Sy Reene

Yeah, but what's the taste like afterwards?

kingston 

the variable cost of cleaning supplies is way less than a dollar and the cost of a new chain starts at around ten, but you don't really need those cleaning supplies at all if you wipe off your chain and oil it every once in a while. So the point is not that cleaning supplies cost more than a chain, it's that you don't need the cleaning supplies at all.

ColonelSanders

Let's say I don't want to remove my chain, do you think running my chain through a Park Tools scrubber that has petroleum distillate in it, will do a decent job of degreasing/cleaning the chain?

Jean3n16

Exactly! For me it was $2 vs $10+.

kingston 

I don't think that sounds like a good idea. You'll get petroleum distillate all over your bike. If you feel the need to use the scrubber fill it with diluted water soluble biodegradable degreaser and spray the bike off with a hose when you're done.

FBinNY 

If you're asking for my personal opinion, then the answer is no.

I suppose if you're persistent, and do multiple passes changing the solvent frequently, you'll eventually (very eventually) get to where the chain is clean enough that little is flushing out. Then you can remove the cleaner, and run he chain very fast to spin the dirt out the back. You will get the clean but at what cost in time and cleanup.

Your call.

FWIW, other than for chain tests, I've never cleaned my chains.

I need to qualify that, ---- I rotate multiple chains on the commuter bike, and when they're off the bike, they sit in jars of naphtha, and I do a few spin and rinse cycles (naphtha again) before moving them to the on deck circle and back on the bike.

If it weren't convenient, since I was rotating them anyway, I wouldn't clean, and don't on my other bikes.

DeadGrandpa

I use the spray at the car wash also, but I was referring to a small appliance available at a tool supplier such as Harbor Freight. And the chain may only be sparkly on the outside, as others have pointed out. The grit and grease inside the links may not be dislodged by the water spray.

kingston 

I thought you were joking about the ultrasonic cleaner, so I thought I would add an even more ridiculous power tool for cleaning chains.

ColonelSanders

Okay thanks for that.


I'm soon going to start using Chain-L, so I'll follow your lead in respect of cleaning & lubing a chain.

DeadGrandpa

Actually, I am prone to the ridiculous, so I took you seriously. I like the idea of an ultrasonic tool for bike chain cleaning but am too lazy to take the chain off the bike. I will hose it off and lube it up, then ride.

Jean3n16

Removing a chain isnt hard...its putting it back on that can be difficult.

Sangetsu

Simple Green automotive (not regular) degreaser in a Park Chain Gang cleaner gets my chain spotless. I use the Simple Green undiluted, and then refill with plain water a few times until the suds go away. The Simple Green does harm paint. If you get a chain with an openable link, you can degrease the chain in a paint can with diesel or kerosine. These are far and away the best chemicals to clean a chain.

coominya

I clean the drive train every 100 road miles or less. The chain is un-clipped and put it in a Jam jar half full of kero, screw the lid on tight and slosh it gently back and forward for 5 or 10 minutes then take it out, rub it dry and leave it to air for a few hours. I wipe the thick scum off the jockey wheels with a rag dipped in kero, then lightly spray the chain rings, jockey wheels, and cassette with automotive water-soluble engine degreaser from a spray can and rinse off with a gentle spray of water.

If the chain etc is cleaned regularly there is less build up and it's easier to remove. Some suggest automotive degreasers will seep into your hubs and cause damage but there is no evidence to back this up. Even if it was possible, the expensive bikeshop degreasers could just as easily seep in and have the same effect over time. I use my common sense, spray lightly and only direct the flow onto the gears with the bike angled so the runoff drips clear onto the ground or into a drip tray (depending on your local environmental protection statutes)

kcblair

That's what I've been doing , ever since the Park Chain cleaning tool (on the bike) was developed. At my age, trying to remove the chain for cleaning is a pita. Even the ones with removal clips. I put old newspaper down, run the chain thru the Park tool, wipe off and lube. I check for chain wear with my Park chain checker, each time also. Once a year, all bikes (usually 2) get a new chain, ($8-10 from NB).

Prior to that, I sent my chains out to a LBS for an annual ultrasonic cleaning. (When I was stationed in Nebraska, local shop offered this service.) During the year, I would use the mineral spirits in the coke bottle system.

FullGas

gave up 'washing' chains in the 80s when using melted paraffin was popular...total pita.

now, just use KMC chains, lube with Chain-L, and wipe after each ride with an old t-shirt.

only getting 6-8K miles of service life, but will just have to live with that...