What's the best chain cleaner & degreaser?

In article , "Daniel Kelly \(AKA Jack\)"
writes:

Please may I ask your advice? What's the best device for cleaning mountain
bike chains? I'd like it to be cheap and to work without me having to take
the chain off.

A while back I split a chain into two halves and reconnected the halves with an
SRAM Power Link. Then I cleaned one half throughly with solvent and the other
half with a dry tooth brush. I used the same oil on both.

The dry tooth brush half lasted longer (based on measuring to 1/64) than the
solvent soaked one.

I won't belabor the newsgroup with the original posting, but I'll post it to
you in an e-mail if you like.

Tom Gibb

Tom B Gibb writes:

A while back I split a chain into two halves and reconnected the
halves with an SRAM Power Link. Then I cleaned one half throughly
with solvent and the other half with a dry tooth brush. I used the
same oil on both.

The dry tooth brush half lasted longer (based on measuring to 1/64)
than the solvent soaked one.

Interesting. To what do you attribute the longer life of the
externally (brush) cleaned chain section over the one that was
thoroughly cleaned? Are you sure that you didn't misidentify the two
halves on final inspection?

Jobst Brandt

On 01 Apr 2004 01:32:31 GMT, (TBGibb) wrote:

In article , "Daniel Kelly \(AKA Jack\)"
writes:

Please may I ask your advice? What's the best device for cleaning mountain
bike chains? I'd like it to be cheap and to work without me having to take
the chain off.

A while back I split a chain into two halves and reconnected the halves with an
SRAM Power Link. Then I cleaned one half throughly with solvent and the other
half with a dry tooth brush. I used the same oil on both.

The dry tooth brush half lasted longer (based on measuring to 1/64) than the
solvent soaked one.

I won't belabor the newsgroup with the original posting, but I'll post it to
you in an e-mail if you like.

Tom Gibb

--------------

Yesterday I replaced a PC-48 chain @1/16" stretch after 3525
accurately measured miles on an old Schwinn tourer.

The chain had never been removed after installation a year ago. About
every 400mi the chain was sprayed with engine degreaser followed by
detergent and rinse spray as the chain is back-rotated. A 15min
maintainance operation which includes a bike wash & wipe. Final step
is light chain lube with 30W and chain wipe with a paper towell.
Between cleanings about two light applications of 30W & wipe (100mi
intervals).

To me, a 3500mi life cycle on a ten-buck chain is a good service life
while preserving the sprocket/cog teeth with a cushion of oil on the
rollers; the amount of maintainance time/effort I guess to be atop the
diminishing return curve. Clean, quiet, smooth operation with minimal
tatooing.

I shall continue to avoid the slosh bucket brigade.

Bruce Ball

I typically do similar and degrease the chain while still on the bike about
once every 300-400 miles or so. For lube I use white lightening or Pedro's
ice wax in between which helps to keep the chain clean.

Sometimes for my bike before a long ride or a big century and sometimes at a
whim I will remove the chain and put it in a two-liter empty coke bottle and
soak it for a few hours or overnight in a commercial degreaser (usually
Finish Line's "citrus") and shake it whenever I think about it. Then cut
the bottle, remove and dry the chain with a rag and then by air, re-install,
re-lube and off you go. Total time (not counting the soaking) is less than
10 minutes.

I do the same for my son's racing road bike just more often and before every
big race.

Rear cogs are either cleaned in place or taken off and cleaned similar to
the chain and are almost always taken off when the chain is removed for
cleaning. This adds another few minutes.or so, not counting soaking. Front
chainrings are almost always cleaned with a rag and degreaser while on the
bike though occasionally I will clean them in a pie-tin with degreaser and a
toothbrush.

Works for me...






wrote in message
...
On 01 Apr 2004 01:32:31 GMT, (TBGibb) wrote:

In article , "Daniel Kelly \(AKA Jack\)"
writes:

Please may I ask your advice? What's the best device for cleaning
mountain
bike chains? I'd like it to be cheap and to work without me having to
take
the chain off.

A while back I split a chain into two halves and reconnected the halves
with an
SRAM Power Link. Then I cleaned one half throughly with solvent and the
other
half with a dry tooth brush. I used the same oil on both.

The dry tooth brush half lasted longer (based on measuring to 1/64) than
the
solvent soaked one.

I won't belabor the newsgroup with the original posting, but I'll post it
to
you in an e-mail if you like.

Tom Gibb

--------------

Yesterday I replaced a PC-48 chain @1/16" stretch after 3525
accurately measured miles on an old Schwinn tourer.

The chain had never been removed after installation a year ago. About
every 400mi the chain was sprayed with engine degreaser followed by
detergent and rinse spray as the chain is back-rotated. A 15min
maintainance operation which includes a bike wash & wipe. Final step
is light chain lube with 30W and chain wipe with a paper towell.
Between cleanings about two light applications of 30W & wipe (100mi
intervals).

To me, a 3500mi life cycle on a ten-buck chain is a good service life
while preserving the sprocket/cog teeth with a cushion of oil on the
rollers; the amount of maintainance time/effort I guess to be atop the
diminishing return curve. Clean, quiet, smooth operation with minimal
tatooing.

I shall continue to avoid the slosh bucket brigade.

Bruce Ball