isuckatbiking

Good Morning BF!

i was wondering if I could get some help on something. So I searched google and watched multiple videos but there seems to be an overwhelming amount of styles of cleaning the DT.

Im a type of person that likes to get one for sure method. It seems as though the methods differ from person to person which is kind of overwhelming after reading and watches 20+ things so I figured asking BF would be best.

I was curious on what the right way of cleaning ONLY the DT.

Some of the parts I'm confused about is:

Do i use water initially on the dt or do I go straight to the degreaser?
If its straight to the degreaser, I'm assuming I spray, let it sit for a few seconds, then wipe down with a rag.
After wiping down (after I used my brush to get the crud out) do I use water to wipe away any excess or do I go straight to the lube?
I guess I was just curious on whether or not water is a player solely in cleaning the DT when you are NOT cleaning the bike as a whole.
Last, i just wanted to confirm but when cleaning, it should be on the big chainring up front and small on back correct?

rpenmanparker 

It is easy, just not that easy. You have different methods reported, because different folks dislike to do different things. I don't mind removing the chain and as a chemist am familiar with working with flammable solvents. Also I have found the water-compatible degreasers to be only poorly effective on a cruddy chain, crank and cassette. I also don't like trying to dry a water-wet drive train so that it will take the new lube. So I work over newspaper, remove the chain, soak it in odorless mineral spirits in a Glad or Zip-Lock plastic food container (reserved only for this use), scrub it with a toothbrush and wipe it as dry as possible with paper towels. Then I use the paper towels soaked with the mineral spirits to wipe clean (scrub) the rings. I use cotton cord without solvent like a shoe shine rag to clean the cassette, placing it between the cogs and pulling it back and forth. Spray the derailleurs with WD-40 and wipe clean. Replace the chain and lube. Good to go.

I pour the mineral spirits off the solid crud back into the can and reuse it many times so there is very little hazardous waster produced. When it is finally too dirty to reuse, I take it to our city hazardous waste collection site.

isuckatbiking

That sounds like a VERY thorough cleaning haha.

For the people like me though who does not remove the chain. Any directions you can share?

chriskmurray

You will probably get even more opinions on how to clean everything now that you posted this question, it is a major can of worms.

I like to keep it simple and simply spray degreaser in a rag, grab the bottom run of chain and back pedal wiping off dirt and grease, apply a good chain lube (another hotly debated subject) and wipe off as much excess as possible. My drivetrain stays clean enough that I never have to pull things off for a more thorough clean and it also stays quite, wears well and shifts well.

isuckatbiking

Also forgot to ask, for that people that degrease/lube while the chain is still on the bike, what do you do with the degreaser/lube that drips down to the chainstay? Do I have to use water and soap to wipe it off (matte carbon bike) or is it safe to just leave it alone. Just want to know if it leaves permanent staining to leave on the lube and degreaser that might have dripped down/sprayed.

isuckatbiking

:/ I shouldve used the "degreaser in rag" method rather than the "spray liberally. Get everywhere on chain stay" method.

chriskmurray

I think we have all been there at some point. The thing I don't like about that method is the degreaser can work its way into places you do not want it.

cny-bikeman

I don't think there's much point in "cleaning" with the chain on the bike. Too much chance for flushing grit farther in (to where parts interact under the most stress) or leaving behind contamination, and too hard to contain the mess. I'm of the all-or-nothing school, and I have no patience for water-based methods. I remove most items and clean with mineral spirits. Then, once everything is clean, I use just the amount of lubrication needed, always wiping off the excess.

FBinNY 

First of all, there is no one RIGHT way to clean the drivetrain, or anything else for that matter. There are some basic rules and guidelines, but plenty of equally effective methods.

A few rules,

1- don't switch horses mid stream. If you start with water/detergent, stay with water. Or if you prefer using petroleum solvents, start and stay with them.
2- like with clothing, a proper job has various steps or cycles; soak, wash, rinse, spin, dry or some combination of the above, but the soak, rinse, and spin steps may be the most important, and yet are most often skipped. You don't just wash then dry your clothes, same goes for the chain.
3- washing compromises whatever lube is in your chain, so either don't do it at all, or commit yourself to a complete and thorough job, followed by proper lubrication. A compromise effort at a quick wash usually produces half-fast results.
4- it's easier and neater to do a good job with the chain off the bike, but it isn't necessary. If it's easy to remove the chain, do so, otherwise there's no need to cut and resplice a chain just to wash it.
5- Chains have narrow gaps which hold liquids by capillary action. This is how lubricants wick into chains, but it also means that the inside of a chain takes much longer to dry than the outside. Be absolutely certain that the inside is dry before lubing, otherwise the lube will sit on the surface rather than wicking into where it's needed.

Those are some basics, use whatever solvent or method you prefer, staying consistent with them and you'll do fine.

dsbrantjr

"For the people like me though who does not remove the chain. Any directions you can share?"

Remove the chain. Clean your chain by your choice of methods. Re-lube. Use a "quick link" or "master link" to close the chain. Done.

FBinNY 

Remove the rear wheel and replace with a pulley like this, or some improvised alternative like a toilet paper roller held in place with the QR skewer. That eliminates the issue of getting solvent all over the rear wheel. You can also keep the RD cleaner, by removing the lower pulley and slipping the chain free.

Then use one of those chain cleaning gadgets, consistent with the basics I outlined earlier.

This isn't rocket science, just use some common sense, and do a decent job.

BTW- one of the basics was SOAK. Even with a gadget, a wet or soak followed by an interval where the solvent can break down the greases and oils, saves lots of effort in the washing and makes less of a mess. Soak, wait, wash a bit, soak, wait, wash... a few times until the visible dirt is gone. Use fresh cleaner and repea the process until no fresh dirt (or very little) flushes from within, then follow by multiple rinses, then dry.

AnkleWork

This is the best way:

The ShelBroCo Bicycle Chain Cleaning System

davidad

This is what I clean my chain in. Jewellery Digital Ultrasonic Cleaning Machine 2L - TheLAShop

isuckatbiking

I don't know if I want to go out and buy a chain remover and what not.

That and it seems like a lot of work if I want to be one of the people who cleans their chain every 2-3 rides.

What I did today was kind of simple. From what Im reading, it seems as though I missed a lot of steps lol.

I didnt wash my bike today so it was completely dry. Sprayed some degreaser on the cassette and front chainring.

Left it for 20 seconds. Grabbed a total and cleaned the chain by running it through the towel. Cleaned the jockey (lots of crud came out surprisngly).

Lubed it. Then rode the bike a bit to shift through all my gears so the lube could catch on the cassette.

I think I just made it too easy and am missing some steps. Pretty sure of it :l

haha

ofgit 

BITD we/I used to take a bike out behind the shop, lean it up (drive side out) against the wall or fence, place a big piece of a cardboard box between the chain and the wheel and scrub the chain/derailers/rings with a stiff parts cleaning brush dipped in a pan of varsol backpedaling the crank as needed. Then thoroughly rinse everything off with a water hose and blow the water off with compressed air. Wipe off the parts of the frame that need it then relube the chain/derailers and wipe the excess. Takes longer to type it (for me) than to do it.

rpenmanparker 

I bought a Park chain cleaner/citrus degreaser device for on-the-bike but cannot bring myself to try it. I just see too much mess happening. And as I said before, I don't want a water wet system that has to be converted back to oil wet. Sorry but I am a take-off-the-chain guy. Real cleaning of the drive train every three rides just isn't necessary. If you want to do some frequent maintenance, you can wipe the chain after every ride and relube after every few rides followed by a very good wiping. But I would remove the chain for a less frequent general cleaning.

jralbert

Varsol works better for cleaning caked crud than anything else I've ever tried, but I've never been brave enough to get it anywhere near the frame and/or rubber; I do water-based washes during the week in the rainy season, and a full disassembly (removing the chain, chain rings and cassette) with a varsol scrub every weekend or two.

Al1943

I think the Park chain cleaning machine works very well. I load it to the fill line with mineral spirits and spread newspaper below the drive train to catch the slop.

JanMM

DT = Drivetrain

the sci guy 

So, when you guys say 'mineral spirits' - what the hell are you referring to?

FBinNY 

This stuff, often sold as paint thinner, and not to be confused with a newer, "green" substitute sold under the same name.

The can should clearly say "petroleum distillate" somewhere on the label.

the sci guy 

isuckatbiking

Tisk tisk bill. You should have known that. I mean you even had your own show..

For some reason, I thought mineral spirits were like club soda.

the sci guy 

i thought it was something like firewater, and we were going to smokem peacepipe while cleaning our bikes

Homebrew01

Ahhhh. I wondered why we needed a thread about cleaning the downtube.