Chain Cleaning

[Plax]

What is the best way to clean your chain?
Now that the weather is getting bad my bike is getting caked in mud from the path along the lake I use to avoid the narrow bendy main road.
The chain is all "gritty" and the cogs etc muddy. I usually give the dirtiest parts of the bike a quick clean with an old toothbrush. I have sprayed the chain with GT40 and then run the chain through a cloth. Dunno if this is the best thing to do but the chain is still "gritty".
Is something like this any good;
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI....m=270146689426&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=017

Ta

 

[gambatte]

I use something like that. But the best thing I've found is to use a powerlink on the chain. If it gets really bad you can whip the chain off easily.

I leave it to soak in citrus degreaser, give it a good brush down, rinse in water, dry with a cloth, use wd40 to remove any last bits of water, dry again, refit to the bike.

Wait for the WD to evaporate & use a bike specific chain lube

 

[Plax]

I'm probably being really thick, but what's a powerlink?
(In my defence I only started cycling to work at the end of August!)

 

[gambatte]

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/SearchResults.aspx?Search=powerlink&x=0&y=0

Good to have in an emergency. If your chain snaps, you can easily get up and going again. Once you've got the knack, theres easy to separate as well. There are speed specific, gold and silver, one for 8 and one for 9 speed. Can't remember which way round, but it says in the Advert

 

[Fab Foodie]

Hi Plax and Welcome to the strangely addictive world of the bicycle....

This is an oft debated topic. See here for all the options (there are links within the link too).

There are 2 schools of thought, use degreasers or don't. I've settled for the non-degrease route after reading the advice from KMC Chains, so mostly I'll just wipe of the black gunk, wipe with oily rag and then re-lube. Others like to strip the oil out completely and then soak the chain.
Over the years I've done everything!

Good reading and good cycling!
http://www.cyclechat.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=5849

 

[mickle]

Damn. I've fallen through a rift in the space time continuum.

 

[Fab Foodie]

Damn. I've fallen through a rift in the space time continuum.

Ah, but your chain-cleaning method is a step of enlightenment in a parallel world of darkness...

 

[Terminator]

I brush my teeth with my chain.

 

[BentMikey]

You need to do the Sheldon Shake. There is no better way of cleaning a chain properly (basically take the chain off, put it in a plastic coke bottle with solvent, shake it, and completely clean it).

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/chains.html

 

[Terminator]

....and then drink the coke.

 

[Tetedelacourse]

Plax - heed Mickle's advice. He's the Daddy. (in an "I am your Father" kind of way). Actually on that note, that scene would have been much more entertaining if Darth had had a Santa hat on.

Also - welcome!

 

[mickle]

You need to do the Sheldon Shake. There is no better way of cleaning a chain properly (basically take the chain off, put it in a plastic coke bottle with solvent, shake it, and completely clean it).

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/chains.html

This assumes that your chain is dirty. Followers of The One True Path do not suffer from dirty chains and as a result have no need to expose themselves or the environment to nasty solvents.

 

[BentMikey]

All chains will be dirty sooner or later. Sheldon is the grand master after all.

 

[gambatte]

Only thing I’ll add to my post is that before commuting I was MTBing. The muckier the better. My chain cleaning regimen relates to how I cleaned the chain on my MTB, which used to get seriously caked up.

The commuters not had the chain cleaned since new. Just a new bit of lube every now and again.

Have you considered using a wax lube? From what I understand this clings to the crap and then falls off as you go, kind of self cleaning. When I do get round to cleaning the commuters chain I’m intending giving it a go (that or the ‘purple extreme’ samples I got)

 

[mickle]

All chains will be dirty sooner or later.

Nope. Not true.

Walk towards the light Bentmikey, walk towards the light.....