Cleaning your bike chain

[Sierratim]

I love that this test included Mobil-1, Vaseline, and good old 3-in-1 Oil... gotta give em credit for trying everything.

I use Squirt wax and Muc Off Ceramic dry lube depending on conditions... YMMV.

@FlatSix911 , the link in your post isn't working for me. Can you take a look?

 

[TForan]

I have never cleaned mine but I don't ride in the dirt or rain.

 

[Sierratim]

If we rode in a laboratory I could say that these test have some validity... but since we don't I say they are boooolshit perpetuated by the guberment.
IMO the devil is contamination... so the best solution is cheap, easy and often and not how long it last or how few watts burned in a lab.
Wipe it down, Flush it with new oil, Repeat.

The theory behind these tests, performed by Zero Friction Cycling, is that higher watts=friction=wear. So by measuring watts they can predict which lubricants will minimize friction and wear. This only transfers to the real world if they simulate actual riding conditions. A few of the stated goals of their testing are;

"Worlds first controlled longevity testing to determine lubricants real world performance."

"Load, time, contamination levels, wear measuring all extremely accurately controlled."

With that said, laboratory simulations will always have their limits but everything else in anecdotal.

 

[dmays]

If we rode in a laboratory I could say that these test have some validity... but since we don't I say they are boooolshit perpetuated by the guberment.
IMO the devil is contamination... so the best solution is cheap, easy and often and not how long it last or how few watts burned in a lab.
Wipe it down, Flush it with new oil, Repeat.

i use white lightning lube didn't see the lab reports and go this is good stuff I have been using it since it was first developed if i remember right back mid 90s I used Break free before that, and back in the 70s I waxed my chain with paraffin wax which was the cleanest.

 

[dmays]

Yes, the best way to clean chain is to remove it, and have a shop clean it for you. I lube my chain when I can hear it is dry, and then wipe off the excess. If you have a shop lube your chain, be sure to wipe the extra lube off, as it gets your wheel greasy and attracts dirt.

most shimano chains recommend no more than 2 hyperglide pins the chains tend to fail at the pin points so taking them off and cleaning them at some point will cause chain failure

 

[FlatSix911]

@FlatSix911, the link in your post isn't working for me. Can you take a look?

I love that this test included Mobil-1, Vaseline, and good old 3-in-1 Oil... gotta give em credit for trying everything.

I use Squirt wax and Muc Off Ceramic dry lube depending on conditions... YMMV.

The underlined sentence was not a link... I was just referencing the chart that you posted with the unusual lubricants.

 

[Lightning P38]

most shimano chains recommend no more than 2 hyperglide pins the chains tend to fail at the pin points so taking them off and cleaning them at some point will cause chain failure

My road bike chain doesn't seem to get dirty....it is a 9 speed. I just lube it when it gets dry.
Mostly I have taken off old 7 or 8 speed chains to clean....I don’t have any 10 speeds.

I saw a 12 speed chain on a Trek ebike....long chain, like 126 links, and worn out after 1,000 miles. Mid drive. Pricey chain too....and the cogset in the hundreds! Ouch.

 

[Sierratim]

The underlined sentence was not a link... I was just referencing the chart that you posted with the unusual lubricants.

View attachment 60154

Well there you have it. I am officially senile...

 

[FlatSix911]

Well there you have it. I am officially senile...

No worries... I just can't remember where I left my glasses!

 

[Marcela]

They should have tested dishwashing soap. That works real good in wear tests also.

 

[Sierratim]

They should have tested dishwashing soap. That works real good in wear tests also.

Seems like if a bunch of cyclists use it, they'll test it...

 

[Marcela]

Seems like if a bunch of cyclists use it, they'll test it...

4 ball wear test. Lots of information.

 

[Dallant]

I’m not sure if video embeds can be done on this site, but I thought I share a 1 minute video took of my bike chain being cleaned. The maintenance guy (Trek bike shop) did a great job of explaining it. He said based on my much you ride you bike, to clean the chains like every 3 to 4 weeks.

While I appreciate your Trek guys approach, I’m of the opinion that if I’m gonna bother cleaning my chain, it’s gonna get CLEAN! Running your chain with a cloth isn’t going to get any of the grease, dirt, plant life, etc. from between the links. I use a degreaser (Simple Green) in my Finish Line tool (http://www.finishlineusa.com/products/cleaning-tools/pro-chain-cleaner), run it through the wet brushes, and then dry it off with a clean cloth. Looks like new! Then I use Finish Line Dry Lube. Done!

 

[Sierratim]

4 ball wear test. Lots of information.

My mech engineer sons tell me that the ASTM tests that describe the "4 ball tests" are intended as initial
quallification tests for lubricants and as quality control tests over time. As far as they can recall these tests aren't intended to represent 'real world'conditions for any specific use, but are a minimum standard that the industry has agreed to. As such they could be used to compare relative lubrication qualities of various bike lubes, but this would not necessarily be an indicator of chain life as contaminants, rain, etc isn't covered in the standard.

I have no relation to Zero Friction Cycling but they do seem to have developed a test bed and test procedure that the industry is accepting as a realistic and repeatable simulation of actual riding conditions.

 

[Nova Haibike]

most shimano chains recommend no more than 2 hyperglide pins the chains tend to fail at the pin points so taking them off and cleaning them at some point will cause chain failure

A quick link can be added to any chain, even Shimano.

 

[Nova Haibike]

In the shop I work at when I get an especially gross chain (often) I take it off and throw it in the ultrasonic cleaner for 5 minutes. It comes out clean as new. A little tri-flow on it and it's good to go.

I use one in my shop as well, but short of an ultrasonic cleaner, a chain can be cleaned quite effectively by removing it and putting it in a jar fill with solvent and capped off. Just put the chain in and shake vigorously. A plastic mayonnaise jar is perfect.

 

[smorgasbord]

Here's a good thread on cleaning and maintaining your chain: The Ultimate Mid-Drive Chain Care Thread

I agree with the person who replied that the original video of using a rag to clean the chain isn't really cleaning the chain. If anything, it's pushing the grime into the bearing surfaces. Depending on how much lube he's putting on afterwards, it could be that the liquid lube is flushing out some of the grime.

As for the lube tests, they are interesting, but not real world. As soon as you hit the trail, dust and dirt gets on and in the chain. You ride another 10, 20, 30 miles with that dirt before you're home cleaning and so 9, 19, 29 miles of dirt has ground into the chain, causing wear. The best lube is a combination of low friction, enough body to stay on, enough something to keep dirt from getting in, and probably a few other things I can't think of. Until they have a test bench with dust and dirt flying in the air around the chain being spun, and the drive is not just continuous but has hard starts after stops as well, I'll continue to believe the tests are just interesting, but not necessarily informative.

 

[dmays]

those slip joint links have been around a long time suntour used them for a couple years they were junk and then kmc used them no better I myself have never tried shimano ones. thy on recommend them for XTR chains but like many things shimano does means more money for them.

 

[Dallant]

I use one in my shop as well, but short of an ultrasonic cleaner, a chain can be cleaned quite effectively by removing it and putting it in a jar fill with solvent and capped off. Just put the chain in and shake vigorously. A plastic mayonnaise jar is perfect.

I really don’t want to remove the chain unless I have to. Maybe I’ll do that when I put the bike down for winter.

 

[Nova Haibike]

those slip joint links have been around a long time suntour used them for a couple years they were junk and then kmc used them no better I myself have never tried shimano ones. thy on recommend them for XTR chains but like many things shimano does means more money for them.

Connecting links are now the norm. With the very high tolerances of modern chains, connecting them by pushing through a rivet is worse than any deficiency of connecting links.

FWIW, Shimano made one back in the late 70's(?) but it never caught on. They have only recently gone back to them after sticking with the special pins for decades.