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Since getting my kmc chain, I find taking it off really easy using the links, and have been doing it after most muddy rides (remember them)
Was wondering if people generally take there chains off or not
Saw a bloke once at whinlatter take his chain out of a Tupperware with some cleaning fluid in and connect it to his bike I the car park, reckoned he did that every ride.
Yep, Into a jam jar with white spirits, shoogy-shoogy. wipe down, re-fit, lube of choice. Takes 5 minutes if I'm really careful, and take my time...
Yup, powerlink for speed of removel/fitting and put it in degreaser while cleaning the rest of the bike (easier to clean the rest of the bike without too).
I've been removing them for cleaning for years, mostly to allow better cleaning.
I've recently shifted to 'Squirt' lube and for the first time in many years, it looks like I don't have to anymore.
Used to yes, then stopped for a few months and now discovered the ease of'shakie shakie in a bottle' routine.
I don't do it after every ride (depends on how late I'm back) but yes I often take it off and chuck it in a bottle of degreaser and shake it about a bit. I use link pliers so it takes less than a minute. Also means when you put the bike in the car/house you reduce the risk of getting oil on stuff.
I leave on but in the winter I'm using my dirtworker after almost everyride. I run speed degreaser on the chain and cassette. By the time I've got the dirtworker setup it only needs a quick spray and it's done. Wipre down and GT85 before loading the car (or garaging it) and lube before next ride.
Never - but still have the shiniest chain in the group.
I leave the chain but remove the bike.
So white spirits in a jar and shakey shakey seems best, can you put lube on straight after the spirits or should it dry?
I still need to get the hang of the powerlink, sometimes it takes ages, other times I can do it straight away, there is definitely a knack to it
Post ride wash, just wipe with cloth and apply lube on inner surface. If it's feeling a bit manky and stiff opr snapped a link during the ride:
1. Open powerlink and remove
2. Wipe of crap with old rag
3. In Tupperware tub 1 with white spirit and shake/soak
4. Remove and wipe down with old rag
5. Into Tupperware tub 2 to soak in oil into the pin/link interfaces
6. Remove and wipe thoroughly to remove all surface oil from the links
perfect
Never 😆
Other than white spirits, who uses specific degraeasing fluids? I want to use the chain off method but I don't want to waste money on the wrong stuff.
Neither remove nor clean. Only re-lube before every ride and lasts longer than chain that is mucked about with.
I usually use petrol to get ride of that "brand new chain sticky stuff" and once in a while after that. Stinks though so don't do it in the house, not to mention the fire risk... I wipe it down afterwards and let it dry off completely before re-lubing.
I take the chain off after a longer ride - makes it easier to clean and I then notice how filthy everything else is 🙁
Scienceofficer - have been looking at squirt lube - is it as good as they say it is?? THX!
I've also swiched to 'Squirt' lube. In Summer just hose it down, allow chain to dry, apply 'squirt' leave to dry. Dead easy. In Winter after washing (garden hose frozen) I take off the chain (powerlink), rinse in sink if needed, dry on radiator, apply 'squirt', dry in house and next day refit to bike in shed.
It's dead easy.
This stuff doesn't attract dirt and never leaves a sticky oily mess. House, car and clothes safe! (And it doesn't leave that tell tale beginners chainring mark on your calf).
Used to but have come round to glenp's way of thinking that it's not really worth it. I'll generally just give it a brush with water when I'm cleaning the bike and relube as necessary.
Yeti, I wipe with a rag until it's not really leaving marks on the rag, then refit, and then lube, and wipe off excess.
In terms of chain degreasing, I found whit spirit rubbish - but it is cheap. Ecotech 2 is my degreaser of choice. Used neat in a bottle with the 'Shakey Shakey' technique its very powerful.
Its too early to call on whether squirt is any good. So far my free demo bottle showed enough promise to warrant further investigation.
Its definitely sensitive to applying it properly and in good time (like the night before a ride), but it seems to last as well as finishline green in the wet/mud, which, of the dry lubes I've tried is pretty impressive.
It definitely a 're-apply after every ride' type of lube for the winter though. In the summer, given that this performs similarly to Putoline chain wax, I think it'll be 2 to 6 weeks between re-applications Depending on your mileage and conditions.
The beauty is that unlike other dry lubes like say, rock and Rock extreme, it really does flake clean for re-application, needing just a dry bush to get the dirt off.
YMMV, and TBH, the proof of the pudding will be measured chain wear - something I do every fortnight or so.
💡 dishwasher = sorted 💡
Nope. Lucky if it gets cleans every few months.
I take my chain off to clean, but only when it starts to look quite minging - not after every ride.
I use the concentrated Fenwicks cleaner, which works as a degreaser too.
If you want degreaser this is the stuff to use. 5 litres dilutes at 50:1 gives 250 litres for just over £10. Bio degreadable too, unlike white spirits.
http://www.screwfix.com/prods/47781/Cleaning/Swarfega-Surface-Cleaners/Swarfega-Heavy-Duty-Degreaser
lad someone else sees sense, Jim - I go a bit further (or is it less far?) than that - dry clean only. Just brush off old dry dirt.
Weirdos.
Mostly, but not always...
Paulrock, Tanks for the compliment! 😀
It's virtually impossible to properly clean and dry a chain which is still fitted to the bike. Lubes like ProLink ProGold are excellent for lubing over the top of old lube, but once the crap gets to a point where the chain is crunching when twisted, the best (read: quickest and most thorough) method is to remove the chain and give it a proper cleaning.
Most lubes won't actually perform as they are designed to do unless they're applied to a clean, bone-dry chain.
never, always clean it using one of those park tool devices. Then dry and re-lube, spotless.
I'm with GlenP on this one, wipe off the excess crap and relube, currently using finish line dry. Not much sticks to it. All this soaking in degreaser just washes out the wax/lube from inside the rollers and links, and you'll struggle to get that back in there after you've washed it out.
Remove- brush in sink- pour fork oil on. Leave then rub down with some kitchen roll and refit.
Saw a bloke once at whinlatter take his chain out of a Tupperware with some cleaning fluid in and connect it to his bike I the car park, reckoned he did that every ride.
That is a recipe for disaster.
I used to follow Glenp's rigorous regime.
Now I wipe and lube after every ride and remove, clean and lube after every third ride.
I can't say I notice much difference in longevity or performance. Hmmm.
Parafin in ultrasonic cleaner, then chainsaw oil. IMO cheap and perfect.
No matter how clean you get it, in the winter it will pick up grit in a few hundred metres.
Blast it with the hose, lube and ride.
If I'm doing a full clean, I'll take it off and scrub it with the brush on the end of the hosepipe ..
If I'm not getting bored of cleaning then I might use a casette/drivetrain brush to give it a bit of scrub
Spray and wipe after every ride in winter - when I can be arsed in summer. When decent chains can be bought for much less than £20 I'm not ****ing around removing it and going through that rigmarole.
In winter I take my chain off after every ride. It goes into Jizer, shake shake, get toothbrush, scrub each link individually, wash Jizer off, put on radiator to dry, re-lube.
Currently using Purple Magic, the jury's still out. Have used: WD40, GT85, Finish Line, Pedro's, tractor oil... the tractor oil was quite good actually.
In winter I take my chain off after every ride. It goes into Jizer, shake shake, get toothbrush, scrub each link individually, wash Jizer off, put on radiator to dry, re-lube.
Currently using Purple Magic, the jury's still out. Have used: WD40, GT85, Finish Line, Pedro's, tractor oil... the tractor oil was quite good actually.
Take off, throw in plastic box of paraffin, put lid on, shake, regrease, refit. Faster than doing it on the bike and much better.
My local bike shop boys do mine, I'm a lucky girl. I just pay them!
Ew, red wine obviously makes your posts appear twice probably
When do you all find time to masturbate?
Chain comes off, put in an oxygen free environment with a full moon, in an ultrasonic degrease machine with the rest of the bike using a specially formulated organic, imported chain degreaser, it contains panther - so you know its good. Then go and put it all in a decompression chamber on the following half moon, drink a beer, turn around twice, do a little hop and refit to the bike.
And I'll still be last up the hill....
If you want degreaser this is the stuff to use. 5 litres dilutes at 50:1 gives 250 litres for just over £10. Bio degreadable too, unlike white spirits.http://www.screwfix.com/prods/47781/Cleaning/Swarfega-Surface-Cleaners/Swarfega-Heavy-Duty-Degreaser
+1 excellent stuff, even better when diluted with hot water 😯
I usually use petrol to get ride of that "brand new chain sticky stuff" and once in a while after that.
Have you ever thought about what that "brand new chain sticky stuff" might actually be? 🙄
WHY???????????
your spending more on fancy oils and degreasers just change the chain every few months if your riding off road through crap!!!!
"[i]Have you ever thought about what that "brand new chain sticky stuff" might actually be?[/i]"
packing grease
NEVER buy a Parktool chain cleaner
Take off chain if needed then i use aviation fuel to clean mine (basically kerosene) put chain in a jar or similar leave to soak and agitate if required , works better than any de-greaser i know. Then wipe down and lube. Makes for a very shiny chain.
Snapped a couple of shimano chains, so now I always use SRAM with the powerlink,never snapped one, always remove to clean after a ride (but apparently I'm a closet polisher...........) ; )
"you'll struggle to get that back in there after you've washed it out"
And that's where it needs to be. Soak in a tub of oil to achieve this, then thouroughly wipe all the oil off the outside of the chain.
I take it off once a month. Got some citrus multi use foam spray. Use that and soak the chain, then rinse and dry (doesnt take long in 35c sun!) and Finish Line Dry Teflon lube. Works for me. Did use Purple Extreme but the bottle ran out. 🙁
My chain stays on the bike from new to worn out. Wipedown and re-lube after most rides, run through a chainbath with some Mucoff when it's minging. Rinse, dry, re-lube etc. Using White Lightning Epic lube which runs very clean - life's too short for all that fussin'.
this is why i bought a singlespeed.
>thomthumb - Member
>this is why i bought a singlespeed.
what, with shaft drive then?
I still do this to the chain on my singlespeed! 😆
Never clean mine off the bike just spray lube and sometimes wipe it with a terry towel when it looks really filthy. What's the point first puddle and its filthy.
Use a Chain cleaning device with neat Fennix in every time I wash it and then every 2-3 months take it off and put it in an utrasonic bath with Fennix.
Clean shiney chain!
I use one of [url= http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=4671 ]these[/url] and some degreaser after every ride once in a while I soak and shake it in a tupperware box, always regrease with finsh line green in winter and red in summer...
never ever use degreaser on a chain. ever.
just reading these posts is making me feel ill.
i need to go and lie down...
This weekend I completely stripped off my rear mech,chain,chainset and cassette.I used white spirit for the chain and cassette and it comes up like new.Then used de-greaser on rear mech,cleaned up chainset and front mech then put it all back on again after re-lubing.Nice!!