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Just checking;
Cleaning bike, removing dry lubed chain... how do I clean it before returning it to bike and reapplying dry lube?
Thanks in advance.
If its Muc-Off dry lube, I put it in hot soapy water.
Brill, thanks.
Brill, thanks.
Wash it in paraffin and leave the paraffin in a jam jar for the dirt to settle out. Dry it thoroughly with an old towel, even putting it in the bottom oven of the Aga while the Mrs isn't around. This evaporates the paraffin fast and luckily all the fumes go straight up the flue. Re-fit, re-lube with dry lube. Ride.
If it's dry lubed you don't need to clean it, that's the whole point?
If it needs it just wipe the dust off, and re-apply.
The whole point of a dry lube is you're building up a waxy layer on the moving parts, that's why most recommend you apply it twice to a spotless chain the first time you use it.
Paraffin, diesel, petrol, white spirit, they're all great for stripping lube off though, dissolve in some parafin wax and it stops the chain rusting before you get around to lubeing it. You can get it from craft shops with candle making stuff.
I tend to run mine through the Park Tool cleaner with some neat Muc off or degreaser, but only every so often once gummed up. Usually just wipe with a GT85 rag or even just a clean cloth.
Just give it a wipe and go ride the bloody thing! It's a mtb chain not a porcelain tea set.
If it's really gunked up with chart between the links and all sorts give it a hose down and dry first.
wipe with rag, apply more lube. I don't ever seem to get through drivetrains any faster than those who spend hours cleaning them.
I use Squirt or Muc-Off dry lube and usually just briefly wipe off any mud from the chain with some isopropyl alcohol or rubbing alcohol once a month in the summer, then do a deeper clean (Park Tool chain cleaner) every month in the winter.
Squirt say that you technically don't nee to clean / degrease the chain after the initial deep degrease before you start using their lube but I find that round my end the chain can still get a bit gummed up due to the sandy / loamy soil.
Still far better than the weekly cleaning off of black oily crud when I used Finish Line green lube.
Squirt works a treat in dryer months although struggles in the west of Scotland gloop from October through March !!