I'll be that "clean" is a relative term, just as it is when one of my family members claims his/her room is "clean." To set the bar as low as possible, here's a lousy pic I took just a bit ago of the chain on my commuter bike:

Sheldon died several years ago. You sure it was him who called you that? You haven't been on the board that long.

If you're paying $60 for a chain. what are you buying and where?

I just bought 5 chains on chain reaction cycles. 2 9 speed dura-ace, 2 DA 7901 and one XTR 10 speed. They ranged from $30-$45 and are all best in class. None of those chains will ever get cleaned. I'll use lube like tri-flow or my favorite last drops of a gold finish line "ceramic" lube I bought in germany... has this made it to NA yet? When they are 75% worn on my gauge they will get tossed. I'll wipe them down till they seem dry after lubing.

If I have a vintage chain or I really want to clean one... I use an ultrasonic now. I have used the bottle method in the past but depending on where the chain came from and what is on it, the bottle method can take quite a while.

When I worked in a shop people would ask about maintenance and how to lube their chain when they bought a new bike. I told them to lube it when it squeaks and not before. If there was one thing they should be concerned about it was pumping out their tires. You wouldn't believe the number of people who came in for tune ups or with pinch flats with 20 psi in their tires. Basically there are people out there who just ride till they get a flat and then pump up their tires. I think they would save more money in the long run (and not risk damaging their rims) if they checked their tire pressure once a week. I told them by comparison lubing the chain was insignificant. This was amazing to many people.

If you do one thing to maintain your bike it should be put air in the tires. A flat change costs $15, A basic chain costs $10+$5 to put on. The same price. lubing your chain regularly vs. not lubing at all on a basic commuter might save you $5 a year by extending the life by a few months. Keeping your tires inflated could save you $100 a year if you weren't otherwise doing it.

My point? Cleaning and lubing your chain is the most over rated part of bicycle maintenance.

Good ole global warming, fossil fuel, carcinogenic (in Cali) gasoline. Let it soak, swirl and brush. Remove chain and let the petrol evaporate into the atmosphere. Clean chain and so far, no dead birds or cats near the garage.

works for me!

Indeed, Sheldon could be serious, but I can attest to his humor, tho I'm at a loss to come up with an example at the moment. As noted above, are you sure it was he who labeled you 'Lazy'?

So if I check the air in my tires it will keep my hands cleaner?

However I do see the point.

That was funny

I would never admit that the pictured chain is on a bike I own.

Last time I bought a bike I first used a Park Tool chain tool cleaner that runs the chain through a "bath" of cleaner & has a bunch of brushes. After that I wiped it off with a towel to help get more gunk off. Then into the ultrasonic cleaner with Dawn, citrus degreaser, and water. Did a few rounds of that, then wiped off. Rinsed in clean water, dried with towel, then baked in oven at 175 degrees for about 45 minutes. Let cool, installed on bike then lubed. This particular was a Sedis chain on a bike with a Shimano Uniglide hub and the chain, despite the hardened grease & dirt was like new in regard to how much it had not stretched. I normally don't go through all this, but the chain was beyond filthy.

Dan Burkhart, cyclotoine, Ed, Thank you all for your concern. You are keeping the standard of this website high and good on you for it.

To be clear, I was "playing the victim". The accusation of being lazy was part of Sheldon's chain cleaning article.

I assure you I do not feel the need for therapy.

Thank you again
Sincerely
Rich

Oh, I gotcha. But just to give another example of Sheldon's brand of humor, he called us all girly men if we aren't riding one of his real man saddles.

Saddles for REAL MEN!

Oh dear. Now I'm a decadent emasculated male. I don't know how much more of his humor my fragile ego can take!

And certainly worth the trouble for an unworn chain that isn't made anymore.

But, if it were an HG-50 I'd sooner throw it in the scrap metal bin and put a new one on.

At least ths thread has been kept "clean" of yet another interminable back n' forth on chain lube.

Oops....

Gas sure gets them clean. But I like kerosene. It doesn't seem to "dry" the chain out as much as it is slightly oily.
And doesn't stink as much.

But, whatever works, is my mantra.

Yes, well, you see, umm, I've tried various chain lubes through the decades and never found anything ideal. One feature of the old-days' chain lubes was they made a mess, and now I'm thinking that cleaning the messy chain is more important. And perhaps that not making a mess in the first place is important too.

FWIW, my chains don't get rusty.

[MENTION=13607]cyclotoine[/MENTION]- yeah but I wanted to be able to mention, in casual conversation, that I baked my chain! Sort of like slipping one's cog.

That sounds vaguely suggestive, V-vixen.

But I don't know what of.

:>

I toss the chain into a bucket of warm water with Simple Green pro HD cleaner mixed in. It goes in with all the other components and sits for a handful of hours.
I'll stir the bucket a few times to sluff off the grime that's loose so the following layers of crud can begin to loosen.

Then I rinse the chain under water and use annylon brush to scrub each side. Rinse the chain and pull it thru a towel to both dry and get any remaining grease or dirt off.


At that point I can see if thew is rust or not. Rusty chains are tossed.
I hang the chain up until it's time to reattach.

I lube it with some dry chain oil.

Pretty basic, I treat the chain like the derailleurs and everything else that is in working order and just dirty- degrease, scrub, dry.

If I'm going to be doing an event type ride that I'm setting a bike up for, then here's what I do (right or wrong)

Remove the chain
Run it through one of my spin through brush type cleaners (those ones with cleaner in the reservoir and circle brushes), filled with simple green
Wipe it off
Soak the chain into a pan of 80-90 gear oil, leave overnight
Pull out the chain and let it hang, with the runoff going back into the pan
Wipe off the chain
Mount the chain

That method results in a chain that gets dirty quickly, but runs like buttah for several hundred miles.

If I'm not running an event, then I skip the oil bath and instead coat the cleaned chain with a chain wax (cleaner longer, but noticeably less smooth).

Back in my fossil age ('70s) I used to use gasoline in three consecutive cans, shaking the chain in each until no more grit came off. Was a stinky mess. But I used to use oil lube then, which would stick grit to the chain. Now, three decades plus on, I don't see the need to do this, because the lubes I use don't attract grit a tenth as much. Needless to say, I don't ride offroad. With the passage of time chain technology has improved immensely. Tolerances are closer, leaving less space for foreign matter, and the metals are harder.

Actually, gear oil is not a bad idea, considering the amount of metal to metal contact, stress and friction. How goes the lifespan with this method, Chrome Molly?

For cleaning, I use straight kerosene that I can buy in bulk. By the way I understand WD-40 is simply kerosene with perfume. It's handy to have the spray can for some uses though.
For lube, I soak the chain in motor oil in a pan overnight, then I let it drip dry overnight, then wipe clean.
I always like to have an extra chain ready to go so I can do the chain maintenance on the side without taking the bike off the road any length of time.