For my cheap chain I soak it in a coffee can with hot water and dishsoap, usually Sunlight. Shake alittle, shake some more, rinse well, wipe, WD40 then wait 10 minutes and lube. Works well enough for me.

Vegetable oil and wd-40? Nonononono
90wt gear oil or a chain specific lube.

And stay away from 3 in 1. It'll be smooth for like 2 days and then it gums.

I really recomend the wax...it fills up all the voids in the chain. It wears off various areas, that's when ya hit it with the oil.

Every couple of rides I just spurt some lube (Prolink is my current favorite) on the chain while spinning it on the stand--I then use my daughters old panties to wipe off the slop. Sick as you want it to be but young girl panty quality cotton makes for excellent wipe fodder.

Noone seemed to mention it yet but after a good soaking in degreaser (Nalgene 1 litre bottle) a hot water rinse followed by a quick hit from my wife's hair dryer to get the water out seems to get everything spiffy. Lube up, then wipe with whatever panties are available and viola!

hahahahahahahaha

Man, the cops are going to have a field day when they see dozens of girls' cotton panties soaked in various chemicals in your garage :)

(old giveaway t-shirts are equally effective, and less questionable)

I use road sand and salt to form a protective layer of surface rust on my chain.

Then I throw it away once the weather gets nice.

I just gave up on trying to keep my chain nice and clean. I wash my bike in snow after every couple rides and keep it outside so it doesn't go through freeze/thaw cycles.

Now that's C R E E P Y

1 bucket
1 razor knife
1 liter of Kerosene
1 pair gloves
1 pair goggles (even though I hate them)
1 stiff brush

cut bucket so that it is shallower, pour the Kero in there.
remove chain
drop it in carefully so as not to splash
scrub it on the sides and upper/lower areas with the brush
remove
hang and let air dry, or wipe dry
install
rejoice

I take the Kero and pout it into a container...I drop it off with the motor oil at the reclamation center, but the Kero, if properly contained, can do a lot of chains, so its not like you are throwing it out everytime you clean your chain.

stolen from someone else on the forum:

I usually dip my chain once in the trash and go out and get a new one

If I really need to clean a chain, I will put about a half inch of gasoline in a coffee can and toss the chain in there for a day or two giving the can a shake every couple hours. Pull the chain out, toss it on an old shirt/towel or whatever and let it sit for a while.

since this can only be answered on fixed gear, the best way to keep in clean is preventative--- use a dry lube.

Otherwise, break the chain, throw in in an empty soda bottle, add degreaser, shake it up, let it sit, shake some more, use a coat hanger to remove it, wipe, dry, put back on bike. And use dry lube.

depends on the conditions. Dry lube is definitely not always the best choice.

This is exactly what you shouldn't do if you use a detergent, you now have soap that hates lube in your chain.

A little periodic maintenance goes a long way with keeping one's chain running clean. Once a week, I wipe off excess crap with a rag while the chain is spinning, apply some lube, spin the drivetrain to let some more gunk work out of the system, wipe down the chain again along with the cog and chainring, and then just give it a little more lube to make everything all buttery and nice again. The lube you choose also has a lot to do with how clean your chain stays in the first place. Different things work for different people, and what works for you has a lot to do on riding style, ambient conditions, climate, etc. I swear by Boelube T9, but others swear by stuff like White Lightning, which had my chain perpetually filthy for as long as I used it.

Soap doesn't hate lube, soap luuuuuves lube. So much that it rolls all the lube up into tiny little balls as you pedal and makes it nice and water soluble.

Two chains.
One soaks for a few hours in Kero and then gets wiped and layed out to
drain. Install the last(clean chain #2) one you did the same ritual with a month ago.
Every 3 or 4 days inbetween, a quick WD-40 and toof brush cleaning on the bike,
follow up with yer favorite lube. I like thin lube often becuase heavy holds more
dirt and grit.

I see...only young girl's panties will work.
I feel the same way. :rolleyes:

I wanted to thank Landgolier for this bit of advice. It ROCKS! I have always cleaned my chain w/ simple green, or park chain clearner, or even just soaking it with lube and wiping. All always resulted in a semi-clean chain which still sounds gritty when I twist it. Used the Mineral Spirits method, Shook in a jar for 3 minutes and removed. Clean as a whistle, no grit, no film, no nada.... just a clean chain. I then cleaned a second chain in the same dirty pitch-black spirits. Same results on the second chain. As a test to see how much was left over, I emptied the jar, wiped it clean and refilled with fresh mineral spirits. Put in both chains and almost no extra grease/dirt came out of the chain. I have never had a clean chain like this except when it was new. Thanks Landgolier!!!

That's actually the best way to clean a chain. I've heard you should never use degreaser in a pan like some people have suggested, since it will get into the rollers and keep new lube out. Just wipe your chain down while it's on the bike and you're golden.

Yes!
And Yes!!!

IMHO, this is the best way to stay clean & lubed...

For a really clean chain use a 50/50 mix of gas/diesel, or carburetor cleaner like Gunk. You don't need to take the chain off, just take off the wheel so you don't get solvent in the hub or on the tire. I use a "sleeping hub" to hold the chain. A screwdriver in the dropouts can work too, unless you've got vertical ones. Slop the 50/50 on with a paintbrush, or just spray on the Gunk. Either way, use plenty. The stuff can damage some paints, so test an inconspicuous area first. I wouldn't do it at all with a carbon bike. Let it soak for a few minutes and then go at it with a brush. Then rinse everything off with the hose, allow to dry, and oil.

There's always somebody who responds by saying that this technique will ruin your chain, bearings, and/or hairdo. I won't argue except to point out that pro team mechanics used this technique from the '40s until carbon frames took over in the '90s.

For those who worry, though, WD-40 does a surprisingly good job cleaning AND lubing. Buy WD-40 in the big spray bottle, which can be refilled from the surprisingly cheap gallon can. Spray the hell out of the chain. Again a good idea to take the rear wheel off first. Once the chain is soaked, use a paintbrush or similar to get into the rollers and links and loosen up the gunk. Then spray the hell out of it again to wash away said gunk. Done weekly, this keeps the chain clean. If you let the gunk build up, it takes repeated efforts. WD-40 isn't the most effective solvent in the world, although it does a better job than most of the expensive citrus whatever enviro-friendly crap they'll sell you at the bike boutique. Anyway, after the last application of WD-40 you'll want to give the chain a thorough wipe down with a rag, a young girl's panties, grandma's used diaper, or whatever.

Dry lube, including wax and White Lightning? IMO it's not worth much, especially on a fixed gear. It does keep the chain clean, but you have to re-apply it every 50 miles or it'll squeak. If I wanted a clean, squeaky chain I'd just leave it dry.

Somebody asked for a good chain that will last. IMO this rules out anything from KMC. The Izumi V is the best chain on the planet. If it doesn't last you're either an animal or just not taking enough care of it.

I take my chain off, spray it with WD-40 and let the chain soak in however much WD-40 clings to it.

I wipe down the rest of my bike with WD-40 and then wash the chain with dishwashing detergent in the kitchen sink.

I get as much water out of the chain as I can with paper towels, or by just swinging it around, and I spray it again with W(ater)D(isplacing)-40.

Then I lube the chain, put back on the bike and wipe it down with paper towels.