Cleaning a chain

[iluvmybike]

Check it for wear before u do all that - might need a new one!

 

[Salty seadog]

@ianrauk

oooh, get you sir, Tattooed Beat Messiah thread moderator . Good luck. Are we allowed to be mean about Chelsea?

 

[winjim]

Not necessarily.
A fresh coat of oil/lube can help lift off caked on gunk. Keep running the chain through a rag and it soon clears the mess.

True, it can soften the cack.

 

[gbb]

While it's commendable to want to do a good job, in my experience...its a waste of time.
I used to commute all weather's and the chain takes a pasting in wet slushy wintry conditions. I used to be a bit obsessed, chain off, blast clean with a high pressure air line...you won't believe the crud it brings out, thorough wipe, soak in oil, drip drain, thorough wipe then refit. I could do it all in stages through the working day, no part took very long. I'd do that maybe once a week at work.
Did it extend the life of the chain ?....not in any appreciable way whatsoever. I used to log mileages achieved on each chain....no matter what I did, the total for each chain never varied that much.

So, wipe chain while on the bike, drip a drop of oil on each roller, let it sit for a few minutes if it pleases you then thoroughly wipe then wipe again..and again if you feel like it.

Simple is just as good as complicated...been there, done both.

 

[raleighnut]

I doubt it.

(some of us know about the chains on your commuter )

 

[tribanjules]

Poundshops bottle of white spirit is doing mine a treat. Needs suprisingly little and lifts the crud nicely

 

[si_c]

I just get a pack of microfibre cloths from poundland, and then keep running the chain through it. Eventually it will be acceptably clean, if the chain is dry then I add some more lube, wait an hour then wipe off the excess. Usually takes no more than 5mins.

 

[mmmmartin]

Have read this with interest, esp the "don't clean it merely rub it wiv a cloth" technique". I'll give that a go.

My technique is to undo the magic link and immerse the chain in bike cleaning stuff from eBay, some sort of citric thingy, then wipe and add some dry lube. This lasts for a few days and while on tour the best trick, IMHO, is to let it develop an annoying squeak until someone else in your group gives you some of their lube.

 

[si_c]

Have read this with interest, esp the "don't clean it merely rub it wiv a cloth" technique". I'll give that a go.
My technique is to undo the magic link and immerse the chain in bike cleaning stuff from eBay, some sort of citric thingy, then wipe and add some dry lube. This lasts for a few days and while on tour the best trick, IMHO, is to let it develop an annoying squeak until someone else in your group gives you some of their lube.

I usually get a good two weeks between wiping down and relubing the chain. I'm using a wet lube again now as the weather is changeable, which picks up dirt a bit more, but I just give it an occaisional wipe mid-week. Chains seem to last a reasonable length of time.

 

[Lavender Rose]

Not necessarily.
A fresh coat of oil/lube can help lift off caked on gunk. Keep running the chain through a rag and it soon clears the mess.

I plan on getting rid of excess dirt and crap off of it, but running it through an old rag, then applying new oil, as the Mickle Method states (from what I understood) that the only part that needs oiling is inside of the chain and not the outside.

 

[Lavender Rose]

@ianrauk

oooh, get you sir, Tattooed Beat Messiah thread moderator . Good luck. Are we allowed to be mean about Chelsea?

Check him out with his Staff Member title...hope you don't forget your friends up in that Ivory Tower @ianrauk ;-)

 

[Salty seadog]

I plan on getting rid of excess dirt and crap off of it, but running it through an old rag, then applying new oil, as the Mickle Method states (from what I understood) that the only part that needs oiling is inside of the chain and not the outside.

One drop of oil of each roller of the chain, apply to the top of the bottom section of chain if you see what I mean, run the peddles backwards a good few times to let the oil flow into the links, leave a while, spin the peddles a few more times and then wipe the chain down well with a rag. That's all I do and you know I like a silent bike.

 

[Lavender Rose]

One drop of oil of each roller of the chain, apply to the top of the bottom section of chain if you see what I mean, run the peddles backwards a good few times to let the oil flow into the links, leave a while, spin the peddles a few more times and then wipe the chain down well with a rag. That's all I do and you know I like a silent bike.

Yes sir... I do!

 

[Globalti]

I have also recently gone over to the Mickle method and I also can't see any difference after years of laboriously removing the chain and cleaning it in white spirit then drying and re-lubing. As long as you wipe it off after almost every ride and keep the cassette and chainrings clean it doesn't seem to matter. It's certainly less hassle and less mess.

 

[Tim Hall]

while on tour the best trick, IMHO, is to let it develop an annoying squeak until someone else in your group gives you some of their lube.

What happens on tour, stays on tour.