Chain Cleaner Tool

[Tony T]

Originally Posted by Seramount

…so just don't see the point of fussing about over a $30 wear item.

A dirty chain is like sandpaper on a cassette.

[R3awak3n]

no $30 campy cassette so I guess campy people have to be a bit more careful. Cheapest 11 speed cassette is over $100.

I use the park tool chain cleaner thing and pedros orange peel. I love the pedros stuff, I got a big jug of it and lasts a while. The park tool cleaner is cool and all but I would not buy it again. Its kind of unnecessary and it does not do that good of a job. Rather just take chain out and use pedros through it and get it really really clean. Sure its a bit more work and a bit more messy but does a much better job.

[Seramount]

Originally Posted by Tony T

A dirty chain is like sandpaper on a cassette.

guess my chains don't get very 'dirty'...

using my slacker cleaning protocols, they seem to last a long time...as do cassettes and chain rings.

[Tony T]

Originally Posted by Seramount

guess my chains don't get very 'dirty'...

Wear, of course, will depend on riding conditions.
(And it does not need to be dirt. If someone is riding near the beach, it will really be sandpaper on the cassette)

[OtayBW]

I am a big proponent of Missing Links, but I just don't take my chains off very often. I do wipe them down after every ride, and I use the NFS, which although it is often viewed as some kind of witches brew around here, it does keep the drivetrain very clean. No noise for hundreds of miles, and I'm picky about that.

[ColonelJLloyd]

Originally Posted by OtayBW

No noise for hundreds of miles, and I'm picky about that.

I live on a street that is part of a bike route. All sorts of riders come by every day. Most of them have drivetrains that are crying out in agony. I would leave a bottle of chain lube and a sign that said "free" on my retaining wall if I had any confidence a single person would use it. Sometimes when I'm in my yard and one rides by I just want to yell, "Hey, can I lube your chain for you? Takes 15 seconds. Wait! No, no, really. Your bicycle chain is dry!"

[OldCrank]

Much as I'd love to disassemble a chain in a bunny suit, I've been using the Park Tool unit.
There's always sand on the roads, and a lot of sand comes off/out of the chain when running it thru the Park. I spray the chain/cassette/rings/derailleurs with citrus cleaner first, scrub with toothbrush. Additional scrub if I still see a lot of crap between the plates. Then a couple ride thru the Park.
Wipe with rag, blow dry, wipe with 3M adhesive cleaner, then this stuff:
http://www.dry-fluids.com/dryfluid-bike-2.html

I tried the shake-in-a-bottle with the SRAM chain on my cross bike. Lots of filth came off. Looked nice and silver again. Then, just for yucks, ran it thru the Park- surprising amount of sand came off, not as much dark gunk (grease and dirt I guess).

Yep the brushes get dirty, I wipe them between 'wash cycles', and again after. I may invest in another set.

I tried a cheap ($6?) unit from China, fewer brushes which did not turn. Useless, fortunately they took it back.

[OtayBW]

Originally Posted by ColonelJLloyd

I live on a street that is part of a bike route. All sorts of riders come by every day. Most of them have drivetrains that are crying out in agony. I would leave a bottle of chain lube and a sign that said "free" on my retaining wall if I had any confidence a single person would use it. Sometimes when I'm in my yard and one rides by I just want to yell, "Hey, can I lube your chain for you? Takes 15 seconds. Wait! No, no, really. Your bicycle chain is dry!"

Ha Ha! Well, you know the old saying: You can lead a horse to water....etc. I actually prefer the other saying: You can't fix stupid!

[Tony]

Have three mtbs, one road and one cross all in regular use. I use my own mix, Mobil 0W-40 synthetic, 1 part mineral spirits. I can make half a gallon for the same price of some chain lubes. I use this mix to clean and lube the chain. I soak the chain, about ten crank revolutions then wipe down the chain with several paper towels until little lube is transferred to the towels. For me a lot of having a quiet and clean drive train is a quick wipe down with a paper towel after the first two rides. This takes less than a minute to do but does wonders keeping the chain clean for the next 200 to 300 miles on my road bike.
Mtbs and cross, same cleaning/lubing method done every two to three rides depending on conditions with a wipe down in between.

[chiasticon]

Originally Posted by regularguy412

I've had REALLY good luck with just good ol' WD-40 as the 'cleaner' (solvent).

this dude advocates it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvzVRxlIUL0

says that if you use wd40 as the cleaner AND the lubricant, it works great.

personally, I use NFS and it stays pretty clean. I clean the side plates every few rides with a rag. apply a few drops every couple weeks. unless I hit some real muck and have to clean it all off and re-do it all. even then, I still don't use a de-greaser, except on the chainrings and cassette. seems to work. probably 5K out of each chain.

[Lifecycle]

I use the w-d40 branded silicone
And a rag go over and over it and if really nasty I use a toothbrush
This method has worked well for me and is fairly cheap

Ive tried the w-d40 in the past but it just collects dirt that much quicker

[bewheels]

Originally Posted by chiasticon

...

personally, I use NFS and it stays pretty clean. I clean the side plates every few rides with a rag. apply a few drops every couple weeks. unless I hit some real muck and have to clean it all off and re-do it all. even then, I still don't use a de-greaser, except on the chainrings and cassette. seems to work. probably 5K out of each chain.

Same here.
Wipe down after a ride by pulling the chain through a rag with gripping it fairly tight. Clean off the RD pulley wheels. This takes 30 seconds.
Every once and a while wipe off the chainrings. This takes 20 seconds.
Done.
You will have a clean and quiet drivetrain.

Only when it is chirping, put a few (5-8) drops of NFS randomly on the chain, run the chain through the gears a few times. This spreads the lube around the chain.

And yes I ride in the rain, through/over dirty roads, sandy roads, slush, snow, salted roads, etc, etc. My bikes are not babied.

The most common reason drivetrains end up with so much gunk on the drivetrain is because there is too much lube on them and they are not wiped down regularly.

[Clancy]

A quiet chain is not necessarily a clean chain.

Some posts where the term quiet chain is used to imply a clean chain.

Feel for grit, if it's there, quiet or not, that chain is dirty and happily grinding away.

Only a clean chain is clean

[Spinner]

I've used mineral spirits before for cleaning chains, however today was the first time I used an air compressor with a blow gun to finish the job. Hanging the wet chain outdoors, the air gun did a fabulous job of drying the chain.

I can't imagine doing it any other way now.