lube is good too, as the WD40 is a "Water Displacement".

Some if that stuff you are using is pretty harsh.

FBinNY 

Heptane, Ether, Acetone? I hope you're using it outdoors. If you want to save dough why don't you try gasoline?

SumoMuffin

Forgive me if I get too technical, wikipedia is a good source of chemical knowledge.

White lightning is mostly heptane and other aliphatic hydrocarbons. White lightning is very high quality, the ingredients they use are all volatile (evaporate quickly) so therefore you don't have oily and smelly residue left over, and you dont have to rinse. Lots of other degreasers ive used leave residues. I'm still yet to find a spray degreaser thats as good as white lightning.

If you're after liquid solvents the hardware store is a good source. Low odour mineral spirits are comparable to white lightning, mostly aliphatic hydrocarbons. However, there may be slight residues from low odour mineral spirits due to higher molecular weight hydrocarbons. If the low odour spirits dont work, other decent options are toluene or xylene these are usually sold under the names "toluol" and "xylol", respectively. These two are aromatic hydrocarbons which refers to the electron configuration of the molecules, they are however quite odourous as well! I havent really experimented with which type of solvent, aromatic or aliphatic, works better but I would stick to the low odour mineral spirits since it doesnt smell as bad.

Acetone, and alcohols don't work nearly as well because they are chemically too polar to dissolve most of the gunk that gets on our bikes. They do work well, however, for light cleaning jobs because they are more friendly to use as they are significantly less toxic.

As far as safety and the environment goes, all organic (carbon based) solvents are hazardous to both your health and the environment. Use them in a well ventilated area, avoid excessive skin contact, try to use minimal amounts, be responsible with how you dispose of them, and watch out for ignition sources (dont smoke while cleaning your bike with solvent, bubba!).

In summary I recommend white lightning as the best spray on solvent, and low odour mineral spirits as the best liquid solvent.


As a note: I noticed on a product flyer for white lightning that they claim "biodegradable, no carcinogenic ingredients, no hazardous air pollutants" I personally think all of this is crap probably based on very loose science. The stuff in white lightning, while not excessively hazardous, is still dangerous, and should be used with care and respect for health and the environment.

AnonymousGuy

Didn't mention it, but I do this in the wide outdoors over some dirt and I'm wearing a 3M half-mask respirator with organic vapor cartridges..so I can't smell anything but when I take the mask off I can smell the solvents within a 10 foot radius. I'm also wearing nitrile gloves. The stuff I'm using is most definitely environmentally unfriendly, but the earth isn't going to implode because I have a clean chain

I've tried Garden Hose by itself. It doesn't work at all. You can blast the thing for 5 minutes with high pressure and it barely makes a dent in the grime. Simple Green is terrible as well. Leaves a sticky residue and doesn't remove anything even at full concentration. Might work for just carwashing your bike, but for the chain and gears...nope.

The Super Tech Brake & Parts Cleaner I tried was 40% toluene and it did not work very well at all (as I mentioned in my OP). And if you're saying Acetone won't work well then that pretty much eliminates my "plan B" Brake Cleaner and most Carb cleaners. I might give some fuel injector cleaner that is 90% kerosene a shot. The mineral spirits would be a "last resort" since it's not aerosol and would leave one helluva mess.


EDIT: Just compared the MSDS for odorless (hahaha) mineral spirits against White Lightning. Main ingredient for both is Hydrotreated Petroleum Distillate (light). Looks like we have a winner for White Lightning's "secret ingredient". I'm wondering why White Lightning adds acetone and ethyl alcohol though....

Now I'm off to eBay to find some aerosol mineral spirits and pray they don't cost the same as White Lightning.

BCRider

You're using expensive chemicals and making the job a lot harder and more time consumning on yourself all at the same time.

First of you don't need all that fancy and expensive stuff. A basic mineral spirits solvent sold typically as "low odor paint thinner" works just fine. Cleaning a chain isn't rocket surgery and it doesn't require the sort of fancy stuff you're using. Not to mention the expense.

Like you I don't want to take the chain off the bike. So I use the clip on cleaner gizmo that has the three wheel brushes in them. These things work superbly if you run the chain until the solvent is dirty then unclip the gizmo and pour out the dirty solvent into a settling jar. Then blot away the solvent on the chain with a paper towel. Put more solvent into the gizmo and repeat the cleaning and blotting until you see the towel is only stained a light grey.

Typically this takes me 3 to 4 solvent and blot repititions. About 5 minutes total to do the job. If the chain is super dirty I may need to repeat the clean and blot cycle one or two more times.

Save the solvent in a settling jar. After a couple of days it'll be a clear tea like color and you can use it again... and again.... and again.....

On the other hand if you insist on this one shot aerosol philosophy you're condemning yourself to always having the most messy possible chain cleaning jobs imaginable.

I'm also wondering what the hell you're using for a chain lube if Brake Cleaner doesn't remove it. The Gunk brand Brake Clean I use for some other things removes oil and greases lickety spit quick.

AnonymousGuy

No, but I'm an engineer so I'm the type to find the best method possible regardless. It's a blessing and curse this trait. I'm sorta believing the rotating brush system is a bit of a gimmick. The outside of the chain isn't what really matters unless it's gunked up and not just dirty greased up....so what good are the brushes going to do for the inside of the links?

Nothing fancy...White Lightning Epic Ride in aerosol form. I wrap my hand in paper towels (to catch overspray) and spray the top and bottom sides of the chain a few times. My guess is the Brake Cleaner was ineffective because it was Walmart generic brand (Super Tech).

HillRider

OK, but you're not much of a chemist.

The reason brake most cleaners don't work is they aren't formulated to dissolve hydrocarbon waxes, which is what White Lightening is mostly composed of. Heptane works because it is a alaphatic hydrocarbon in the same family as OMS and other "petroleum distillates".

gforeman 

If you just spray it on and expect it to rinse the dirt off, no it will not work, but if you use a toothbrush on the chain and a better brush on the cogs, it works great. Of course I guess it depends on the lube you are using. For me, my cogs and chain stay clean and shiny. I do not even use the hose on full stream, I use it in the shower mode to lightly rinse after scrubbing.

fietsbob

Yes do save the Potable Corn Ethanol .. for other uses..

gizzsdad

Here's how I use White Lightning: First I get as much gunk as I can off with paper towels. I buy bags of sponges at the Dollar store - usually get 6-8 (about 3"x5" and 1/2" thick) for $1. After wetting the sponge and drying it, I spray WL onto one side and wrap it around the chain and backpedal, turn 90 degrees and repeat. Then I spray the other side of the sponge and repeat. Then dry with paper towels and the chain is ready to go.

HillRider

Yes, along with the rye and barley and even grape ethanol.

BCRider

Apparently your training is in a field other than mechanical engineering or you're just not thinking of how the 3 wheel gizmos work and what they are doing as they work.

The 3 wheel brush gizmos work well. They do that by bending the chain around a sharp curving path by the three wheels. This promotes movement of the solvent though all the joints. The brushes act to clean the outside surfaces for sure. But by forcing the chain to flex the joints the solvent is encouraged to come into contact with the inner contaminants and mix with them. The resulting slurry of solvent and contaminants is then able to drain from the chain more easily or to be blotted away with a rag or paper toweling more effectively. It's this torturous path carrying the chain through the bath of solvent which makes the gizmos work far better than any method I can think of short of removing the chain and rattling it around in a container of solvent. Because of how they work they are the only decently time effective ON BIKE method for effectively cleaning a chain.

On the other hand spraying or wiping off the chain with a rag and applying new lubricant is going to produce only a little cleaning action as the new oil or other lube flows into the chain and pushes out a minimal amount of the grunge. This is because you're spraying the solvent onto a stationary chain or one that is running around the sprockets where it is being flexed less and tends to just run off instead of being contained to let the chain run through it.

It is possible to clean a chain on the bike without one of the gizmos but you'll need to use an excessive amount of spray solvent and paper towels or rags to blast and wipe the chain clean. And that is wasteful of both time and costly solvents. WIth a spray on and drip/wipe off action the solvent isn't going to be in contact with the chain long enough to do much good. Instead gravity will have its way and cause it to run off before it does anything more than remove some outer contamination.

I know because I've done it both ways. I thought I wanted to just do a quick clean. What I found was that it turned into a 10 minute ordeal because once I put SOME solvent (WD40 if it matters) onto the chain it became even more grind'y sounding. This then required that I do the job fully as adding solvent to the outside just forced the grit to the inside. My mistake was that I should have just gotten the gizmo to finish the job. But I was in a hurry and thought I could get it done quicker with a couple of sray on/wipe off runs. It actually tooke me more like 6 or 7 spay/wipe repetitions to get it decently clean. I could have done the job more easily, gotten it cleaner and done the job in less time with the gizmo.

Take the challenge. For what you're spending on aerosol solvents to buy a few cans you can buy a cleaning gizmo and a gallon of mineral spirits (AKA Low Odor Paint Thinner) and a roll of paper towel. Use it the way I've described. You'll find it gets cleaner in less time than with your aerosol cans. And since you can save and re-use the solvent it's actually super cheap over the long haul. AND more environmentally friendly if it matters.

Jed19

I don't know why people don't just put missing links on their chains, remove chains when it's time to clean, put chain in an old waterbottle with a tiny amount of odorless mineral spirits, rattle a little bit, fish chain out, hang for a few minutes to dry, install chain and lube.

This process works well, makes a gallon of mineral spirits last forever,(recycling) and I have it perfected to a five minute job.

Oh, thanks again, Sheldon Brown.

SumoMuffin

How are the bush gizmos at holding solvent? I've always been hesitant to use those because I worry about solvent leaking all over the place.

leob1

The "brush gizmos" work very well. They dip the chain in the solvent, the chain picks it up, on to the brushes. The brush bristles are long enough, and spaced so they get between the plates and scrub off the gunk. The down side it dirty solvent comes out of the gizmo and drips on the floor\bike as the chain comes out. And you left with a gizmo full of dirty solvent to take off the bike and dispose of. But it does work well. And is quick. It's best if used before the chain gets really dirty.

AnonymousGuy

I don't have the tools to do this. Hence the chain stays on the bike.


@ BCRider....

Your guess is correct, I'm not a MechE. What tool specifically do you recommend and is there an on-the-cheap version. My bike is probably worth $30 on a good day, so it doesn't make sense to spend $30 on a chain cleaning tool. I'm aware that I'm running on a cost-benefit curve where the cost of wasted solvent is quickly approaching the cost of the cleaning tool.

treebound 

Get a multi-tool with a chain breaker in it, then buy a new chain with a removable link.
Much cheaper in the long run than buying all the aerosols and such.
Remove the new chain and drop it in a bucket or jar with the cleaner of your choice, rinse well, lube well, re-install on bike, go ride.
You're an engineer, you need a tool, all engineers need tools, helps you to take things apart and put them back together again to see how they work.

And if you really want to do it up proper, here you go:
https://www.sheldonbrown.com/chainclean.html

But for me, I just use fresh lube and a heavy rag, generously lube the chain and wipe off excess.

tastewar

Thank you. I had not seen that particular product of Sheldon's wit.

seeker333

I like to post this info once in a while just stir things up.

"Low odor paint thinner" does work fine. At my Walmart, the regular "paint thinner" costs half as much as the "low odor", so I use that, which works fine too. My bikes are stored in a ventilated garage, so odor/inhalation of chemical vapor is not a big problem.

Even better than cleaning with paint thinner, you can mix it with any automotive engine oil to make your own "chain lube and chain cleaner in one", or DIY lube. This saves money and time, in both lubes/cleaners and bike parts via extended life/lower replacement frequency.

Mix 1 part motor oil to 4-7 parts paint thinner. Ratio is not critical - just eyeball it. It works best if you mix, store and dispense in an old bike lube container - something you can control flow and dispense drop-wise. I've used an old White Lightning bottle for the past decade.

Before each ride, apply DIY lube to the the top of lower chain run, one visible section at a time. Make 2-4 passes (depending on dirt), catching the runoff in a paper towel with gloved hand. This washes the dirt out of the chain. Move chain to next dirty section and repeat till entire chain is cleaned and lubed. Then turn crank around several times while gripping chain firmly with paper towel, to further remove excess DIY lube. After cleaning/lubing, the paint thinner will evaporate and leave a thinned coating of oil on a clean chain.

Engine oil is too viscous to use without solvent dilution. Bike chains require only a light lubrication film and protection from oxidation. Most any light oil will work for bike chains. I use automotive engine oil because I always have some in the garage. I also have paint thinner around for paint thinning and cleanup - an obvious alternate use to DIY lube.

I've used SRAM chains since 2000. They are easily removeable, but it's not necessary using DIY chain lube and the procedure described above.

DIY chain lube is cheap and easy. It's so cheap you can clean/lube before every ride, which is where the real savings occur. I get more life from chains, rings and cassette than anyone else I know. And I mean miles ridden, not the years a bike hangs in the garage. The key to component longevity is to get all the abrasive debris out of the chain.

Ironically, some conventional bike lubes accelerate wear. Wax-based lubes in particular form an excellent grinding paste once a little road dirt is added. Because these lubes usually cost >$100 per gallon, people are reluctant to overuse them, which also leads to less frequent chain cleaning.

BTW - get some fenders - they're not just for rain riding - they keep dirt off your drivetrain too.

BCRider

The one I'm using which works with the descriptions I've given here is a whole whopping $5.50. Hmmmm.... I thought it was more like $9 or $10 when I got mine. Here's a link;
https://www.mec.ca/AST/ShopMEC/Cyclin...in-cleaner.jsp

Unfortunetly a quick check of a couple of the online "regulars" failed to turn up any that match this. They all seem to be selling the Park one for $25. But if you check around on your own you may find the ones I've shown. Oh, you CAN order from MEC online. But it'll cost you $5 one time to become a lifetime member of the Co-op. So look at the other stuff they have and see if you think it's worthwhile. Up here it's the best deal going on a lot of bike tools, tubes and some of the more basic replacement parts.

In the USA REI is the equivalent but I didn't turn up much for bike tools or chain cleaners at www.rei.com .

Keep in mind that in using these gizmos we are back pedalling the chain through the solvent in the gizmo. The gizmo doesn't leak but the solvent carried out of the gizmo drips like blazes. So a garbage bag spread out under the drive train is a wise move. Also ensure the bike is upright or in some way suspended so it angles towards you. That'll keep the grunge that drips off from going onto the wheel and tire sidewalls. Something that is good to avoid. I know it's not neat and tidy but then neither is spraying on a healthy measure of aerosol solvent.

mikeybikes

You're willing to spend all your money on solvents and cleaners, but not willing to spend $15 on a chain breaker and another dollar on a snap link?

At some point, it'll be cheaper just to buy a new chain...

SumoMuffin

This is a great idea for a chain cleaning "solution".


Good point, at some time it really is best to just buy a new chain and start from the beginning with maintenance.