On-bike chain scrubber you think is better than a Park Tool CM-25?
#1
Full Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2020
Posts: 244
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 206 Post(s)
Liked 38 Times
in
27 Posts
On-bike chain scrubber you think is better than a Park Tool CM-25?
I like the Filzer chain cleaner I have which has four scrub wheels with center and side brushes but it's developed stress cracks in the plastic housing after moderate use over a few years. I splurged on an aluminum-bodied Park Tool CM-25 because it seems obviously built to last - functionally it's identical to their plastic-bodied CM 5.3 Cyclone scrubber. The CM-25 has one large wheel with center and side brushes, two with center brushes. I haven't used it yet since I just cleaned the chain with the Filzer which is when I noticed the cracks so haven't had a chance to compare the results.
Anyone feel there's a clearly better on-bike chain scrubber than the CM-25 or do you feel it works about as well as any?
Anyone feel there's a clearly better on-bike chain scrubber than the CM-25 or do you feel it works about as well as any?
#2
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Nor-Cal
Posts: 3,767
Bikes: lots
Mentioned: 7 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1958 Post(s)
Liked 2,932 Times
in
1,489 Posts
I can not stand those things. I use a brush to put Pedro's degreaser on the chain, wait a few minutes, then remove with a cheap car wash sponge and soapy water. Spray with water, dry, lube.
Likes For cxwrench:
#3
Friendship is Magic
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Sacramento, CA
Posts: 22,932
Bikes: old ones
Mentioned: 304 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 26247 Post(s)
Liked 10,229 Times
in
7,098 Posts
.
...I've never seen an on bike chain scrubber that I thought was a good design. The concept itself is probably flawed, so I guess the one you're talking about is as good as any of them. I do not understand the reluctance of many to simply remove the chain for cleaning, but there are many things I don't understand.
...I've never seen an on bike chain scrubber that I thought was a good design. The concept itself is probably flawed, so I guess the one you're talking about is as good as any of them. I do not understand the reluctance of many to simply remove the chain for cleaning, but there are many things I don't understand.
Likes For 3alarmer:
#4
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 1,964
Bikes: Habanero Titanium Team Nuevo
Mentioned: 4 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 396 Post(s)
Liked 183 Times
in
120 Posts
Wipe the chain good with OMS or take off a quick link and dump it in OMS for a bit while you clean the rest of the bike. Done, no fancy tools and easy. Folks on bike forums at times make way too much noise (pun intended) on chains and lubing/cleaning. In the end unless you happen to ride in the worst of conditions it is too much focus on one item.
#5
Method to My Madness
Join Date: Nov 2020
Location: Orange County, California
Posts: 3,542
Bikes: Trek FX 2, Cannondale Synapse, Cannondale CAAD4, Santa Cruz Stigmata GRX
Mentioned: 4 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1876 Post(s)
Liked 1,411 Times
in
979 Posts
I use this when I need to quickly brush off the chain:
https://www.rei.com/product/697481/f...sku=6974810019
But for any more significant cleaning I remove it and dunk it into a bottle of odorless mineral spirits.
https://www.rei.com/product/697481/f...sku=6974810019
But for any more significant cleaning I remove it and dunk it into a bottle of odorless mineral spirits.
#6
I like bike
Join Date: Feb 2021
Location: Merry Land USA
Posts: 662
Bikes: Roubaix Comp 2020
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 267 Post(s)
Liked 283 Times
in
191 Posts
In defense of chain cleaner tools what they are saving you is time/hassle/mess. Fill, pop on, zip, dump, done. Nearly all the mess stays in the little box. They don't work as well as removing the chain but congrats you have saved 15 minutes by using one of these tools.
Here is a recent video reviewing many models. I have the Park Tool one myself and I think the Park and Pedros come out on top in his assessment. I also asked the local shop what they do and they are using the Park tool.
Here is a recent video reviewing many models. I have the Park Tool one myself and I think the Park and Pedros come out on top in his assessment. I also asked the local shop what they do and they are using the Park tool.
Likes For scottfsmith:
#7
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: San Diego, CA
Posts: 3,650
Mentioned: 10 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 835 Post(s)
Liked 1,054 Times
in
740 Posts
I agree with the others to just take off the chain and soak/swish around in a jar of Odorless Mineral Spirits. I've used 3 different on-bike cleaners one of them being the Park Cyclone and all were messy, used excessive cleaner/solvent to get the chain clean, were a pain to clean up after use, and in general a PITA compared to popping off the chain, drop in a jar with a couple changes of clean solvent until reasonably clear, wipe down the chain and let dry, install, done. My experience is that the chain cleaners didn't save any time and often took more time. If you use OMS you can save the used spirits in a jar and let the gunk settle to the bottom after a couple days. Pour off the clear spirits into another jar and wipe out the gunk from the bottom and your used spirits can be used over and over again.
#8
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2020
Location: San Jose
Posts: 1,022
Bikes: Blur / Ibis Hakka MX / team machince alr2 / topstone 1
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 424 Post(s)
Liked 272 Times
in
200 Posts
Do you replace the master link each time or reuse it 2 or 3 times before replacing it? Seems like all the master links I have seen for sale say one time use only.
#9
Friendship is Magic
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Sacramento, CA
Posts: 22,932
Bikes: old ones
Mentioned: 304 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 26247 Post(s)
Liked 10,229 Times
in
7,098 Posts
Those Shimano break off chain pins are another matter, and are only good for one time.
Likes For 3alarmer:
#10
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Zang's Spur, CO
Posts: 9,086
Mentioned: 11 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3355 Post(s)
Liked 5,432 Times
in
2,811 Posts
It is all a moot point since the patents expired.
The link lasts as long as the chain, regardless of the claim of "non-reusable".
There are 2 kinds of Superlink-style (SRAM, KMC, etc) links: latching, and non-latching.
The former is a simple interference fit that requires a tool to remove (e.g. Park MLP-1.2) while the latter can be removed with bare hands.
Likes For Shimagnolo:
#11
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: San Diego, CA
Posts: 3,650
Mentioned: 10 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 835 Post(s)
Liked 1,054 Times
in
740 Posts
I like to mention that on my 8-10 speed KMC chains that I often use the same quick link for around 10-12K miles and almost 3 chains before there is visible wear in the QL. They get removed and re-used around 25 times for chain cleaning and never had a failure. I have no experience with 11 speed and durability but imagine it's close to the same. Agree with 3alarmer and Shimagnolo. Perfectly fine to use them over and over.
Likes For Crankycrank:
#12
Method to My Madness
Join Date: Nov 2020
Location: Orange County, California
Posts: 3,542
Bikes: Trek FX 2, Cannondale Synapse, Cannondale CAAD4, Santa Cruz Stigmata GRX
Mentioned: 4 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1876 Post(s)
Liked 1,411 Times
in
979 Posts
I like to mention that on my 8-10 speed KMC chains that I often use the same quick link for around 10-12K miles and almost 3 chains before there is visible wear in the QL. They get removed and re-used around 25 times for chain cleaning and never had a failure. I have no experience with 11 speed and durability but imagine it's close to the same. Agree with 3alarmer and Shimagnolo. Perfectly fine to use them over and over.
#13
Full Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2020
Posts: 244
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 206 Post(s)
Liked 38 Times
in
27 Posts
In defense of chain cleaner tools what they are saving you is time/hassle/mess. Fill, pop on, zip, dump, done. Nearly all the mess stays in the little box. They don't work as well as removing the chain but congrats you have saved 15 minutes by using one of these tools.
Here is a recent video reviewing many models. I have the Park Tool one myself and I think the Park and Pedros come out on top in his assessment. I also asked the local shop what they do and they are using the Park tool.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQkhnfflaDM
Here is a recent video reviewing many models. I have the Park Tool one myself and I think the Park and Pedros come out on top in his assessment. I also asked the local shop what they do and they are using the Park tool.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQkhnfflaDM
#14
Occam's Rotor
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 7,248
Mentioned: 61 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2366 Post(s)
Liked 2,331 Times
in
1,164 Posts
Those Shimano break off chain pins are another matter, and are only good for one time.
I switched to wax about the same time the Shimano quick links came out and my life became a lot cleaner, easier, and my drive train stuff lasts at least twice as long.
#15
Senior Member
In defense of chain cleaner tools what they are saving you is time/hassle/mess. Fill, pop on, zip, dump, done. Nearly all the mess stays in the little box. They don't work as well as removing the chain but congrats you have saved 15 minutes by using one of these tools.
__________________
1984 Cannondale ST
1985 Cannondale SR300
1980 Gary Littlejohn Cruiser
1984 Trek 760
1981 Trek 710
Pics
1984 Cannondale ST
1985 Cannondale SR300
1980 Gary Littlejohn Cruiser
1984 Trek 760
1981 Trek 710
Pics
Likes For canopus:
#16
I like bike
Join Date: Feb 2021
Location: Merry Land USA
Posts: 662
Bikes: Roubaix Comp 2020
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 267 Post(s)
Liked 283 Times
in
191 Posts
I keep chains in rotation, if i need a clean one, pop the link, thread the clean one and put the link on and boom, I’ve beat your time by 10 minutes, and ALL off my chain mess is where it should be, not nearly all. All those cleaners ever did was spray dirty fluid all over the floor as it dripped off the chain as it comes out of the tool.
Time issues aside, I am not an expert bike mechanic and I'd rather not have to figure out if my master link re-attached well enough. The downside for failure there can be severe.
#17
Method to My Madness
Join Date: Nov 2020
Location: Orange County, California
Posts: 3,542
Bikes: Trek FX 2, Cannondale Synapse, Cannondale CAAD4, Santa Cruz Stigmata GRX
Mentioned: 4 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1876 Post(s)
Liked 1,411 Times
in
979 Posts
#18
I like bike
Join Date: Feb 2021
Location: Merry Land USA
Posts: 662
Bikes: Roubaix Comp 2020
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 267 Post(s)
Liked 283 Times
in
191 Posts
How do you tell if the link re-attached well? When I looked into this it seems like you need to be aware of the sound made by a "good" re-attachment and if it doesn't click in well enough you need to replace the link. So I decided to pass on removing my chain for cleaning. This is why you need to know your stuff before removing chains regularly.
#19
Senior Member
I got nothing really if you can't handle a ML.. never had one fail, but I've only been using them for 42 yrs...
__________________
1984 Cannondale ST
1985 Cannondale SR300
1980 Gary Littlejohn Cruiser
1984 Trek 760
1981 Trek 710
Pics
1984 Cannondale ST
1985 Cannondale SR300
1980 Gary Littlejohn Cruiser
1984 Trek 760
1981 Trek 710
Pics
#20
Method to My Madness
Join Date: Nov 2020
Location: Orange County, California
Posts: 3,542
Bikes: Trek FX 2, Cannondale Synapse, Cannondale CAAD4, Santa Cruz Stigmata GRX
Mentioned: 4 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1876 Post(s)
Liked 1,411 Times
in
979 Posts
How do you tell if the link re-attached well? When I looked into this it seems like you need to be aware of the sound made by a "good" re-attachment and if it doesn't click in well enough you need to replace the link. So I decided to pass on removing my chain for cleaning. This is why you need to know your stuff before removing chains regularly.
#21
Full Member
My bicycle has a 10 speed chain and I have always used Shimano's pin to connect. Chain is Shimano. I decided to try a quick link on my last chain replacement and found that around 3K miles there was wear in the quick link chain holes caused by the sloppy fit of the quick link(KMC). The quick link pins were fine, it just that there is play in the pin fit to the holes and this wears over use. If I measured my chain for wear with the quick link in the measurement it showed it was worn out. But, if I measured with the quick link not in the measurement then the chain was still good to use. So, a quick link to me is adding a machined part that has poor tolerances to the two chain holes it is connecting. With the Shimano pin you have to use a chain tool to force the pin in and I have never seen that pin to wear out before the whole chain does.
#22
Full Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2020
Posts: 244
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 206 Post(s)
Liked 38 Times
in
27 Posts
.
...I've never seen an on bike chain scrubber that I thought was a good design. The concept itself is probably flawed, so I guess the one you're talking about is as good as any of them. I do not understand the reluctance of many to simply remove the chain for cleaning, but there are many things I don't understand.
...I've never seen an on bike chain scrubber that I thought was a good design. The concept itself is probably flawed, so I guess the one you're talking about is as good as any of them. I do not understand the reluctance of many to simply remove the chain for cleaning, but there are many things I don't understand.
I keep chains in rotation, if i need a clean one, pop the link, thread the clean one and put the link on and boom, I’ve beat your time by 10 minutes, and ALL off my chain mess is where it should be, not nearly all. All those cleaners ever did was spray dirty fluid all over the floor as it dripped off the chain as it comes out of the tool.
I always clean the chain and rinse it in the driveway on a bike repair stand - the chain crud returns to the environment it came from along with some biodegradable citrus degreaser. More of a problem if you live in an apartment I suppose but I'm pretty sure a long, shallow plastic tub that you can get at Walmart would catch the runoff.
Last edited by MyRedTrek; 09-22-21 at 08:26 PM.