Sand on my chain

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Uncleinan

New Member
Hi there,

Very new to all this so any help would be appreciated.

Went for a ride on Saturday and ending up on the front In Exmouth. I was pretty windy and I ended up getting sand all over my bike which has stuck to the chain.

What is the best way of getting this off?

Thanks

Ian
 

Pat "5mph"

A kilogrammicaly challenged woman
Moderator
Location
Glasgow
Hi and welcome to CC!
Wash you bike with cold water and a sponge/brush.
Washing up liquid/car shampoo can be used, but you need to rinse after washing.
Dry using an old towel or cotton tee.
Spray some water dispersant, like GT85 or WD40 on front and rear cogs, avoiding braking areas, beware especially of contaminating disk brakes.
Mickle the chain, more info here.
 

Globalti

Legendary Member
There's some awful advice above. DO NOT try to get the sand off by rubbing it with a cloth, you'll only drive it further into the links. Take the chain right off the bike, clean it properly in paraffin or white spirit or turps substitute then dry for 24 hours and re-lube.

Wash the bike thoroughly with warm water and car shampoo as well because wind-blown salt will have coated everything and all the alloy will oxidise next time the weather is damp.
 
Location
Loch side.
There's some awful advice above. DO NOT try to get the sand off by rubbing it with a cloth, you'll only drive it further into the links. Take the chain right off the bike, clean it properly in paraffin or white spirit or turps substitute then dry for 24 hours and re-lube.

Wash the bike thoroughly with warm water and car shampoo as well because wind-blown salt will have coated everything and all the alloy will oxidise next time the weather is damp.


I can't agree with you more. I looked at that advice and can't believe such old myths still persist.
 

byegad

Legendary Member
Location
NE England
However you clean it you are in for many hours of fun getting rid of all the sand. I rode my Kettwiesel trike over the causeway to Lindisfarne some years ago and spent 4h+ cleaning it up afterwards! I still find the odd grain when removing parts.
 

mrandmrspoves

Middle aged bald git.
Location
Narfuk
I'm with User9609 on this One. When I was still able to ride a mountain bike I used to ride the trail at High Lodge, Thetford every weekend. Much of the routes are on sand and my bike used to sound dreadful by the end of each ride . A quick spray of car shampoo followed by a not too close blast from my power washer (avoiding bearings) followed by leaving to dry and a re lube kept it running sweet. I had the original chain for over 2 years before it needed replacing.
 
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OP
OP
Uncleinan

Uncleinan

New Member
Thanks for all the advice guys. Looks like I will be having a busy weekend!
 

mrandmrspoves

Middle aged bald git.
Location
Narfuk
Because you want the oil inside on the bearing surfaces, and a light film outside to prevent rust.

Sand will stick to even a light film of oil, as it also does to moisture.
I cannot see how you can oil so precisely that no oil is on any of the external surfaces, and even if you do, cycling in the rain or on wet ground will still result in sand sticking to any exposed surfaces.
However, the OP is asking for the best way to remove it once it is present and I think we have covered that ......
New thread - how do you stop your bike getting dirty while still using it?
 
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