Use a commercial bike or automotive degreaser. You won’t set yourself on fire or stink up the place.
That said, if you’re taking the chain and casette OFF to clean them then… use a commercial bike or automotive degreaser so you don’t set yourself on fire.
Ignaply on
I muvh prefer bio degreasers since they are less dangerous, but diesel will do the job. You have to remove the chain from the bike first tho.
difficultyrating7 on
They’re great solvents but since you’re here asking I would suggest using mineral spirits instead.
maxthecat2720 on
It will work, yes, but I would never recommend doing it. Bike chain degreaser is much safer and better for the environment
this is the kind of stuff bubbas who already have cans of old diesel and gasoline in the garage do, because they’re cheap bastards and it’s “free”. If you don’t already have it lying around, don’t go out and buy gasoline just for this purpose.
If you want to use a petroleum-based solvent, go down to the hardware store and buy a can of mineral spirits. This is what I use on my chains when I bother to take them off and put them in the ultrasonic cleaner.
When I clean my chains on the bike using a “chain pig” style thing, I use Simple Green Aviation/Precision degreaser (not the “regular” simple green, it can cause some issues)
FullAutoAvocado on
I’ve used gasoline to strip factory grease off chains in the past. Totally fine, as long as you clean it off well, and dispose of it safely.
Tall_Midnight_9577 on
I use kerosene. It’s cheap, doesn’t smell much and has a very low flash point.
VolosatyShur on
You still use non wax based lube?…
Barkinsons on
It’s irritating, toxic, highly flammable, and needs to be disposed as dangerous waste. Would it work? Yes. Is it a good idea? No.
sitheandroid on
Degreasing advice from the 1970s before anyone realised how carcinogenic it is.
HerrFerret on
Used to have an older mechanic in my shop who couldn’t understand why we would waste our money on degreasers.
If you ever wonder why some guy smell like they do, he was the answer.
Mental_Contest_3687 on
This is a viable degreaser solution… but why? I mean, if you’ve got cans of diesel and gasoline lying around and available, sure… but you shouldn’t use the fuel mix afterwards and it’s problematic to dispose of.
Better idea: just use any commercial degreaser. Simple Green works good. Bike-specific solutions like Finish Line work great!
Wolfy35 on
Showing my age a bit here but that used to be commonplace for cycle and motorcycle chains before dedicated chain cleaners started becoming more widely available. It’s an old school solution that still works well for you can cope with the smell but you need to thoroughly dry the chain after soaking and scrubbing then re lube it quickly, it strips every bit of protection from the chain and if you leave it for even a short period you will find rust attacks.
rf31415 on
Perfume free dish soap will work just as well as any commercial degreaser. You just need to make the concentration higher than you do your dishes with. Fill a bucket with a 2-5cm of water and add a good squirt of dish soap. The point is to just have enough water to dunk your cleaning implement in. Warm water also helps.
Michael_of_Derry on
I’ve used kerosene from home heating oil as an experiment. It works. It’s similar to diesel without the additives. You can’t set fire to neat kerosene with a match at room temp.
Petrol on the other hand is extremely volatile. I once poured about 50ml on a patch of dead grass to burn it down. I was glad it was only 50ml. It went whoosh in one go and I felt the heat.
Kerosene is about 50p a litre. Some Finish Line Degreaser is £30 a litre.
16 Comments
yeah, just diesel also works
Use a commercial bike or automotive degreaser. You won’t set yourself on fire or stink up the place.
That said, if you’re taking the chain and casette OFF to clean them then… use a commercial bike or automotive degreaser so you don’t set yourself on fire.
I muvh prefer bio degreasers since they are less dangerous, but diesel will do the job. You have to remove the chain from the bike first tho.
They’re great solvents but since you’re here asking I would suggest using mineral spirits instead.
It will work, yes, but I would never recommend doing it. Bike chain degreaser is much safer and better for the environment
https://classicmotorsports.com/articles/dont-use-fuel-degreaser/
this is the kind of stuff bubbas who already have cans of old diesel and gasoline in the garage do, because they’re cheap bastards and it’s “free”. If you don’t already have it lying around, don’t go out and buy gasoline just for this purpose.
If you want to use a petroleum-based solvent, go down to the hardware store and buy a can of mineral spirits. This is what I use on my chains when I bother to take them off and put them in the ultrasonic cleaner.
When I clean my chains on the bike using a “chain pig” style thing, I use Simple Green Aviation/Precision degreaser (not the “regular” simple green, it can cause some issues)
I’ve used gasoline to strip factory grease off chains in the past. Totally fine, as long as you clean it off well, and dispose of it safely.
I use kerosene. It’s cheap, doesn’t smell much and has a very low flash point.
You still use non wax based lube?…
It’s irritating, toxic, highly flammable, and needs to be disposed as dangerous waste. Would it work? Yes. Is it a good idea? No.
Degreasing advice from the 1970s before anyone realised how carcinogenic it is.
Used to have an older mechanic in my shop who couldn’t understand why we would waste our money on degreasers.
If you ever wonder why some guy smell like they do, he was the answer.
This is a viable degreaser solution… but why? I mean, if you’ve got cans of diesel and gasoline lying around and available, sure… but you shouldn’t use the fuel mix afterwards and it’s problematic to dispose of.
Better idea: just use any commercial degreaser. Simple Green works good. Bike-specific solutions like Finish Line work great!
Showing my age a bit here but that used to be commonplace for cycle and motorcycle chains before dedicated chain cleaners started becoming more widely available. It’s an old school solution that still works well for you can cope with the smell but you need to thoroughly dry the chain after soaking and scrubbing then re lube it quickly, it strips every bit of protection from the chain and if you leave it for even a short period you will find rust attacks.
Perfume free dish soap will work just as well as any commercial degreaser. You just need to make the concentration higher than you do your dishes with. Fill a bucket with a 2-5cm of water and add a good squirt of dish soap. The point is to just have enough water to dunk your cleaning implement in. Warm water also helps.
I’ve used kerosene from home heating oil as an experiment. It works. It’s similar to diesel without the additives. You can’t set fire to neat kerosene with a match at room temp.
Petrol on the other hand is extremely volatile. I once poured about 50ml on a patch of dead grass to burn it down. I was glad it was only 50ml. It went whoosh in one go and I felt the heat.
Kerosene is about 50p a litre. Some Finish Line Degreaser is £30 a litre.
Definitely don’t use petrol.