[B-Loco]

What is a good way to go?

I have all sorts of junk between my chain links and I've tried the tooth brush approach - seems I can never get all the stuff that's stuck in there. Maybe I'm bit a bit anal - the chain shifts fine.

so....

bio-degreaser and a brush with some elbow grease? Or go all out and get one of those chain scrubber thingies that parktool and pedro's make?

Thanks,

-B

 

[RideMonkey]

I like those chain scrubby devices. Makes cleaning the chain a snap. I usually have to change the degreaser and run the chain through twice to get it really clean.

 

[LoonyOne]

Take your chain off of your bike, first. Get a one liter Mountain Dew bottle, preferably empty. Fill it about 1/3 full with hot water, and add an amiable amount of Dawn dishsoap. Put the chain in, screw on the lid, and shake it up baby. A bio-cleaner may be substituted for the dishsoap, but they are more potent than the Dawn and should be used in a lesser volume. If you have an air compressor, take out the chain and blow the sheeite out of it. If not, then take it out and dry it off and allow it to air dry. Then lube it with your fav lube...my new favorite is FinishLine KryTech, one of the new waxies. Latah brah.

 

[B-Loco]

thanks guys - the mountain dew bottle idea sounds good. I'll try that out. I run a sram PC99 chain so taking the chain off is pretty easy.

Good advice thanks RM and loony!

-B

 

[SK6]

I like the chain thingy, and it works GREAT!!!!

Just my opinion!!!!

 

[KrusteeButt]

Yeah, me too.
I usually take a hard brush to it first, just to get the big stuff off.
I just recently got a chain cleaner gizmo, the thing that just hangs on the chain and you back pedal it...dropped my time spent cleaning the chain by about 4 days!
The whole removing the chain works fine, just a lot of times I don't feel like it (lazy lazy lazy)...but I do that every few months.
I also used the bio-degreaser from FinishLine, just because it came free with the chain cleaner gizmo...the stuff worked REALLY well. Kinda expensive though.

Lately my buddies have told me I'm a little anal about cleaning my chain/derailleurs after every ride...on the other hand, I rarely have to do much adjustment to the derailleurs and it's just better for the bike all around.

 

[The Toninator]

I take my bike to the car wash and power clean the chain. I only power wash the chain. If you try this please do not power wash anything else.

 

[Phreaddy]

...rags.
The Park bursh is big enough to poke everything out from inside. I use WhiteLightning, which acts as its own degreaser when freshly applied and still wet, and then I wipe it off with rags from old T-shirts -- very absorbent. Then reapply the WL, and clean again, a few times until the shirt doesn't get so black.

 

[SK6]

I still say the chain cleaner is great.... I really like the ease of use, and it really does a great job on the chain.....

For only 25.00, ya can't go wrong!!!!

 

[LoonyOne]

$25 well spent is great. However, to me, that would be $25 wasted on stuff that I really NEED to spend cash on...new cables, brake pads, a tire, and so on. I have one of the older Park chain cleaners that I received as a birthday gift one year. I used it until I got fed up with the mess. Besides, everyone has dishsoap, and most people drink soda (albeit not necessarily Mt. Dew) and would have an empty lying around.

 

[bent sprocket]

i've been using both the park and the pedro's fancy chain scrubber thingy for quite some time.

then, i became enlightened....

my wife bought one of those new handheld steamcleaners. after watching her clean some crud in the oven, i immediately stole the device and headed for the shop.

works like a charm. basically, it melts the crud right off the chain (and anywhere else on the bike) without actually getting it wet.

my rides have never been so clean (even the commuter is clean, which is saying something.