Clean Chains - Chain Maintenance

Squoocher, have you been forgetting to take your medication?

at some pound shops you can find de-greaser, spray the de-greaser on it and let it soak in for 5 mins then get a bucket of soapy warm water and a toothbrush and give it a good clean then repeat the process until happy then give put oil in a tissue, a tiny bit and roll the chain through it, go for a cycle to work the chain and let the oil get into it then roll clean.

worked for me.

you can also just buy a reasonable chain from £5 up :)

Good call, 31.

However, I'm more concerned about damage to my chainring and sprocket, which come in at way more than a deep-sea diver.

Not sure I quite follow you there, haj.
Don't want to remove lubricant that won't be replaced.

But it will be replaced.. it's not that hard for oil (and other stuff, like sand) to get into the chain.

A mate of mine asked the chief mechanic af the T-mobile (now Highroad) team how he managed to clean 9+ chains every day for the TdF. The answer was;

Put the chain in old plastic milk bottle with some solvent (they use diesel) and shake. Poor the solvent away. Half fill with hot water and add some dishwasher powder, shake again. Wipe the excess water off and leave to dry. Re-lube.

I've tried this, and it works really well. Dishwasher powder doesn't foam up, and doesn't contain too much salt either. It really shifts all the gunky stuff that washes up off a wet road.

Requires a derailleur.

Doesn't, I've got one, and used it on various fixed's, even managed to run my BMX through it, you just have to put it above the chainstay, instead of below.

Works a treat by the way, bout 2 minutes to a sparkly chain. Just use white lightning now though.

Doesn't, I've got one, and used it on various fixed's, even managed to run my BMX through it, you just have to put it above the chainstay, instead of below.

Works a treat by the way, bout 2 minutes to a sparkly chain. Just use white lightning now though.

Oooh, that is good news, maybe I'll dig mine out again and see if I can make it go on the fixed. Do you need a slack chain to get it to bend around the roller brushes?

OK, I've just cleaned my chain with citrus de-greaser (makes everything smell wonderfully fruity) and put the chain back, all lubed up with veggie oil. It does smell a bit odd at first, I'll admit, but it seems to be doing well.

http://wiggle.co.uk/ProductDetail.aspx?Cat=cycle&ProdID=5360035455&N=Green%20Oil%20Ecological%20Chain%20Lube

http://wiggle.co.uk/ProductDetail.aspx?Cat=cycle&ProdID=5360021777&N=Park%20Tools%20CB2%20Citrus%20ChainBrite%20Chain%20Cleaner%2016oz%20Bottle

Here the thing about chain - most people here tend to just change the chain for a shiny smooth one after months of dirt and grimes, this is where I'm stumped; doesn't a new chain have to be put on really tight as it need to be 'worn' out a bit stretching it before tightening it a bit again?

if so, it'd be a bit of a bastard if you don't have a chain tugs!

Chains never need to be put on "really tight". They also don't "stretch", they wear. Any slacking on a new chain is due to the wheel moving forward, not you being superman and stretching steel links.

doesn't a new chain have to be put on really tight

No, this will make your drive chain inefficient and cause wear on the chain bushings.

as it need to be 'worn' out a bit stretching it before tightening it a bit again?

No.

You cannot stretch a chain.

but they do get longer when they're worn.....

but they do get longer when they're worn.....

+1

The bushings and rollers can wear out making the chain longer.

but they do get longer when they're worn.....

Yeah, that's why I said on a "new" chain.

that what I meant, I has no idea if it actually 'stretching' or not in the first place.

I change my chains at a point just before they wear out the cassette or chain rings. Missed it once and needed a new block on the back.
I clean my chains by wiping it down clean, spinning the pedals and wiping, spinning and wiping, then putting oil on. Leaving it, spinning the pedals back then wiping off the excess. My last chain lasted me just over a month:(
I did clean up my old chain by putting it in a Robinsons fruit bottle with white spirit and some water. I shook it up and left it over night. Shook it in the morning and took the chain out. Wiped it clean, with a clean rag, and hung it up to dry in the shed. The chain now has no oil on at all and it very clean.
I have a wodden stick with lines on. When the middle of the link is on one line, the other line is on the next link. When it gets so far the chain gets changed.

I don't feel like my life is especially busy, but cleaning chains is not a high priority for me.

Examples:

• my last 9spd Campag chain did 3 winters of average 200 mile weeks, in all weather, and probably got wiped with a rag about once a month, and oiled once every 3 months.

• my current £6 fixed chain has done 2 years of fairly hard riding, and gets the same sort of attention.

There's more to life than ritualistic cleaning regimes. It all sounds a bit 'chainal'.

'chainal'.

haha

high five for the 'fuck chain maintenance' bmmf!

chainal LOL!

Oh well, fuck it, I've had a beer so will contribute. I soak mine in a plastic milk carton full with paraffin for a day or so with the occasional shake (getting expensive now, damn oil prices). Pour out the paraffin, fill with water, shake shake, pour away, wipe dry, then lube.

As for the chain, I don't bother.

I cleaned mine for the first time this week, and my bike went from creaky, noisy, gritty grinding to silent rolling. Well worth half an hours work in my opinion, but I doubt I'll do it often.

I oiled my hack bike chain last week - went from pretty much silent, to gritty and noisy sounding, but now it's settled down again.

Can't wait to do it again in 3 months :)

I oiled my hack bike chain last week - went from pretty much silent, to gritty and noisy sounding, but now it's settled down again.

Can't wait to do it again in 3 months :)

wouldn't every month be easier? not much stuff to clean, take less time to clean it without having to spend age cleaning it after 3 months?

It takes me about 2 minutes. Even the most stringent time and motion study would probably be okay with that :)