Originally Posted by
GhostRider62
Cleaning the inner bits and pieces that your toothbrushes can't reach in order to prolong the lifetime of components and reduce drivetrain friction. That chain of yours is a nightmare.
That's not my chain - I just grabbed a random picture from the web that shows this common cleaning technique. It's the same as a chain cleaning tool like a Park CM-5.3, only free.
But what is this "nightmare" you speak of? My chains last a long time and my drivetrains are always very quiet and smooth running. That has been true for over 5 decades, several hundred thousand miles, and countless bicycles. Since it only takes a few minutes to do it this way, you can clean and lube a chain every few hundred miles without making a big project out of it - just part of routine cleaning.