Cleaning bike chain

[Hellsbells]

Hello.

My bike chain is filthy and is starting to ruin my clothes. I reallyl want to give it a good clean this weekend but as I've never done this before, I'd really like some advice about the best way to do it.

Do I need to remove the whole chain?
Is it okay to just use some soapy water and a brush?
Should I soak it over night?

 

[Spion]

Take the chain off, soak it in petrol, white spirit or the like and let it soak for a while in a container, give it a brush with an old washing up brush to get all the shite off and then bathe it in oil (or grease melted in a pan on the cooker) before replacing

 

[fredfelt]

Take the chain off, soak it in petrol, white spirit or the like and let it soak for a while in a container, give it a brush with an old washing up brush to get all the shite off and then bathe it in oil (or grease melted in a pan on the cooker) before replacing

I can't be arsed with that normally so I use washing up liquid, and old rag and an old tooth brush. Seems to work OK but does any one know if it causes any problems for the chain.

If you bath the chain in oil surely you must wipe most of the oil off with a rag otherwise it will pick up loads of filth very quickly?

 

[Sigmund Fraud]

I can't be arsed with that normally so I use washing up liquid, and old rag and an old tooth brush. Seems to work OK but does any one know if it causes any problems for the chain.

Washing up liquid contains salt (as an abrasive agent), its generally not a good idea to use washing up liquid on any bike component - but esp the chain.

Spions advice is spot on but yes of course you want to remove the excess before riding again, the plates of a chain are less important than the rollers, you really want the lube the penetrate the roller enclosure.

 

[eoin_k]

Hi

I generally avoid taking the chain off my bike as it can be a job getting it on and off - it sounds like you don't have much bike maintenance experience so why make life more difficult than is necessary. I taken my chain off once in the last year and that was out of curiosity as much as anything else.

You can buy various solvents from your local independent bike shop to clean your chain. As well as various contraptions to help you clean it. Alternatively you can use a rag, an old tooth brush, a bottle of 'chain lube' and plenty of elbow grease.

I apply the lube to the chain, give it a brush with the tooth brush and clean with the cloth. Then, I repeat until I'm happy with the results and also give the sproket and chainring a good clean at the same time (the round spike things attached to the crank/pedal and the hub of the rear wheel respectively).

When you have finished you don't want the chain to be dripping with lube (this will just attract more dirt and clog up your chain) the idea is that the chain should be relatively dry but lubricated all over.

I should probably do it once a week. I probably do it once every couple of months. The more often you do it the less of a job it is.

If you do want to take your chain off, it isn't rocket sience.

First you need to find out what sort of chain you have. There are two sorts. One is used for single speed bikes and bikes with the gears built into the hub of the rear wheel . These include childrens bikes, BMXs, track bikes old school granny shoppers with three speed strumer archer gears. If you have a bike like this the chain will have a single link which is different to all the others. This link has a sort of hairclip thingy (shit description but if it applies to you need to know have a look at your bike and you should be able to work out what I mean). To open these chains you can use a flat head screwdriver or pliers to remove the clip and then you can work the link open by hand.

The other sort of chain is used on bikes with lots of gears that you can see stuck onto the outside of the rear wheel and front gears. Sorry if this description is a bit patronising, but I don't know if cassette sproket or derrailluer mean anything to you.

For these gears you need a special tool called a chain riveter or chain tool. They should cost between £5-£10 at a guess and if you buy one from a nice independent bike shop they should explain how to use it.

It makes sense to remove the rear wheel before you take the chain off with either system. And when you do it, use it as an opprtunity to clean all those bits you can't usually get to. But avoid getting soap/water chain lube on any bits that contain moving parts like the bottom bracket and the wheel hubs (the bit in the bottom of your frame that the cranks spin arround in and the middle of the wheel respectively).

 

[Hellsbells]

Thanks for the advice. All very useful.

I don't think i'll bother fiddling around trying to take the chain off. Think there's some white spirit at home so will just use that and an old rag and toothbrush.

I didn't realise I was supposed to clean the chain so often. I've ridden over 600 miles on my bike since I got it and the thought of cleaning only just crossed my mind the other day when i had to mend a puncture and got covered from head to toe in grime and oil and crap

 

[Sigmund Fraud]

First you need to find out what sort of chain you have. There are two sorts. One is used for single speed bikes and bikes with the gears built into the hub of the rear wheel . These include childrens bikes, BMXs, track bikes old school granny shoppers with three speed strumer archer gears. If you have a bike like this the chain will have a single link which is different to all the others. This link has a sort of hairclip thingy (shit description but if it applies to you need to know have a look at your bike and you should be able to work out what I mean). To open these chains you can use a flat head screwdriver or pliers to remove the clip and then you can work the link open by hand.

A carping point but not all singlespeed chains ie 1/8th and 3/32nd have a link with a circlip - SRAM ones do but the majority don't. A chain tool will open and close any chain apart from a 10speed $himaNO or Campagnolo chain, for these you need a special, ultra accurate tool (though you can join one of these chains with a regular tool, you just can't split em).

Some manufacturers sell chains with 'power links' - a two plated link you can squeeze apart and easily seperate. These links are available seperately for a quid or so and can be retrofitted to almost any chain, make chain removal and cleaning a peice of piss. SRAM, KMC, Mavic and Wippermann make em but SRAM is the most populous.

 

[eoin_k]

I think you'll appreciate the difference when you clean it. A dirty chain = more resistance = a slower bike that is hard to ride.

Before using white spirit see if people recommend removing the chain before applying a solvent. Solvents can get into the various nooks and crannies of your bike and cause them to seize up.

 

[eoin_k]

A carping point...

Not carping at all in my book .

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

Do you have this stuff over there?

You just spray it on while the chains still on the bike, while turning the sprocket backward so that the chain is moving freely. It takes off all the crud and leaves the chain lubricated.

Coal oil would probably do the same thing.

 

[Sigmund Fraud]

thats a nice big picture

unfortunately WD40 is a water displacer, NOT a lubricant..well at least not a lube for anything bigger than a tetsy fly's squeaky hip joint. It will finish off your chain in short order by driving the greasy bits from the metal bits.

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

thats a nice big picture

unfortunately WD40 is a water displacer, NOT a lubricant..well at least not a lube for anything bigger than a tetsy fly's squeaky hip joint. It will finish off your chain in short order by driving the greasy bits from the metal bits.

Typical uses of WD-40 around the home include:
.
.
.
Cleaning objects affected by grease, caked-on dirt or adhesive residue (such as that left behind by sticky tape); however, its uses in this way are limited around the house because of its unpleasant smell, which tends to linger

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WD40#Uses

.................

If you're concerned that it won't be enough lubrication, you can add more, but it will definitely clean the chain.

 

[Sigmund Fraud]

Typical uses of WD-40 around the home include:
.
.
.
Cleaning objects affected by grease, caked-on dirt or adhesive residue (such as that left behind by sticky tape); however, its uses in this way are limited around the house because of its unpleasant smell, which tends to linger

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WD40#Uses

.................

If you're concerned that it won't be enough lubrication, you can add more, but it will definitely clean the chain.

I'm sure you don't mean to be patronising Johnny, but I know what WD40 does (we have it here too!)...and what it doesn't. Stopping a squeaky door hinge isn't the same as lubricating a highly stressed, critical bike component. Yes it might clean your chain, but it will drive all elements of grease out too.

Case in point - it doesn't shout the about being a lube on the label does it?

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

I'm sure you don't mean to be patronising Johnny, but I know what WD40 does (we have it here too!)...and what it doesn't. Stopping a squeaky door hinge isn't the same as lubricating a highly stressed, critical bike component. Yes it might clean your chain, but it will drive all elements of grease out too.

Case in point - it doesn't shout the about being a lube on the label does it?

Don't mean to be patronizing; I honestly didn't know if you had it there. I've learned that you can't take these things for granted.

http://www.wd40.com/pdfs/WD-40_2000UsesList.pdf

Check out how many of the uses start with 'lubricates'.

 

[mauvais]

Believe me, we've been over this many times before, and I never realised it myself until more recently. WD40, and to a lesser extent GT85, are just not suitable for the wear bikes put on the chain.

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

Believe me, we've been over this many times before, and I never realised it myself until more recently. WD40, and to a lesser extent GT85, are just not suitable for the wear bikes put on the chain.

Why can't it be used as a cleaner in conjunction with another lubricant?

 

[stat]

I spray it with WD40, wipe of all the crap with a wet rag, splash water over it, and then let it dry.
The chain is now clean and dry.

Next IMPORTANT step - put oil on it!!! it's cheap, and makes a load of difference: you can feel it's smoother when you ride it, it'll prevent it rusting, and won't knacker it out. And it won't squeak. Excess oil picks up dirt, so wipe off the excess.

Repeat entire process every so often.

 

[Sigmund Fraud]

Don't mean to be patronizing; I honestly didn't know if you had it there. I've learned that you can't take these things for granted.

http://www.wd40.com/pdfs/WD-40_2000UsesList.pdf

Check out how many of the uses start with 'lubricates'.

ok, sorry mate, I'm a bit jumpy tonight

but trust me, if WD40 was any good as a lubricant then nobody would bother selling little bottles of chain oil for £5 a go.

 

[stat]

but but but... WD40 isn't a lubricant it's exactly the opposite, isn't it? completely stripping off all grease?

eta: it's late on a friday night... i may have caught the wrong end of the conversation here

 

[Herbsman.]

yep wd40 is a degreasing agent... when I was a kid I used to think it was some sort of lube... so sprayed it in my pedal bearings, wheel bearings, chain etc... i thought it was ace because it made them spin faster. didn't realise that that was because it had rinsed all the grease out of the bearings and thus removed the rolling resistance created by the grease... chain and bearings soon went rusty...

so the lesson learned is, don't use wd40 as a lube for any bike part... by all means use it as a cleaner if you must, but clean it all off afterwards and then apply proper lube.

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

yep wd40 is a degreasing agent... when I was a kid I used to think it was some sort of lube... so sprayed it in my pedal bearings, wheel bearings, chain etc... i thought it was ace because it made them spin faster. didn't realise that that was because it had rinsed all the grease out of the bearings and thus removed the rolling resistance created by the grease... chain and bearings soon went rusty...

so the lesson learned is, don't use wd40 as a lube for any bike part... by all means use it as a cleaner if you must, but clean it all off afterwards and then apply proper lube.

Spray some on your hand sometime.

 

[Cloud]

a bought a cheap chain cleaning device from Decathlon but tbh some degreaser and a tooth brush would suffice. The chain device came with degreaser and chain lube so I bought that. Wd 40 is a degreaser so maybe clean with that and toothbrush but always libe after with a decent oil. Finish linemake good lube, bout £3.00 and get it from any decent bike shop.

imo not worth stripping chain and swapping etc, better to just well lube/clean and get the whole drivetrain changed when needed, maybe swao chain inbetween.

Spose it all depends on your milage and use

 

[Herbsman.]

Spray some on your hand sometime.

Why would I want to do that, Johnny?

 

[mauvais]

I've got an SRAM chain with the powerlink thing and cos it's piss easy I do take mine off (powerlinks go flying though so be careful). The main thing I find is it's full of fine grit which can't be doing it any good. I rinse it in hot water, scrub at it with a brush, then wipe it down with a cloth. It's easy to get it fairly dry but there's still water in there so I spray it with GT85, a bit like WD40. That's only good for water displacement so then when I've fitted it again I coat the whole thing in heavier oil for lubrication.

If you do remove it, don't forget to clean the chainrings and jockey wheels while it's off - they're pretty important.

 

[I'm Simes]

and one of these

Re oil with a decent oil and wipe of the excess.

I do this after most rides.

 

[Geri]

I've never cleaned a bike chain in my whole life. I realise now I have a new bike that they are not actually supposed to be black.

 

[Wolveryeti]

Damn, now I know why I've been being overtaken by old ladies on their old skool pushbikes!

 

[Biddlybee]

*bump*

My chain needs a right good clean... if I'm going to go through the effort to take it off and use the white spirit to get it all shiny new, I'm guessing I should give the chainrings a good clean too?

Can I just use a bit of white spirit and a toothbrush? If I can, what do I rinse it with afterwards? Will hot water do?

Also, I'm guessing the lube I put on the chain will transfer to the chainrings... is that right?

 

[mauvais]

Buy a Powerlink:

then you can take it off by hand whenever.

Hot water and a sponge will do fine. Chainrings are much easier to clean than the chain.

 

[Biddlybee]

What's a powerlink then?

I've realised that I've got no idea how to take the chain off, so can I use white spirit and a brush while it's still on the bike?

Do I just brush it til it's back to the original colour then rinse and lube it?

Also, is the white spirit basically doing the same thing that all these name-brand degreasers do?