paste_me

So I have been cleaning my chain with some bicycle degrease from the BS and putting on White Lighting lube.

HOWEVER!

I never feel like my chain is really clean. I have read up on and watched countless youtube videos and I am doing everything correct. But when I move the chain, I can still hear little dirt moving in there next to my crank. WTF?

Is it possible to really have to chain fully cleaned, no dirt on it what so ever?

tagaproject6

I fell that the problem is that you over think the chain cleaning process. Where is this BS that you buy degrease from?


Seriously, as long as you follow the process you should be fine.


Or you could do this https://sheldonbrown.com/chainclean.html

darkadious

TAKE IT APART LlNK BY LlNK

caloso

Only immediately after taking it out of the box.

Personally, I don't degrease. I apply ProLink, wipe, ride, repeat.

Spire

What do you mean by "doesn't feel clean"?

paste_me

I would rather just buy a new chain...

Keepfiring

If you really want to blast everything away, Finish Line Speed Degreaser works a miracle and saves your toothbrush from moonlighting as a chain cleaner. However, the debate rages on whether you really want to go completely degreasing things.

hao

dear god, stop worrying and just ride your damn bike.

DaveSSS 

About the only way to totally get ride of the gritty sound when you twist a chain is to take it off and clean it with mineral spirits. I drop mine in an old water bottle that's about 2/3 full and shake it for about 1 minute. That removes most of the grit, but a second cleaning is really needed, since the chain is now swimming in dirty solvent. I've used mineral spirits for the second cleaning and I've also used hot soapy water, followed by a hot water final rinse and wiping with a paper shop towel.

Mineral spirits can be stored in another bottle and reused many times. Just pour the solvent off the top of the storage bottle, leaving all the dirt sitting at the bottom.

I've applied homebrew lube right after the hot water rinse and never had any rust problems. If you hold the chain vertically and apply the lube generously from the top down, it will displace the water and adequately lube the chain.

coasting 

i dont think you can completely clean a chain because there will always be some dirt on the inside of the links. blast away and scrub away and soak every pin with degreaser and that will only clean the outside and gently wash out the grease and some of the dirt trapped inside. the moment you relube and move the chain about, the new lube will ooze out with some of the dirt in it.

nancyj

After almost 30 years of missing out on bike riding I am coming back to the most OCD stuff.
How on earth did I ever get by spraying it down with triflow and running it through a rag all those years?
Are the new chains really all that much pickier?

coasting 

no. we are though. my gloves match my bar tape colour.

Daytrip

I'd lose the White Lightning and get some Triflo or other wet lube. Personally, I use a secret mixture of chain saw bar/chain oil and mineral spirits. I tried WL, but I like a quiet drive train. As others have said, wipe, lube, wipe, ride. Your drive train is exposed to the environment and located about 12 inches from the road surface. How, under the circumstances, are you not going to get crap on it?

When I ride in the winter, my drivetrain gets pretty gritty from all the road sand and salt around here. When that happens I will remove the chain and give everything a thorough cleaning and re-lube. It's a pain in the ass, but riding in the winter is a pain in the ass.

paste_me

Good advice in here. I was just being anal about it. Just gonna lube it and go back on her!

Shimagnolo

https://www.harborfreight.com/25-lite...ner-95563.html
and
https://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1...atalogId=10053

And of course you will need a modern chain with a separable link, eg. SRAM or KMC.

coasting 

i went through that phase but then it just got so boring. it's like complaining that your shoe is dirty or your fart smells bad.

ptle

A chain doesn't have to be "clean" to work fine. The only way you're going to be able to keep your chain "clean" is to start with a clean cassette and crank. After that, make sure you only use wax lube and don't ever ride in the rain or if it the air's bad.

All I do is wipe off my chain, lube it, and re-wipe. Works for me, and I'm sure hundreds of other people do the same.

darkadious

intentional or not i died

foresthill

Lol:

"SRAM Deluxe Kit $249.95

Basic Kit Includes:
Park CT-3 Professional Chain Tool
Shelbroconol Pre-soak
Shelbrothane Cleaning Solvent
Deakinol Rinsing Solvent
Phil Wood green grease
Deakins White RollerGrease
Cotton Swabs
Pipe Cleaners
57 SRAM Power Links"

Erzulis Boat 

I keep my bikes pretty clean, and have some pretty heavy duty chemicals at my disposal.

Even industrial grade citrus based degreaser doesn't work like good old fashioned mineral spirits (turpentine etc.)

I use a Wipperman chain when applicable, and clean whenever my drivetrain starts getting louder. Riding daily, means a cleaning every 2-3 weeks maybe.

Shift small/small, pop the master, soak and agitate in an old pickle jar, wipe or blow clean with compressed air, re-install and oil (or oil, then re-install). No more gritty sounds.

It sounds like your de-greaser doesn't have the stones to clean the chain, if the stuff doesn't have a skull and crossbones somewhere on the container, then it is probably too wimpy. All joking aside, you chain was never really clean IMO.

byarmis

I know I lolled. Hard.

chadwebster

hahahaha

tagaproject6

This is going places...LOL!

Uni-Vibe

Dude. It's a bike chain. It's exposed to dust, water, etc. Run it till it dies, put on a new one.

GP

One of my riding partners is a locksmith. He pulls a can of spray lube out of the truck and sprays the chain, the cables and everything else in a 6' radius. He doesn't read bike forums so he doesn't know he's doing it wrong.