I have my chain off the bike and in a plastic coffee can soaking in citrus degreaser. what steps should I take next? I don't think a water rinse is a good idea, maybe blowing off with an air hose?

What type of chain lube is best after this king of clean?

Sign me, new to maintenance

I would do a water rinse, and then blow dry, or heat. Then use any good oil. I like added chainsaw oil, as it's a little sticky.

Personally, I like cleaning it in a solvent. I usually oil twice and wipe "dry".

Partly it depends on the citrus degreaser. If it was transparent orange colored, it was pure, but most of the stuff sold is cloudy or milky which means it's mixed with water. Multiple water rinses is best, followed by a spin (go outside and make like a helicopter), then dry with heat, in a toaster oven at 200 for 10-20 minutes, to be sure there's no water left.

Then apply your favorite lube (I don't get involved in lube discussions).

I expect this thread to go the usual route and have my popcorn ready.

Don't believe him for a second. He does get dragged into lube discussions, and then he generously offers his vast knowledge. He just doesn't want to make a hard sell, since he is in the business. His lubricant is very good, and I recommend it.

Water rinse let dry for a while and I use Honda MC chain lube works well for me.

Put it in an old 1 quart Ragu bottle and shake the dirt out of it. Rinse in hot water until the degreaser is gone, dry and lube.

+1. Just soaking it won't do anything. You need to shake it up to get the grit to come out.

Ultrasonic cleaners with degreaser works great too.

Thanks, I ordered his lube last night.

I used Zep Commercial 128-oz Heavy-Duty Citrus Degreaser, very clear orange. It's still soaking, and I shake it every time I walk by.

Tom's recommendation went a long way, I ordered last night.

I use Dupont on both my motorcycles and bicycles. Stopped cleaning chains years ago, Dupont does both, clean and lube.

OH NO!!! This is the worst idea ever...The jar MUST be Prego!

I was biting my tongue to say something similar but now that you opened the can......

I use a regimen of WD-40 which works well as a solvent. I was using it exclusively and was not disappointed. Despite its weak lubricity it was certainly enough for an "every other ride" scenario. Well, as I got lazy I finally started putting some TriFlo in there. I'm usually a B&C oil guy but had some TriFlo & these 11 speed chains are tiny so....pfffft.

Anywho......WD-40 every so often to clean chain & gears.......some TriFlo or whatever pleases you and regular wipe downs as most of the gunk is surface related anyway. My $.02 for a clean/quiet drivetrain.

(shrug)

I use citrus cleaner in a jar (24 oz orange juice container with a wide top) and shake it real well. Next, I empty the degreaser and put in some warm/hot water with a little dish detergent added and shake it really well. Next I rinse it with warm/hot water, dry it with a clean shop rag or blot with a paper towel to get it somewhat dry. Then I place the chain in my oven at 250 deg F. After an hour or so, I turn the oven off and let the chain cool down. When it's cool enough to handle, I take it out and lube it with Chain-L. Hint: warm the bottle of Chain-L in hot water before using (as suggested on the label).

If the degreaser is water soluble, it helps water mix with oil. This is might be helpful for cleaning but terrible for lubrication.

Wish you took pictures before and after the soaking/cleaning...

Thank you.

As I said, rinse the solvent out well with hot tap water, a few times until the eater stays clear. Then spin out as much as you can, and dry in the toaster oven. Then oil.

I still can't figure out how anyone manages with only solvent and compressed air (or even spraying out vestiges of solvent with wd-40. It's so much better to spend over an hour with the above protocol instead of riding.

. . . which contains:

1 to 5%:
D-LIMONENE; orange distillate; citrus terpene; cyclohexene, 1-methyl-4-(1-methylethenyl)-, (R)
MONOETHANOLAMINE; 2-aminoethanol; MEA
DIETHYLENE GLYCOL MONOBUTYL ETHER; 2-(2-butoxyethoxy)-ethanol; butyl carbitol
DIPROPYLENE GLYCOL N-BUTYL ETHER; 1-(2-butoxy-1-methoxy)- 2-propanol; Glycol Ether DPNB

There are some very toxic substances on that list, the production of which generated substantial amounts of pollution.
Soaking in toxic chemicals, rinsing, baking, etc. -- wouldn't a small amount of petroleum solvent applied to the chain (a $10 part) on the bike be simpler and cleaner for both the chain and environment?

I'm like you and don't like cleaning rituals, but I never blow out chains with compressed air. It just mists any oils that might be there, and I don't like breathing oil mist. Also, any oils will eventually settle out onto surfaces leaving an oil film (compare cleaning kitchen cabinets vs. bedroom doors).

I also don't like water based cleaners because they're a pain to dry, so I use petroleum distillate in closed jars, alternating soaking with some agitation, then multiple rinses, The last of the solvent dries completely without any help, so I can oil the chain after waiting a while.

The cleaning cycle takes a while, but very little of my time since it's mostly soaking and waiting time. The solvent is recycled so there's no waste, and minimal environmental impact.

BTW- I rotate multiple chains every 1,000 miles or so, so I have plenty of time to clean them at my leisure. If I'm not removing a chain anyway, I don't wash it at all. I simply dry wipe it as clean as I can and oil.

The cleaning decisions and methods need to strike a balance between time and effort, and improved chain life. This is one reason I don't use top end chains. Keep the price of replacements low enough and you don't need to go crazy trying to milk out every last mile of chain life.

The compressed air was only in a shop environment where we could easily step outside, and only when rushed to finish. We had the luxury of a cleaning tank with pump, but at home I indeed do pretty much what you do. As I'm no longer a year-round commuter I only clean my chain a couple times per year.

I prefer a 2-chain regime so you can get your bike on the road quick and clean.


Soak the dirty chain in solvent (kerosene) for a while
At your convenience....
Remove, let drip dry
You can soak cleaner solvent (optional)
Remove, let drip dry
lube
store until next time.

Rest/settle and decant the clean solvent for re-use.

My approach is much simpler. If oiling and wiping the chain doesn't leave it clean, I replace the chain. This way, I don't have to touch a dirty chain except to take it off and throw it away. I don't have to work with any solvents, either.

Done!
Don't tell my wife my bicycle chain is drying in her kitchen oven!

Again.

Water is about the worst thing you can use on a bike - for any reason. Water-based degreasers, including anything 'green' or with acid content (citrus) are useless. In general, the more toxic and flammable a degreaser, the better it works. A good compromise is varsol or paint thinner.

Lube: use petroleum-based lubes. For dry environments, a lighter-weight oil such as Tri-Flow is fine. For the wet, something with more viscosity may offer some temporary protection. Nevertheless, one ride in the wet will require a wipe-down and relube.

Lube is really only useful on the inside of the chain where the bushing-damaging friction action occurs. For this reason, I don't think lubing the chain on the bike does much good. Cleaning is effective if you can clean out the inside of the chain.

In the end, don't fuss much over chains, they are throw-away consumables. Buy cheap and replace often. Replace your chain 3-4 times for every cassette and chainring discard. For me, this means 4 chains per year.