Cleaning your bike chain

[dmays]

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.

Nope not shimano, Suntour which use to be a competition for shimano

 

[Nova Haibike]

I do not recall the Suntour link, but Shimano definitely made one. I know because I had one, and you can even still buy one on eBay.

 

[dmays]

I built custom bikes in europe after military i am sure there are a few of them out there suntour was jewelery back then almost as nice as campy last bike i built had suntiur grease gaurd

 

[Sierratim]

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.

The lube tests done by Zero Friction Cycling introduce water and grit into the chain during the test to simulate 'real world' conditions. As far as I can tell their test bed and test protocols are unique in this regard.

 

[Sierratim]

I do not recall the Suntour link, but Shimano definitely made one. I know because I had one, and you can even still buy one on eBay.

Shimano introduced a 'master link' for their 11-speed chain sometime last year. It does work, but it is very tight, both installing and removing. I had master link pliers to remove them, but almost couldn't get it to click in without an install set of pliers.

BTW - The Shimano 11-spped chain that was originally on on my Vado did not have a master link. Yea chain tool!

 

[Nova Haibike]

Shimano introduced a 'master link' for their 11-speed chain sometime last year. It does work, but it is very tight, both installing and removing. I had master link pliers to remove them, but almost couldn't get it to click in without an install set of pliers.

Shimano's quick link is not meant to be reused; a new one is must to be installed each time.

 

[Sierratim]

Shimano's quick link is not meant to be reused; a new one is must to be installed each time.

I read that in the sheet that came with the new chain! A bit pricey to not be reusable. Luckily I don't take my chains off to clean them.

 

[Marcela]

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

View attachment 60156

I would say there is very little statistical difference amongst the data, except for the last and maybe the first few. Either useless data or indicates very little differences between subjects.

 

[Dallant]

What I would emphasize is that it’s much more important to clean and relube the chain on a frequent basis than to know exactly what the best lube is.

 

[Sierratim]

What I would emphasize is that it’s much more important to clean and relube the chain on a frequent basis than to know exactly what the best lube is.

Esp since the 'best' lube is ~$75...

 

[Nova Haibike]

Esp since the 'best' lube is ~$75...

And the data is owned by the same folks that produced the lube.

Ceramic Speed sells snake oil, IMO. All their products are ridiculously priced, and any improvement is mostly of the imaginary kind. Like those companies that sell thousand dollar speaker cables to audiophiles; you hear/feel the difference because you bought into it.

 

[bob armani]

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!

Exactly. I have been using the same system and the chain gets very clean and shiny. Just be careful not to get the degreaser near any of the motor bearings. Riders have reported that it can eventually flush the grease out of the bearing causing it to cease up. Just a little preventative measure.

 

[bob armani]

I recently experimented with WD-40 Aerosol on my chain after a deep clean. So far it has been working great. Before, I would follow-up with Tri-Flow or Finish Line Dry Lube after a cleaning and found the chain would become soiled after each ride. Now I give it a quick clean after each ride with
WD-40 sprayed across a clean rag, grip it, and do the 20 revolutions and am good to go. I will give it light lube probably after 6-8 rides or whenever I notice chain slippage. Most of my riding is on rails to trails with some gravel riding in between.

 

[fooferdoggie]

here is what my chain looks like after 120 miles using rock and roll lube. its just fast and easy and I don't have to wait overnight for it to dry. the casste ahs not been cleaned in 1000 miles.

 

[Gionnirocket]

And the data is owned by the same folks that produced the lube.

All their products are ridiculously priced, and any improvement is mostly of the imaginary kind. Like those companies that sell thousand dollar speaker cables to audiophiles; you hear/feel the difference because you bought into it.

!EXACTLY!

 

[jackducan]

A bike chain is one of the most crucial lubricated parts. Cleaning and lubing it from time to time slows the rate of your chain’s wearing. The steps to make your bike chain squeaky clean with just household supplies: The first thing to do is put your bike on a stand and in a good position, look for its master link, soak the cloth in the cleaning solution and wipe the whole bike chain. Then, wash off the whole length of your bike chain using clean water. Re-install the bike’s master link, you can lubricate your bicycle chain to ensure that your chain runs smoothly.

 

[Hobo]

I wash mine with high pressure washer, re oil when dry.

 

[elliot friedman]

Remove it. Shake it in a jar with mineral spirits. Repeating once or twice more with fresh spirits. Then once or twice with denatured alcohol until clear. All this while the paraffin wax/oil is melting in the slow cooker. After drying the chain, immerse in the wax stirring occasionally for a few minutes. I let is sit in the wax while I clean the rest of the drive train. After removing it from the wax, I wipe as much of as possible off and remove all excess in the chambers by poking it with a scrub brush. Then I reinstall. Lasts couple of hundred miles but the drive train pretty much spotless until next time. Sounds like a lot, but only takes about a half hour. Hardest part is waiting for the wax/oil to melt.
There are several videos on youtube illustrating the process if interested.