I recently got into cycling and just got a 4 yr old bike off fb marketplace. I've already replaced the cassette but now that I'm looking at the chain it looks super dirty compared to the cassette. I've never cleaned a chain before so I want to give it a deep clean. Do I need to take the whole chain off?What steps do I need to take and should I wax it?
by KingJadn
7 Comments
Park has a cleaning rig that you put some fluid in and rotate the chain through that is kinda the short cut I use. Or you can switch to wax.
I would get a new chain. Chains will stretch over time, so a new chain and new cassette will wear better.
You can buy a chain cleaning kit on Amazon for like $20 or use dawn power wash or dish soap that has degreaser. Scrub, wipe let dry and lube chain. Make sure liquid does not contaminate brake pad.
Do not waste money on any of the overpriced meme-juice degreasers or go-go-gadget chain scrubbers at the LBS. Every single one of them is objectively inferior to removing the chain, simply dropping it into in a jar of kerosene, and giving it a bit of a shake.
They don’t remove all the road grit that mixes with your lube and turns to abrasive grinding paste that drastically shortens chain life.
The only thing that will strip it of old dirty grease properly is a good old fashioned hard, dolphin killin’, cancer causin’ solvent degreaser. But you simply cannot use solvent degreaser on the chain while its still on the bike, without at least some risk of it dripping into the bottom bracket, freewheel, wheel bearings, etc. and stripping grease leading to premature failure.
Many of these gimmick degreaser products are also water based, which is a selling point for easy rinse-off, but also introduces a risk of rust if the water doesn’t dry completely.
Just need to use a chain breaker to push the rivets out on one of the sets of outer plates, replace them with a quick link, and removing the chain will be very easy from then on.
Use a generous amount of Wd40 and a toothbrush. That will loosen all the dirt up. Then dishwasher soap with a sponger and it will be spotless. It’s the easiest and fastest way I ve found to clean my chains. Make sure you rinse the dishwasher soap, dry as much as you can (I use my compressor) and lubricate (I like liquid wax) once dry to prevent corrosion.
Just use a dry microfiber cloth and rub it clean. It will look brand new. Takes about five minutes. Stay away from degreasers and solvents.
A liter of petrol will last you a long time. Remove the chain, soak the chain in a small container with enough petrol to soak it all.