Drivetrains on both the Whyte and my roadie need some love. New roadie will be getting it’s first DT clean, having dirty dry lube on it…the Whyte has dirty wet lube. I’ve bought an Aldi clean cleaner that I’ve never used to get most of the shit off but some extra degreaser wouldn’t go amiss. Muc-Off is pricey for a lot of it…what good alternatives are out there? Cheers
No-nonsense degreaser from Screwfix
Fenwick foaming chain cleaner and the shaped sponge is very good and easier to use than chain cleaning gadgets
Take the cassette and chain off then put them in the dishwasher.
Cheap is diesel, although these days, probs not that cheap!
I use the Juice Lubes one, it's pretty effective, and only needs a wee amount and stiff brush.
Fairy liquid and a stiff brush, cheap as a cheap thing
What @donslow said unless its properly gunked in which case what @theotherjonv said
I find the Peatys foaming drivetrain spray really good
What drivetrain degreaser?
Cannock Chase.
Chains off, stick them in a jam jar with white spirits for an hour then give them a real good shake. Dispose of the dirty stuff and repeat with fresh, no need to wait an hour this time.
Most of the cleaners and degreasers on the market do nothing to get the grit and dirt out from the rollers of the chain, the surface might look clean but that’s not where the damage is done. I use an ultrasonic but this method is 90% as good if I’m honest, I’d usually do this before a final ultrasonic clean anyway to save fluid.
Then wax! No more black mess
I have been using this for 20+ years.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/363382944555
Degrease the drive train sing a brush and a bowl of the degreaser under the BB, do the front mech (road bike), CR's both sides, cassette, mech and JW's and then the chain. spin the bike and do it again from the other side.
Hose of with water the whole bike, then with a load of Fairy and bucket of hot water do the whole bike from top to bottom. Hose off again and drip dry.
I might try the Screw Fix one above. Much cheaper
After trying a variety of things including gunk and other things - This is the best think I've used that doesn't smell awful...
You can put it in a chain cleaner and get it sparkly in minutes. Or in a jam jar and do the same. You can dilute it if your chain isn't that messy. Works on drivetrain and car engine/bits after a rocker cover failure.
Morgans Blue
Large plastic coke bottle/thinners.
Add chain and do the shake.
Rear mech - Cloth in front of the telly. Mind those oily fingers on the sofa 😉
Washing up liquid
Morgan's blue /the end
+1
no nonsense degreaser from screw fix, and the park tools chain cleaner. makes light work of anything.
degrease the chain and scrub (with a brush eg Park Tool GSC-1) the cassette, chainrings and jockey wheels) before cleaning the rest of the bike with lukewarm soapy (fairy liquid) water
- purely because - from experience - cleaning the drivechain with brushes etc splashes it everywhere. so you want to do that first!
You can get a whole bike sparkling in 5-10 mins (depending how bad it was before) with the above technique
That’s reassuring … I ordered some Morgan’s Blue last night. Never used it before. It’s to go in a new Park Tool chain cleaner… after I was embarrassed about how filthy everything was when I had people help me with some maintenance.
No-nonsense degreaser from Screwfix is good but don't leave any annodised parts to soak in it as it will discolour them. learnt that the hard way.
For the chain i use parafin in a jam jar. you can recover the majority of the parafin once it has settled.
Use Squirt lube.
Bought a 5L can of Jizer in 1987 when I first got a mountain bike. As well as giving some away I have only recently used it up and bought the same again.
Whatevers in the big red drums supplied by safetykleen. Get someone who works in a factory to get you a bottle full. Magnificent drivetrain cleaner. Even better if you put it in an ultrasonic cleaner.
The absolute best stuff I ever used was the alkali floor cleaner that comes in big IBCs. Warning though, it changed the colour of the black anodising on my XT hubs. Great for chains though.
Muc Off can be purchased in 2x5L size very cheaply on ebay, to the point its a no brainer
10litres for £25, that will last me a couple of years, dilute it and use as a spray for cleaning bike and use neat in a parks chain cleaner tool for the chain. Its a good degreaser without the mess
Diesel
Smoov lube (wax based) and the Smoov degreaser. Plenty of reading available on cycling tips or the Australian cycling friction website. Works a treat.
