strumbuddy321

hoiw do you remove a chain and then join it back after cleaning

2old

1) Shimano - Use a "pin" to reattach
2) SRAM and most others - Quick Link

I'm sure Sheldon Brown or utube have a tutorial

adipe

i use kmc so i don't know about others - sram, wipperman/connex.

i take my chains off pressing inwards to draw the links near each other to where the chainring/cog teeth would step in between.
holding pressure inwards i push them as to glide and then open.

it might be the same trick with other chains/quicklinks.

Doc_Wui

And if you don't have a removeable link, you use a chain breaker tool that pushes out the pin on an existing link.You can try to push the pin back with the tool on re-assembly, but it usually binds and this is not recommended unless it's an emergency fix. Picture shows a $5 tool, a $10 tool, and a quick-link for a KMC, I think.

CliffordK

I usually do it all one-way.

Chain goes on, is used until it is done, then removed and replaced.

I wouldn't be pushing pins in and out just for cleaning (unless you are replacing pins).

You can decide if you wish to pop apart removable links, although some are designed for single use.

Note, when replacing your chain, KMC lists a couple of chains designed for E-Bikes.

strumbuddy321

point taken all I will study all posts

adipe

powerlinks can be mounted and dismounted for very very very many times without them wearing down doing so.

if you cannot do it easily using just your fingers try lubricating them; even a 10 year old can do it.
if they get bent you did something wrong and only in that case you should consider replacing them.

you can clean much much better the chains after dismounting them and shaking them in multiple baths. the last bath should best be done in a solvent that will evaporate completely in several hours.
it's best to dip the chains in lube that has some anticorrosion additives before the solvents evaporate and leave them for a while there for the lube to penetrate. the solvents that remain will evaporate later. spraying lube is more messy. you can wax them and they will last a long time if you do not ride in wet AND messy environments. or you can mix some sticky oil with a later evaporating solvent for the sticky stuff to penetrate. i won't discuss the options.

the lube should get inside the chain and there only needs to remain very small film on the visible portion of the chains. lubing the chain off the bike prevents mess going everywhere else.
lube the chains on the bike only if you are on a long trip and are not able to take the chain off if and when nasty wet stuff washes away the lube in the chain but you should also prevent this stuff by having proper mudguards or even a chainglider on a no derailleur bike etc. rain does not wash away the lube in the chain nor comes in dirty, splashes do. so a proper thing to do is to dismount the chains and lube them off the bike and never need to do it often on the road. properly lubed chains can last for hundreds of miles before needing another clean and bath.

it's very simple to do this work and it pays to have not only one chain to do all this spending less time and to wear the cogs and chainrings evenly with not only one chain. rotate them for all these reasons: convenience and delaying the replacement of other components.

and you can very well use just one set of powerlinks for more than one chain.

MikeyMK

I just jet-wash the chain on the bike, spin the water off, and then lube it on the bike. Do this regularly and it'll last many years.

Or you could take it off, cook it in paraffin like some old lumberjack, and blow yourself up.

adipe

yea, jet washing is much better. very safe, no danger of making a mess and contaminate seals on the bearings, bottom bracket, inner rim surface.
water washes away non polar substances, no need for solvents, just water, right...

the risk of messing up by pressure washing is much greater than using paraffin.
everyone is an idiot and put paraffin pots on the stove, right?

everyone cannot figure out that you could use a large pot of water and put a smaller one with paraffin to transfer heat with no flame around, no temperature higher than a maximum of 100C when you can take the large pot of water away from any source of heat, right?

and there's no need for really large pots except you want to do this job with several chains and not wait too much. and they're much more available for the average guy than to pressure wash.

and there's always the option of using a slow cooker that you can't go wrong with.
hell, there are some ladies obsessing with hair and wanting to wax it off.

yea, paraffin is dangerous. that's because someone can come in with a lighter and throw it in the pan.

don't use the bike, you might have an accident.