Cleaning the chain - best practices?

Ben Cole · 16 Nov 2016 at 15:07

I really wouldn't worry about it. Wipe it off and oil it. Worst comes to the worst it's £15-£20 to get a new one fitted or less to do it yourself.

lemonade · 17 Nov 2016 at 12:59

Changing the chain etc is fairly inexpensive. The thing that I worry more about is the chain snapping whilst riding, it can be really dangerous if your cycling on the road and you end up coming off your bike with a HGV behind you.

Also can effect gear changes, and wear out the gear cogs.

Roady · 17 Nov 2016 at 17:01

lemonade said:
Changing the chain etc is fairly inexpensive. The thing that I worry more about is the chain snapping whilst riding, it can be really dangerous if your cycling on the road and you end up coming off your bike with a HGV behind you.

Also can effect gear changes, and wear out the gear cogs.

Providing you're maintaining your chain and checking for any stretching you're really doing all you can regarding chain breakages & drivechain wear.

I used to chain-cleaner mine every other week and relube at least once every week with Finish Line Green. Also fitted expensive £25-30 chains. I struggled to get 1000 miles out of Shimano/KMC chains. I also only used the big ring and regularly cross-chained, I think a combination of my over cleaning and cross-chaining was the blame for me getting through so many chains (3+ a year).

Now I clean chains less, I'm seeing much better life out of them. I'm still cross chaining some, but with less stop/start commuting I'm just not supplying the same torque levels while cross-chained I was previously.

I'm now much more inclined to wipe it down with a cloth then spray with GT85 (before lots more wiping) and relubing. Probably do that every 2-3 weeks and only break out the chain cleaner every 2-3 months! SRAM chains are superb, I'm using the PC1130 on both of my Shimano 105 drivechains and at ~£15 a pop they're inexpensive.

lordrobs · 22 Nov 2016 at 09:00

I used to use a chain cleaner but now I just dry the chain (if it has just been on a wet ride) with a rag, squirt of GT85 on a rag and spin the chain through it half a dozen times, leave it to dry off for a bit and lube as normal. Chain cleaner only gets used if the chain is really mucky/sandy/gritty etc.

I'm with FT though, wet lube is just a dirt magnet. I'm currently using it on 3 out of 4 bikes but as the chains get replaced I'll make the move over to dry. With dry it is literally a quick wipe and re apply. Simples.

lemonade · 1 Dec 2016 at 12:38

Some great advice, I feel I'm over doing the cleaning, it's also a chore, so I am going to buy a can of GT85 and use that method next time and see how I fair. I've done over 1000miles on my KMC chain and touchwood it still is good and want to keep it that way.

Will note down the KMC chain for future use.

Cheers guys.

Begbie · 1 Dec 2016 at 13:48

I've not cleaned this chain in well ages, I clean it infrequently too.

It's probably the longest lasting chain I've owned.

hornetstinger · 1 Dec 2016 at 15:48

BennyC said:
Cover in GT85. Scrub/wipe cassette. Wipe chain rings and mech's. Wipe crud off jockey wheels especially. Rinse. Soak rag in GT85 and run chain through in a similar fashion to a cleaner tool.

I've a chain cleaner tool with which I have done similar in the past, several passes, throwing away the solution once dirtied significantly. But find the method above good enough for interim cleans.

Tend to just plonk GT85 on as 'lube'. If it's clean I don't care a great deal as long as it's not bone dry.

GT85 isn't a chain lube.

BennyC · 1 Dec 2016 at 21:26

hornetstinger said:
GT85 isn't a chain lube.

Didn't say it was

Toxophilus · 5 Dec 2016 at 10:28

I use the same method as Lemonade, but I do lubricate with Muck off C3 wet lube which is light but stays put.
The best advice that I did get with regards to chains was to clean regularly as the grit gets stuck and just wears away your cassette and chain.

Thomas. PLease. · 5 Dec 2016 at 11:36

I use white spirit in a chain cleaner, usually clean the cassette and chainrings at the same time a brush, as well as the jockey wheels. This seems to be where most of the dirt is held. Dry off the white spirit, then lube as necessary.

hornetstinger · 5 Dec 2016 at 14:24

Thomas. PLease. said:
I use white spirit in a chain cleaner, usually clean the cassette and chainrings at the same time a brush, as well as the jockey wheels. This seems to be where most of the dirt is held. Dry off the white spirit, then lube as necessary.

Pretty much stripped all lube/grease from bearings, jockey wheels etc

Those parts would need a strip down and re-lube down to bushings/bearings.

Skynet-T800 · 26 Dec 2016 at 17:06

Will WD40 do for cleaning chains?

Thomas. PLease. · 26 Dec 2016 at 18:19

hornetstinger said:
Pretty much stripped all lube/grease from bearings, jockey wheels etc

Those parts would need a strip down and re-lube down to bushings/bearings.

Has worked for me for the last 20,000 miles. The idea is to strip all the crap away, then re-lube

hornetstinger · 26 Dec 2016 at 18:19

WD40 is a water displacer. I recommend par tool chain bath with citris degreaser, then lightly wash over with a hose to remove the degreaser, let it dry over night then a drop of lube per link.

hornetstinger · 26 Dec 2016 at 18:32

Thomas. PLease. said:
Has worked for me for the last 20,000 miles. The idea is to strip all the crap away, then re-lube

Don't care. You don't use pressure washers on bicycles full stop. Not unless you remove all bearings, bottom bracket and regrease, remove inners to remove forced in water. Which I doubt you do every wash.

Thomas. PLease. · 26 Dec 2016 at 19:40

WHo said anything about pressure washers?? :confused:

Ben Cole · 26 Dec 2016 at 20:09

Thomas. PLease. said:
WHo said anything about pressure washers??

Just what I was thinking. Weird eh?

hornetstinger · 26 Dec 2016 at 20:10

if you do get degreaser around derailluer best to re-lube / re grease jockey wheel bush/ball bearings.

Thomas. PLease. · 26 Dec 2016 at 21:51

Which is what I said in the first place.

platypus · 8 Mar 2017 at 11:10

Similar to Thomas, I take my chain off once every few months and soak it in white spirit. I then soak it in lubricant overnight to get it inside the chain, towel it off and replace.