Too much degreaser?

Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.
I attempt to keep my chain in good working order by regular cleaning. Nothing time consuming or laborious, just the quick rag and wipe after a ride or few.
After a few months I decided it needed a good spring clean so used a degreaser from a well-known national retailer. Rinsed it off and thought there was still quite a lot of muck on it, so gave it a bit more welly with a 'Professional Chain Cleaner', as Morgan Blue like to call it. I was amazed at how much more black gunk came off, wipe after wipe!!
So, was the initial degreaser just rubbish or is it possible to over-clean and degrease a chain too much?
 

mjr

Comfy armchair to one person & a plank to the next
Not sure but I think too much degreaser may be a bad thing because if you use so much degreaser it flushes inside the links thoroughly, then how do you know when you've got it all out and the inner surfaces aren't effectively running unlubricated?
 

Profpointy

Legendary Member
I think the whole notion of degreasing chains is wrong. Clean with an oily rag by all means, then add a bit more clean oil. The manufacturer goes to a certain amount of trouble to get oil into the inside rollers and it's then harder for you to get new oil back in, apart from any new oil getting diluted by degreaser residue
 

CXRAndy

Guru
Location
Lincs
I attempt to keep my chain in good working order by regular cleaning. Nothing time consuming or laborious, just the quick rag and wipe after a ride or few.
After a few months I decided it needed a good spring clean so used a degreaser from a well-known national retailer. Rinsed it off and thought there was still quite a lot of muck on it, so gave it a bit more welly with a 'Professional Chain Cleaner', as Morgan Blue like to call it. I was amazed at how much more black gunk came off, wipe after wipe!!
So, was the initial degreaser just rubbish or is it possible to over-clean and degrease a chain too much?

No it was fine. You need agitation to get all grime out from chain. purchase a small ultrasonic bath, put plain water in bath put chain inside small container of de greaser, place in water and run for 5 mins. Watch all the crap just come out from inside the rollers. Wash in fresh water again use ultrasonic bath to remove remnants of de greaser and dry. immediately either oil or re grease chain.

https://www.bestultrasonic.co.uk/home-use-cleaners-8-c.asp
 
Last edited:

CXRAndy

Guru
Location
Lincs
I think the whole notion of degreasing chains is wrong. Clean with an oily rag by all means, then add a bit more clean oil. The manufacturer goes to a certain amount of trouble to get oil into the inside rollers and it's then harder for you to get new oil back in, apart from any new oil getting diluted by degreaser residue
chain rollers for bikes dont have seals, they are open design and not an interference fit either. Thoroughly de greasing and re applying either oil or light grease will get inside rollers and provide a good lubrication. Spray grease which have a thinner that evaporates is ideal for flowing inside rollers
 

Profpointy

Legendary Member
chain rollers for bikes dont have seals, they are open design and not an interference fit either. Thoroughly de greasing and re applying either oil or light grease will get inside rollers and provide a good lubrication. Spray grease which have a thinner that evaporates is ideal for flowing inside rollers

Cleaning I get, but why degrease (or de-oil as the case may be)? I'd be astonished if the oil degraded in any meaningful way; it ain't a hot engine or "extreme pressure" situation like a gearbox.
 

CXRAndy

Guru
Location
Lincs
Cleaning I get, but why degrease (or de-oil as the case may be)? I'd be astonished if the oil degraded in any meaningful way; it ain't a hot engine or "extreme pressure" situation like a gearbox.

Its the dust that mixes with the grease and oil to create a grinding paste. This is what wears the links, causing majority of chain stretch. Regular cleaning will reduce wear and tear.

There is a cost balance point, because chains dont cost the earth, so how much extra life against cost of servicing chain.

There again, some folk just love the time spent cleaning and lubricating their bikes. Probably getting away just a little longer from the better half :smile:
 

Profpointy

Legendary Member
Its the dust that mixes with the grease and oil to create a grinding paste. This is what wears the links, causing majority of chain stretch. Regular cleaning will reduce wear and tear.

There is a cost balance point, because chains dont cost the earth, so how much extra life against cost of servicing chain.

There again, some folk just love the time spent cleaning and lubricating their bikes. Probably getting away just a little longer from the better half :smile:

I too prefer (at least in theory !) to clean and lube rather than throw away/ replace components, though I guess it's moot whether the environmental cost of the chain exceeds the environmental cost of the oil (or degreasant) used. That said, I prefer to use actual clean oil to do the cleaning and flush out the old oil with new. That way you don't contaminate the new oil with degreasant thus (at least potentially) degrading it.
 

CXRAndy

Guru
Location
Lincs
I too prefer (at least in theory !) to clean and lube rather than throw away/ replace components, though I guess it's moot whether the environmental cost of the chain exceeds the environmental cost of the oil (or degreasant) used. That said, I prefer to use actual clean oil to do the cleaning and flush out the old oil with new. That way you don't contaminate the new oil with degreasant thus (at least potentially) degrading it.
I use a water soluble de greaser, like Gunk. After cleaning I drop chain into hot clean water and ultrasonic again. I remove dry off and spin chain to remove remaining water. By using hot water the chain heats up a little and helps with evaporation. I then re oil so metal is not exposed and water will be dispersed
 

slowmotion

Quite dreadful
Location
lost somewhere
I use Jizer in an ultrasonic bath and then rinse it many times with detergent and water. It then goes in the oven at 70C for an hour before re-oiling.
 

slowmotion

Quite dreadful
Location
lost somewhere
What size ultrasonic bath will a cassette fit in? Is a 2 litre jobbie big enough?
I've had one of these 2.5 litre jobbies for years.
https://cpc.farnell.com/james-products/ultra-8050/ultrasonic-cleaner-2500ml/dp/SA02321?st=james ultrasonic cleaners
It was used to clean solder flux residues off circuit boards but I realised it would also be good for chains and cassettes. If you take the cassette and the plastic spacers to pieces, this tank is easily big enough. My guess is that if the biggest cog can sit flat in whatever tank you are considering, the rest of the cassette will easily fit in.
BTW, the Jizer degreaser I use is faintly inflammable. Using in an ultrasonic bath probably contravenes all manner of H&F stuff if used commercially. Fortunately, I'm a strictly personal user but I don't leave it unattended in case I have to chuck it out of the window if it spontaneously combusts.:okay:
 
Top Bottom