Deepak Rathore

Hello there,

I haven't serviced my bike for about a year(which I regret now).Although I used to do some basic cleaning, I never got into detail and the result is as you can see in the first picture(pic name: Dirty).

Now after I realised the poor condition of the chain, I tried to clean it with liquid dishwasher, scrubber and using a screwdriver for the really difficult parts. The result is in the second pictur(pic name: liquid dishwasher).

Now my question is how can I clean the chain and bring it as close as possible to its original condition.

I have a bottle of organic solvent with me and through some surfing on the new, I learned that it could be used to degrease as well. So, can I use that on the chain or will it cause harm to the chain.

If not the solvent, can I use something else(which is available easily in household) for this purpose.

P.S: I've attached a picture of the freewheel. What can I use to degrease it as well?

Thanking you,
Deepak Rathore

Soody

You really have to remove it to clean it. You do this by driving out a pin with a chain tool.

You have to do it carefully to re-use the pin. It's very easy to damage the chain and it might snap on you later.

KMC/ wipperman/ (sram?) chains have 'quick links' which let you easily remove the chain as much as you want. A 7 speed KMC chain is like $10. I would recommend it, as it might save you replacing your freewheel / chainrings.

I wipe down my chain with a rag pretty often and regrease and that's it, but i used to clean like this;

Remove chain. Put in plastic bottle. Fill with kerosene. Shake. Repeat until kerosene is clean- filtering/ replacing the kerosene. Organic solvent should work for this.

JonathanGennick 

That chain looks clean to me. I'd lube it and ride it. Use a "wet lube" like Chain-L or the Finish Line stuff in green bottles. That way you'll get a film of oil that'll help prevent rust.

If that rust is surface rust, it will disappear quickly after you lube and ride.

Enough lube will usually spread from the chain to the freewheel that you don't need to lube the cogs separately.

Retro Grouch 

This thread is bordering on the brink of politics or religion.

Many riders have very strongly held opinions regarding the proper way to clean a bicycle drive train. Many of those practices are mutually exclusive. If a regular rider was doing something that didn't really work for them, I assume they would change. Since so many riders have such strongly held opinions, my conclusion is that it doesn't matter as much as many folks think.

cale

This may be true but have you looked at the shape of the teeth closely? I've blown up the cassette picture so you can get a closer look. It appears that the OP uses the high gears but almost never the low gear. The wear is obvious once you see it. I suggest, most modestly, that the OP could benefit from a new cassette and chain. In addition, I think the chainring(s) may be worn through as well.

JonathanGennick 

We've not fallen over that cliff yet. It's coming up fast though .

I tend to agree. Hence my suggestion to just lube and ride.

All most of us can do is recount what seems to be working out for us.

highrpm

You could go over the gears and chain with a cleaner and stiff brush. Then lube and ride.

Deepak Rathore

Thanks for all the suggestions guys. Soaking the chain is kerosene and giving it a clean sweep afterwards seems the most suitable method to me. I've seen many people in India using this method to clean other metal stuff. Thanks Soody for the method.

Cale, you thought it right. Almost all the time I am in the speed range of 9-12. This is partly because in most of the situations when I use my bike, I've to ride fast. And since I cannot shift to the biggest chain ring(unless I take a screwdriver and shift to it permanently using the adjustment screws near the derailleur), the only option is to ride in the range 9-12. Also, the bike never shifts to the biggest cog no matter how powerfully I turn the gear shifter. But it does easily when I move the derailleur using my hand and the bike is able to ride in that cog. But when I shift to the smaller cog and try to shift back down to the biggest cog, it never goes from second cog to the first cog. I guess there's some problem with the cable and may be I even have to fine-tune the system.
I'm working on this problem with the gear system as well.

Anyways, thanks again, guys for helping me out and I hope to get your help soon again.

tjkoko

LUBRIPLATE WHITE GREASE. It's absolutely virginal due to its white colour. 8[

molten

What does "If a regular rider" mean? (a) a rider defined on a regular basis/schedule, (b) a rider defined in comparison to the average riders. To what the other, average riders do.

molten

My bikes are all losers in looking to match your images. Hence the rust. Claimed condition.
Because of how mine are maintained. No matter how they have been wiped from grease (either/both) way.
Cruiser or Road. Shimano or Campagnolo.
Even when I only had Shimano via cruiser, the transmission was as clean/conditioned as my Campagnolo road.