mrodgers

2 jars. One empty and one with mineral spirits. I drop the chain in and shake. Leave sit. Work on whatever else I'm working on. Give the jar a shake now and then. When I am putting everything back together, I pull the chain out and wipe off and install.

Leave the dirty mineral spirit jar set. It will settle. Next time to clean the chain, decant the mineral spirits into the empty jar and use it to clean the chain. Now that you're into the 2nd cleaning, when finished, swirl the mineral spirits to keep everything in suspension and dump it into the old dirty jar and let that settle again. Next time start over again with decanting into the empty jar to use for the cleaning.

No contaminated solvent dumped into the environment except for what evaporates while the jars are open and what evaporates on the chain before wiping. Of course, you will have a towel to dispose of eventually that you wiped the chain with but you'd have that anyways if all you do is wipe the chain. Been doing this for 5 years I think now and the dirty jar I let settle has about a 1/8th inch of contaminates settle on the bottom. It will be a while before I need to dump this.

Bicycle Guild 6

There are two effective ways of cleaning a chain. The multiple ways to clean the outside of the chain but only one great ways to clean the inside of a chain.
The outside of a chain can be wiped brushed dipped in solvent almost anything you want to clean the outside of the chain. Yes there are drawbacks to using certain solvents. Some destroy the environment some destroy bits and pieces of your body, you guys are smart don't use toxins to clean your chain.
In the beginning of the article the author talked about abrasive little bits inside the chain. Some abrasives can not be removed with strong solvents. Some abrasives need to be mechanically removed. Using an ultrasonic vibrator to get the loose parts of the chain to smack against each other and Destroy abrasives like Silicon sand, makes the abrasives small enough that they can then fall out of the chain.
Best cleaners that are least destructive to human beings and to the environment are detergent based . some destroy metals like aluminum so it's best to use the simplest detergent you can find. Dawn is good for cleaning grease , Dawn is good for taking care of your human body and Dawn is good for the environment.

ARPRINCE

I used to remove my chain and dip it on simply green with dish washer detergent. That was when I was on a 10s drivetrain since KMC has a REUSABLE missing link (I have a 6 reserves). With the 11s, I have never seen a reusable missing link for sale anywhere (the last time I checked). I have the non reusable but only have it on my tool box for emergency so I don't remove the chains anymore when I clean them. I just run it though a Park CM-5.2 Cyclone Chain Scrubber instead.

Abe_Froman

Also...I'm not convinced it is even a good idea to TRY to get that gunk out from inside the chain. What's to say you aren't just flushing the little bits of metal deeper inside the chain into worse, more sensitive areas? IMO, this is one of those leave well enough alone scenarios.

redlude97

I reuse my KMC/SRAM 11 speed quick links all the time, as well as just about everyone else. Ignore the legal script

Carbonfiberboy 

My main ride is a tandem ridden year 'round in the PNW. Tandems are really hard on drive chains. I get longer life from a chain if I don't immersion clean it, just wipe with a dry rag and relube every time it looks dry on the outside, heating the chain to help drive the lube in, then wiping again. Takes maybe 5 minutes. What's not to like?

The necessary experiment is simply logging chain life. Currently changing tandem chains once a year at ~2800 miles using 9-sp Ultegra drive chains, before they show 1/16" wear. Current chain shows no detectable wear at 1806 miles. - right on 12".

woodcraft

But don't chain lube threads bring the passion back, a little?

Reading this one inspired me to think about cleaning a chain, & at least oil it.

Nachoman

Don't get carried away.

Sy Reene

I'm not willing to try this.. but it occurs to me that using a coffee filter and an old coffee maker basket perhaps could work (over said jar).

Big Wally

+1.
Similar process. I recapture reusable spirits with an old turkey baster. I've tried pouring it off but noticed some contaminated stuff coming off the bottom. Kinda like drinking a black & tan - you actually get beer from both layers. Settled gunk in the small amount of remaining spirits will eventually end up as fire starter for a country friend who occasionally has a lot of down limbs to burn. The local recycling station has periodic hazardous waste disposal drop off too.
I'm retired and have the time to do this. I'm learning to do my own motorcycle and bicycle maintenance as useful learning exercises as well as cost savings. At $110/hr motorcycle shop time these tasks are the most I can "earn" outside of my profession. Sure it takes me twice as long, but only the first time or two. And when breakdowns inevitably occur, often in remote locations, I have a much better chance of being able to figure it out and find a solution. And to have the foresight to bring along the right tools and know how to use them.
My 400 mile service interval represents 10-15 rides/1-2 months per chain service (solvent cleaning+hot wax). Service takes 1/2 to 1 hour and includes the usual inspections as needed. Roughly a 30:1 ride-to-service time ratio. So I'm spending waaaaay more time riding one two-wheeler or another than I am maintaining them.
Material costs are insignificant. A small amount of spirits/gas, a couple old candles+some lamp oil+an old camping cook pot, and a masterlink pliers. But so are chains if you have more money than available time or simply prefer that approach.
Whatever twists your crank...

redlude97

Just add a third jar, and move the solvent back 1 additional step. The first dunk removes 99% of the gunk and then the second dunk removes the rest. The 3rd jar of mineral spirits barely gets cloudy.

Dean V

Immersing the chain will certainly help thin/dissolve any lube inside the chain.
When you apply the new lube which will be substantially thicker how do you know if it will effectively get inside the chain to replace what you have flushed out?
Is there a chance that the chain will be cleaner but internally not as well lubricated?
On the odd occasion I can be bothered removing my chain I clean it in Diesel or Kerosine as I just don't like the idea of drying it out with a solvent.
Never been bothered to do mileage/wear tests but I guess that is the only way to really know what works.

Colnago Mixte

This is my rationale for not spraying solvents into STI levers. They were pre-greased at the factory, presumably to optimize performance and maximize life. With real grease, not WD-40 or some other thin solvent. Once you spray that stuff in there, there is no guarantee that the tiny internal parts won't seize up without grease being where it's needed.

Chains though, don't have any complicated watch-like mechanisms that ratchet around, and I think as long as they are running quietly, you can pretty safely assume they are working properly and not wasting your energy or annoying your riding partners (assuming for the sake of argument any such patient people exist ).

Dan333SP

Yet another paid Dawn dish soap shill.

Racing Dan

Its not a given that fresh lube is thick. Many lubes has a solvent carrier that thins the lubricant, allowing it to penetrate before evaporating. The only way to know the answers to your other questions is to take a piece of chain apart to see for your self.

SethAZ 

When I've done the hot wax method you can see the tiny bubbles coming up from the chain while the wax penetrates deep into the chain. Especially when I've done it using my ultrasonic cleaner with the jar of melted wax standing up in the water the vibrations drive out the air really quickly. After the chain goes back on in the bike it's deathly silent, which indicates to me there aren't these dry lubeless internal regions.

Also look at the recommended method for applying NFS lube. 12 drops put randomly over the chain, run it around your highest cog/big ring like 12 times, wipe down excess, go for a ride. Doesn't seem to make sense that the lube would distribute itself everywhere it needs to go under this method, but everyone who uses it swears it does.

The guy who does the Friction Facts testing actually immerses chains in lacquer thinner, if I recall, which leaves the chains completely bone dry both inside and out. He then applies the lubes and runs his lube tests or whatever it is he's testing. His results don't seem to show these wierd cases of lube not getting everywhere it needs to go.

JohnDThompson 

Chain wear is a result of abrasion between the pins and side plates; wiping down with a rag only removes debris from the outside of the side plates, a cosmetic improvement at best. Soaking in OMS allows the debris to be removed from where it actually causes chain wear.

Sy Reene

There's the wipe down (OMS), and then the re-application of lube, and then another wipedown. Eg. Rock n'Roll gold's basic instructions are to jet a stream of their lube onto the chain, spin for a few seconds, and then wipe again as much as you can (supposed advertises cleaning plus lubing in one step). All in all I think doing something like this keeps 90% of the crap out of the chain.

Admittedly, part of my reluctance is due to running a Campy chain, which has never been a problem (I have about 2k miles on the current one with no sign of wear/elongation).. I really don't want to start breaking chains and running KMC links.. seems self-defeating. OTOH, having to re-pin and peen for a chain cleaning just ain't going to happen.

prathmann

Sounds nice and reasonable, but I have yet to see a well-documented experiment showing substantially increased life from such cleaning. Another possibility is that as long as the chain is kept well lubricated any grit momentarily between moving components will quickly be squeezed out to the sides where it does no more harm. Same principle as when I was grinding telescope mirrors and had to very frequently move the grit back into the working interface since it quickly migrated out and left only clear water at the grinding interface. Also the same phenomenon that results in the traffic lanes of our roads being relatively clean while the debris is pushed to the edges (and into the bike lane).

For now I'll continue to just do a superficial wipe of the exterior (for cleanliness, not durability) and keep the chain well lubricated. I can live with the $10 every 10000 miles or so for a new chain much more easily that with an extensive cleaning procedure.

woodcraft

Not well documented, but got about 7k on last chain with I think 3 deep cleanings, & regular lube with Pro link.

10 speed, KMC 10SL, considerable wet winter riding, changed recently at 12 1/16".

SethAZ 

I'm waiting for someone to suggest building a homemade alembic and using it to distill the mineral spirits out of the jar with the gunk in it, which would have the dual benefit of not only separating out all of the particulates, but probably all of the dissolved oils and such as well.

Oh wait, you guys are probably waiting for me to post that. Classic deadlock.

Samuel D

The multiple-jar idea sounds good, although pouring from one to the other could still get messy.

What about the organic residue left on the chain from the last bath of white spirit? I have sometimes used a final rinse of acetone to get rid of this. But maybe there’s no good reason to get rid of the oily residue (unless you’re planning to wax the chain or something).

SethAZ 

One has to draw the line somewhere.

700

That is the where you made a possible error. The dirt your chain attracts may contain that much iron itself.
I took my kids to the desert and had them drag magnets through the sand for a few minutes. It was something I discovered as a kid. The results are in the picture.

prathmann

Sure, but I've frequently gotten that much or more mileage with no cleaning at all. That's why I've been looking for a better controlled demonstration of the benefits of cleaning.