country joe
New Member
- Location
- Caledonia
best chain cleaner bath
- Thread starter country joe
- Start date
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mickle
innit
- Location
- 53.933606, -1.076131
innit
OP
OP
country joe
New Member
- Location
- Caledonia
skwerl said:
theres tons of stuff on the mickle method whats the best post,
what chain lube does he recomened i was looking at Finnish line,
would you use wet or dry.
mickle
innit
- Location
- 53.933606, -1.076131
Finish line Dry, Pedro's, Weldtite Plus+, White Lightening, proper, formulated, cycle chain lube rather than oil.
jayce
New Member
- Location
- south wales
i use mickle method and finish dry lube job done
OP
OP
country joe
New Member
- Location
- Caledonia
Where is the best post on the Mickle method,jayce said:
theres dozens on the Forum,
Sombody should put up photos of the method, or is it on you tube?
mickle
innit
- Location
- 53.933606, -1.076131
It bloody wants to be. Unfortunately I am little more than a grease monkey and don't know how to work this box of lectrickery.
It's not really my method, I'm just the most vociferous advocate of it.
Essentially it's a method of cleaning ones chain without the problems associated with the use and disposal of volatile compounds like white spirit, petrol etc.
The crud which accumulates on the exterior surfaces of your chain is composed of grit and dust from the environment, much of it thrown up by the front wheel, mixed with the chain lube you left on the chain last time you lubed it. Using solvents to remove it certainly works but has the downside of removing all the lube from inside the chain.
The only chain surfaces which move against each other are on the inside (once the chain gets onto a sprocket it stops moving), knowing this we can conclude that we don't need lube on the outside surfaces. It doesn't do anything there except attract grit and dust.
The Method involves nothing more than chain lube and a rag. The first job is to wipe down the chain. Park the bike up against the sofa/ shed and holding the bike with your left hand simply *wipe the chain. Use the bike's freewheel mechanism to your advantage by grabbing the lower run of chain with the rag and drag it backwards, slide your hand forward and the chain will feed backwards presenting a new section to wipe. Wipe, wipe wipe etc, Rotating the rag to get a clean section every so often. Eventually, depending on the mankyness of the chain, you wont be able to get any more off.
Now lube the chain. With your right hand slowly rotate the pedals backwards whilst dropping lube onto the lower run of chain in front of the rear mech (or wherever). When you are happy that every link has a drop of lube spin the pedals backwards a few times to allow the lube to seep in.
Go back to *.
The last thing you do is wipe, remember you don't need any lube on the outside of the chain (aside from a very thin smear to discourage corrosion). You spend much much more time wiping than lubing. When the rag stops picking up crap the job is done save one thing, ride the bike a few miles and wipe it again.
The more often you do it the cleaner your chain will be and the cleaner your chain is the quicker the job. So little and often is better. Once a week when it's dry is more than enough, more often if you do lots of miles in the rain. The less crud you have on the chain the less can get on the other transmission parts too. Lube + grit = makes a really effective grinding compound when it comes into contact with aluminium rings.
The alternative, removing all the crud with solvents, removes all the lube from inside the chain. You then need to remove the solvent because putting lube on a chain full of solvent will destroy the lube. So you wash the solvent off with something? Then you have to remove whatever you washed the solvent off with. Oh, you then have to safely dispose of the now contaminated solvent hoping that non of it has permeated you skin because whatever it says on the bottle it's not good for you or for anything else in the environment.
So. Wipe lube wipe wipe wipe. Ride it a few miles and wipe it again. Once your chain has become accustomed to the new regime it should take no more than a few minutes each time.
In fact I'm going to do my bike now and time it.
Ha ha two minutes.
It's not really my method, I'm just the most vociferous advocate of it.
Essentially it's a method of cleaning ones chain without the problems associated with the use and disposal of volatile compounds like white spirit, petrol etc.
The crud which accumulates on the exterior surfaces of your chain is composed of grit and dust from the environment, much of it thrown up by the front wheel, mixed with the chain lube you left on the chain last time you lubed it. Using solvents to remove it certainly works but has the downside of removing all the lube from inside the chain.
The only chain surfaces which move against each other are on the inside (once the chain gets onto a sprocket it stops moving), knowing this we can conclude that we don't need lube on the outside surfaces. It doesn't do anything there except attract grit and dust.
The Method involves nothing more than chain lube and a rag. The first job is to wipe down the chain. Park the bike up against the sofa/ shed and holding the bike with your left hand simply *wipe the chain. Use the bike's freewheel mechanism to your advantage by grabbing the lower run of chain with the rag and drag it backwards, slide your hand forward and the chain will feed backwards presenting a new section to wipe. Wipe, wipe wipe etc, Rotating the rag to get a clean section every so often. Eventually, depending on the mankyness of the chain, you wont be able to get any more off.
Now lube the chain. With your right hand slowly rotate the pedals backwards whilst dropping lube onto the lower run of chain in front of the rear mech (or wherever). When you are happy that every link has a drop of lube spin the pedals backwards a few times to allow the lube to seep in.
Go back to *.
The last thing you do is wipe, remember you don't need any lube on the outside of the chain (aside from a very thin smear to discourage corrosion). You spend much much more time wiping than lubing. When the rag stops picking up crap the job is done save one thing, ride the bike a few miles and wipe it again.
The more often you do it the cleaner your chain will be and the cleaner your chain is the quicker the job. So little and often is better. Once a week when it's dry is more than enough, more often if you do lots of miles in the rain. The less crud you have on the chain the less can get on the other transmission parts too. Lube + grit = makes a really effective grinding compound when it comes into contact with aluminium rings.
The alternative, removing all the crud with solvents, removes all the lube from inside the chain. You then need to remove the solvent because putting lube on a chain full of solvent will destroy the lube. So you wash the solvent off with something? Then you have to remove whatever you washed the solvent off with. Oh, you then have to safely dispose of the now contaminated solvent hoping that non of it has permeated you skin because whatever it says on the bottle it's not good for you or for anything else in the environment.
So. Wipe lube wipe wipe wipe. Ride it a few miles and wipe it again. Once your chain has become accustomed to the new regime it should take no more than a few minutes each time.
In fact I'm going to do my bike now and time it.
Ha ha two minutes.
youngoldbloke
The older I get, the faster I used to be ...
+1 for the Mickle method - I have used it and Prolink lube (or rather my own pre-forum membership independently developed Youngoldbloke version - which is effectively exactly the same) exclusively on the 'best' bike from new. It really works and you don't get a build up of crud on the chain rings or cassette. Recommend using a Progold Luber (like a hypodermic) to get the lube just where you need it. As a result no real sign of wear in the drive-train after 3000 miles or so.
OP
OP
country joe
New Member
- Location
- Caledonia
tHANKS FOR THAT MICKLE I WILL GIVE IT A GO.
Maybe someone will put it on Youtube for you,
Make you famous.
Maybe someone will put it on Youtube for you,
Make you famous.
HLaB
Marie Attoinette Fan
It maybe just a coincidence but when I used a chain cleaner, I'd get about 1500mls out of a chain but since I started doing the Mickle Method (tm)I my chain on my winter bike has done 2900 and there still no sign of wear (i'm using a Park chain checker).
mickle
innit
- Location
- 53.933606, -1.076131
country joe said:
Feck fame give me wealth anyday.
Dave5N
Über Member
- Location
- Outside The Little Nibble
Park chain cleaner. Oil. Every week for the dirty bikes. Road and track bikes get the lube and wipeTM treatment.
