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Drivetrains on both T130rs and Cube roadie could do with a deep clean so considering getting a chain cleaner. Do they do a thorough job and what is the go-to one to get? Cheers
No.
They take all the crud that's harmlessly on the outside of the chain in grunge form and spread it around right into the rollers and links where it does damage, whilst striping out any lube.
Might be ok if you then hosed it out. But you might as well just use bike cleaner or degreaser and a hose, which is what I do.
To tell if s chain is vlean, take it in your fingers and twist. If you hear gritty sounds, it's not.
I have the park one. It’s crap so it doesn’t get used.
for a quick once over I use fenwicks chainsponge but any sponge will do.
Interesting. I have the Park one and I’m very impressed with it, leaves the chain shiney clean.
Park one and Muc Off degreaser, works a treat.
Depends what sort of chain lube you use. I found mine really useful when I used oil based chain lubes. I had two. A dirty one for degreaser, and a clean one for warm soapy water. I'm using smoove lube now and normally need no more than wiping the outside with a baby wipe.
For a deep clean, chain goes in an oasis bottle and gets shaken with jizer, then rinsed, then another bottle with ipa after its dried.
This seems to get good reviews:
Not bike-specific meaning not piss-taking price either...couple of nail brushes too...got to be worth a go 😉
The muc off x3 gets good reviews as the chain never goes in the gunk it's cleaning off unlike other ones
http://road.cc/content/review/141316-muc-x-3-dirty-chain-machine
If you take a chain that's been cleaned with one of these, then clean it in paraffin, you'll be amazed how much crap comes out. But as above, if you deeply clean a chain you need to deeply lube it too and most standard lubes won't do that. (I use the melt-in putoline so it's not a worry for me- so I get it super-clean then I get it super-lubey
I use Paraffin - it's the best for disolving oily-muddy crap.
Then I wash with Muc-Off
Then I re-lube
Muc-Off on it's own isn't enough - in my experience 🙂
As above. Park chain cleaners make the chain look clean but it really isn’t.
it leaves behind the stuff in the rollers and they remain super gritty.
i use this weird non door white spirit stuff and blow out the links with an air line.
Relube with muc off ceramic and away I go.
if you use rock n roll extreme lube, you don't need chain cleaner
https://thecycleclinic.co.uk/products/rock-n-roll-extreme-chain-lubricant
Used the Screwfix degreaser with nailbrushes last night - great stuff! Cleanest my drivetrain has been since new.
Take the chain off and put it in a tobacco tin with some paraffin. Give it good soak then shake.
A roadie would then tell you to make sure the chain goes back on the same way, so it's revolving in the same direction, but I've always thought that's a step too far.
Used the Screwfix degreaser with nailbrushes last night – great stuff! Cleanest my drivetrain has been since new.
My son's CX chain is currently soaking in the stuff in the garage - a few hours in a marg tub, a good scrub and rinse off and it's literally as good as new. Just make sure you are fastidious with re-lubing it to make sure all of the fishplates and rollers have lube in them. Reduced to £5.99 for a big tub at the moment - you simply can't do better!
(Note: Don't use it on aluminium components, or at least don't leave them soaking in it - they literally dissolve! It's ok if you rinse them off promptly, but I've accidentally reduced stuff to sludge when I've not noticed it was mixed into a pile of dirty bits 🙂 )
I usually use a Scottoiler on my commuter, which avoids some of the oily gunk build up from conventional lube, but my chain cleaner always seems to clean up the chain pretty well whatever has been on it (haven't tried the Park one).
I rinse the chain out well with the hose after degreasing, but haven't experienced problems re-lubing. Applying sufficient oil to get everything re-lubricated, and then wiping off the external excess afterwards seems to work fine. I like the convenience of cleaning the chain in-situ, rather than removing and refitting.
Was in B&Q the other day and found, amongst the white spirit, this odourless, more environmentally friendly brush cleaner... so I bought a bottle. Stuck a chain to soak in it in the lid of an icecream tub, wiggled it with a toothbrush for a bit and it cleaned the chain almost as well as white spirit. But without the stink and the "what do I do with this now?"...
Recommended.
https://www.diy.com/departments/diall-clear-water-based-clean-spirit-0-75l/1059029_BQ.prd
I find the Park chain cleaner works well - but I keep on top of bike cleaning and avoid lubes that collect crap that turn into a black mess.
I use wickens & soderstom no. 3 and a quick blast with the hose and reapplication after every ride is sufficient. I don't have to cart about with bottles of degreaser, chain cleaners and oil baths anymore.