Cleaning chain and gears advice please

[T4tomo]

One of my bikes is 14 years and around 30,000 miles old. I haven't seen the chain or gears for years as they're covered in oil,WD40,synthetic lubricant tar,road grime etc. If i was to buy a decent product to get all the old stuff off would my chain look new again,or would it still look black and well used?

It would look like a shiny but stretched chain, in need of replacing.

WD40 and a rag is best cleaner there is in term of cheapness and convenience.

 

[Koga]

or just clean it with white spirit (cloth, toothbrush or take the chain of and dip it) which is very cheap and you may already have this in your shed.

 

[Arjimlad]

I'm fettling my Mum's old bike which she bought about 49 years ago. It's sat in the shed for many years. The chain was a crusted up pile of rusted greasy grime until I
1. undid a link & folded it off the bike;
2. popped it into a 4pt milk bottle with warm water and washing up liquid and gave it a good shake, changing the water a few times; then
3. dried it & soaked it in a bath of engine oil, cleaning it off with a rag after a few hours.

It's now a beautiful, thick quality piece of British engineering once again. It is only a little stretched. Cleaning it led me to find the original clipped link too.

 

[Dusty Bin]

It's now a beautiful, thick quality piece of British engineering once again. It is only a little stretched. Cleaning it led me to find the original clipped link too.

So you've now got a 'clean' piece of scrap, rather than a grimy one..?

 

[tyred]

So you've now got a 'clean' piece of scrap, rather than a grimy one..?

If it's a hub geared or single speed bike, it will be fine unless he wants to change the sprocket. They don't make chains like these any more unfortunately.

The secret here is to put it into an old saucepan, cover in engine oil and gently heat outside on a camping stove to thin the oil so it gets in between the rivets and bushings, allow to cool and wipe of the excess. It will be silky smooth for months.

 

[The Horse's Mouth]

Really! Some of you do seem to get wound up by simple questions.

Not all of the people on here are Bradley Wiggins. Some people just want to just get by as cheaply as possible. He doesnt want to replace his chain. So just tell him to what to do with the old one.

Id go for WD40 and a rag. Saves you taking it off. Soaking in engine oil, just as good.

Accy Cyclist. Hope thats ok?

 

[MrDampy]

If I was going to clean anything on my Bike, I would use DuckSmart!

Knocks spot off anything else on the Market!

http://www.ducksmart.co.uk/

 

[compo]

If I was going to clean anything on my Bike, I would use DuckSmart!

Knocks spot off anything else on the Market!

http://www.ducksmart.co.uk/

I still reckon you got shares in them

 

[MrDampy]

Lol Compo!

 

[uclown2002]

You couldn't make this thread up.

 

[Boris Bajic]

One of my bikes is 14 years and around 30,000 miles old. I haven't seen the chain or gears for years as they're covered in oil,WD40,synthetic lubricant tar,road grime etc. If i was to buy a decent product to get all the old stuff off would my chain look new again,or would it still look black and well used?

Blimey! That cannot be the original chain, surely... But you sought advice. As follows:

1. Dirt and grime are nothing in terms of presence. Their only ill effect is that they wear away at things. Clean the chain and gears (using webheld counsel as advised).

2. Wear is a bad, naughty no-no for a bicycle chain. Measure the wear on it (using one of those metal tuning-fork things that isn't a tuning fork). If the wear is above what is helpful or rideable, bin the chain and replace it.

3. Although it just looks a little grubby and black when dirty, a cleaned chain is a wonderful thing. All my best times on leisure rides and my old commute have been done on a bike whose chain and sprockets I've just cleaned and lubed. It may be psychological, but I think it is also a matter of increased efficiency and all that hoo-ha.

I hope I have helped and I'm off to serve supper in the absolute conviction that I have.

 

[ayceejay]

An uncle of mine bought an old car that was a bit noisy and rusty but otherwise fine. He thought he would make it even better by putting some nice green Castrol (not castor) oil in it. He went for a run to warm up the engine then crawled under to take out the drain plug he put an enamel bowl under to catch the old stuff. Nothing came out at first but then there was a rumbling and a deposit that resembled a cow pat. 'Better off without that", he thought then put in the new stuff and fired her up. The noise was like marbles being shaken in a tin can and the poor car was never the same.
The moral of the story is if you have something precious that is being held together with grease and grime don't mess with her it.

 

[400bhp]

You can't polish a turd.

 

[Rohloff_Brompton_Rider]

You can't polish a turd.

But you can roll it in glue and glitter.

 

[downfader]

I dont mind running a slightly stretched chain. I clean mine regularly with either Fenwicks FS1 or Citrus degreaser in a brush bath. I check for tears or broken links and I rinse it off thoroughly before applying some new oil or dry lube.

If I think back to some of the older chains when they were thicker and heavier (90s and before) they could last a long time, especially if they were barely ridden