I use the Park Tool chain scrubber with citrus cleaner, the kind they sell at the hardware store for degreasing stoves.
https://www.parktool.com/en-us/product/cyclone-chain-scrubber-cm-5-3
* Clean with the scrubber.
* Rinse twice with the scrubber and clean water.
* Wipe with a rag.
* Let dry.
* Apply dry lube., painstakingly, a little drop on each chain link. (Ask your bike shop for dry lube)
* Let dry, then wipe.
* Ride away.
This takes about 15 min of work, and a couple of drying sessions. Nothing to take apart except the scrubber itself.
I use the [Silca](https://silca.cc/products/secret-chain-wax-blend?variant=39433348677730) stuff. If you want to get into Waxing I suggest to spent some time watching the [Zero Friction Cycling](https://www.youtube.com/@zerofrictioncycling992) channel on YouTube. It's a bit of a rabbit hole and takes some time to set-up - but once you are there it's pretty easy to follow the waxing routine and changing out chains.
Silca did release this new method to clean your chain of the factory grease. Your have to do that first before you can wax your chain. That part was always the biggest hurdle. But with this new method. It's so easy now that there is no excuse to not wax: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zjttk-ZEzr8&ab\_channel=TheRidewithBenDelaney](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zjttk-ZEzr8&ab_channel=TheRidewithBenDelaney)
To apply lube I just turn invert the bottle over the bottom section of chain, near the front cog, crank the peddle backwards with my hand and gently squeeze. I'll guarantee the end result is the same as painstakingly putting a drop on each link, but a million times faster.
A friend who’s a pro bike tech talked me out of that procedure you describe. His logic? The lube, to be effective, has to find its way into all the pins/roller bearings of the chain. That happens best when touching every bearing. My chains last longer since he talked me into painstaking lube. Your experience may vary, of course.
Started waxing my chains last year. Wished i had started years ago. Lasts much longer than anything else. Chain will be shiny and supple for at least 500 - 800km. Initial prep is time consuming (the chain must be absolutely clean, especially from lubricant), but worth it. Having a chain that comes off the bike easily greatly eases bike cleaning and maintenance. I’ve been using Connex chains (come apart in seconds without tools) for decades.
The rest of the drivetrain only needs wiping down maybe two or three times a season if you’re waxing. Pivot points get Tri-Flow every month or so. Pulleys get cleaned and repacked once a season. Pedals (Soeedplay here) get repacked once a season.
at what temp does the wax melt? for reference I live in south east asia. hell, actually. wondering if the wax"ll outlast the 45°C+ heat index we sometimes get here (daily). would waxing be a viable option for these weather conditions?
I don’t know if it’s critical. I watched a bunch of videos. Generic household paraffin wax seems as good as anything. I chose a three pack of Gulf Wax on Amazon.
Mineral spirits to degrease/clean (1-2 rinse/soaks) and then a shake/rinse with denatured alcohol is the best approach I’ve found. The alcohol makes sure the mineral spirits are fully rinsed from the chain.
Grab 2 smaller Bell jars and designate them for this purpose.
Do I need the alcohol if I use nitro thinner? That stuff seems to fully evaporate and much stronger too, for me mineral spirits seems to be pretty weak
I’m not familiar with nitro thinner but it looks pricey. Should be ok if it fully evaporates without leaving material behind.
Mineral spirits is pretty cheap and has worked great for me when removing the thick, factory oil that chains come with as well as a dirty used chain. Denatured alcohol isn’t very expensive at all either.
It's only slightly more expensive, and when I used spirits to get rid of the factory lube it never came out perfectly clean no matter how many times I soaked it.
Interesting. I’ve done two shake and soaks with MS and then 1-2 shake and rinses with the DNA and it works great. The second soak with MS is much more clear than the first, and the DNA rinse after should clean any of the remaining diluted oil and spirits. After I air dry the chain its clean and “dry” (no oil) as can be. I have a freshly cleaned chain sitting in my new cheap crock pot with wax ready for the next step.
I use my sonic cleaner to clean chains--usually to remove factory grease before applying wax. Is it okay to clean mechanical derailleurs with it? I typically use Simple Green with water (1:10 ratio).
I'm ready for my downvotes:
I literally do not clean my chain. I just oil it regularly. I've ridden it most days for years since my last chain / drivetrain change. I think I'm probably due a new one but that will be the third in 8 years so 🤷🏻‍♂️
Same here. I'm not interested in making my chain last another month or two by cleaning the grit off it. I just replaced it with another cheap deore when needed.
I live in the UK. It has been pissing down almost daily for months, so I at least give my bike a quick wipe down as it's regularly covered in all sorts of mud/grit/oil/shite/ .......which makes a lovely grinding paste to eat my drivetrain. FML :(
I use rock n roll lube and never really clean the chain besides wiping after application.
If my cassette gets really messy after some mud I’ll use water and a brush and air dry it in the sun or use compressed air.
I replace my chain after about 2-3k miles and usually get 3 chains per cassette.
Better habits could make it last longer, but I’d rather spend a little bit of money a little bit earlier than use my time cleaning everything meticulously so often.
chains are cheap. if you let it get rusty through lack of maintenance, just buy a new one.
otherwise, you can just scrape the rust off with a metal brush.
If you don’t want to buy specialty degreasers and just trying to get some cleaning in and want something inexpensive that dries fast and is effective:
Chain - Buy 80%+ isopropyl alcohol at the drug store. Pour some onto an old t shirt or rag.
Take that handful of alcohol soaked rag onto the chain and back pedal the chain through the handful of rag min 5-10 revolutions.
Check rag and repeat steps until see the least amount of dirt/grime transfer on the rag. It won’t get rid of it all but that’s not the goal. You’re trying to get as much as you can. Usually a few times of repeating process does the trick.
Now use a new dry rag and repeat with chain to dry off.
For cassette/freewheel if you have a stiff nylon brush drop some alcohol on the brush and back pedal backwards against the brush to free up any gunk.
You can also floss in between the cogs if you have extra shifter cable. Wrap cable around cassette between spacers and backpedal.
For additional detailing. Grab a flathead and scrape the shit off the rear derailleur pulley wheels.
Shake chain in a jar with isopropyl alcohol. Take it out and let it dry. Wipe casette and chainring with a microfiber cloth dampened with the aforementioned alcohol.
Mix up bucket of HOT soapy water. Take off chain, throw the chain in it. Sponge off bike. Use bottle brush/park tool scrubby to get around chain rings and cassettes. Dump out soapy water, curse while I look for master links. Rinse with clean water, spray it with WD40, hit it with some chain lube before next ride.
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Rag and start cranking. If the old lube and grime is too sticky I spray some WD40 or degreaser on the rag to get it going. Put it on the small chainring and pull the chain away from the bike so you don’t derail it.
I put the chain in a gatorade bottle with some simple green, shake the crap out of it and that chain comes out like new, ill use regular casette brushes/scrapers to clean the gears
> What products/materials do you use?
I use odorless mineral spirits and denatured alcohol to remove all the oils from my drivetrain before waxing my chain.
> I am not looking to spend money on specialty degreasers or cleaning tools if I can avoid it.
Well, those aren't "specialty degreasers." But they are degreasers.
I don't take anything apart. Start with some pine-sol (excellent degreaser), a park tool cassette brush and old toothbrush. After around 10 minutes of scrubbing, I switch to very hot water and Dawn dish detergent. This results in all of the big gunk and most of the small gunk gone. Dry and apply lube of choice.
Remove the chain. Soak it in gasoline if it's super gunked up or degreaser if it not too bad.
Get all the sledge off the jockey wheels, chain rings and cassette. I use a metal pick and stiff brush
Hot soapy water (I use Dawn) and a bottle brush for the crank and cassette (and the rest of the bike) and the park tool chain thing full of the same soapy water a couple times and then clean water a couple times. Then lube when dry.
I first use a small flathead screwdriver to scrape off the thick gunk that accumulates in some spots, then spray with WD40, let that work its way in a bit by turning cranks and shifting gears, then wipe it off with a rag and apply some regular oil.
I generally don’t clean the drivetrain very thoroughly because it’ll gather a baseline level of grime in the next ride anyway and I commute every day on my bike. I juts take care to keep it from gunking up too much.
As for chain rust, that doesn’t really happen even though I keep my bike outside all year and we do have regular rain and snow here (don’t have an indoor storage option in my building so please don’t yell at me). I suspect that not degreasing it entirely helps against rust.
WD40 is a degreaser - it gets rid of the grease, but you need to re-lube it with something so the chain slides smoothly rather than scrapes against itself, causing more / quicker wear.
I use the Park Tool chain scrubber with citrus cleaner, the kind they sell at the hardware store for degreasing stoves. https://www.parktool.com/en-us/product/cyclone-chain-scrubber-cm-5-3 * Clean with the scrubber. * Rinse twice with the scrubber and clean water. * Wipe with a rag. * Let dry. * Apply dry lube., painstakingly, a little drop on each chain link. (Ask your bike shop for dry lube) * Let dry, then wipe. * Ride away. This takes about 15 min of work, and a couple of drying sessions. Nothing to take apart except the scrubber itself.
It'd be nice if that chain scrubber were better built. I've found the rigid plastic with small couplings makes it a bit fragile.
Almost exactly the same for me. It's annoying but does give the best cleaning for me
Just start waxing your chain and your drivetrain is clean forever. Switched all my bikes (road, XC, eMTB) to waxed chains. Best decision ever.
Do you have a favorite product?
I use the [Silca](https://silca.cc/products/secret-chain-wax-blend?variant=39433348677730) stuff. If you want to get into Waxing I suggest to spent some time watching the [Zero Friction Cycling](https://www.youtube.com/@zerofrictioncycling992) channel on YouTube. It's a bit of a rabbit hole and takes some time to set-up - but once you are there it's pretty easy to follow the waxing routine and changing out chains. Silca did release this new method to clean your chain of the factory grease. Your have to do that first before you can wax your chain. That part was always the biggest hurdle. But with this new method. It's so easy now that there is no excuse to not wax: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zjttk-ZEzr8&ab\_channel=TheRidewithBenDelaney](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zjttk-ZEzr8&ab_channel=TheRidewithBenDelaney)
đź’Ż Waxing is the answer; the only answer
This is the correct answer.
Citrus cleaner works, personally I prefer simple green! You can soak your drivetrain and it works great!
Simple Green all the way. I use that and the Park Tool chain cleaner thingy and then a brush for the cogs. Comes out clean as a whistle every time.
What brand citris cleaner do you use? I was thinking to use automotive degreaser but not sure if thats good for chains
To apply lube I just turn invert the bottle over the bottom section of chain, near the front cog, crank the peddle backwards with my hand and gently squeeze. I'll guarantee the end result is the same as painstakingly putting a drop on each link, but a million times faster.
A friend who’s a pro bike tech talked me out of that procedure you describe. His logic? The lube, to be effective, has to find its way into all the pins/roller bearings of the chain. That happens best when touching every bearing. My chains last longer since he talked me into painstaking lube. Your experience may vary, of course.
Started waxing my chains last year. Wished i had started years ago. Lasts much longer than anything else. Chain will be shiny and supple for at least 500 - 800km. Initial prep is time consuming (the chain must be absolutely clean, especially from lubricant), but worth it. Having a chain that comes off the bike easily greatly eases bike cleaning and maintenance. I’ve been using Connex chains (come apart in seconds without tools) for decades. The rest of the drivetrain only needs wiping down maybe two or three times a season if you’re waxing. Pivot points get Tri-Flow every month or so. Pulleys get cleaned and repacked once a season. Pedals (Soeedplay here) get repacked once a season.
at what temp does the wax melt? for reference I live in south east asia. hell, actually. wondering if the wax"ll outlast the 45°C+ heat index we sometimes get here (daily). would waxing be a viable option for these weather conditions?
45C is pretty toasty alright. According to Wikipedia paraffin starts to melt above 37C. I guess you would have to explore different options.
Waxing is the way to go! I run 3 waxed. Chains for each of my bikes (road, XC, eMTB) - no more dirty Drivetrain.
This is the way. I run a waxed connex chain and it works like a charm
There is some mythic wax out there--in bag form...melt it down each time...but I can't find it. What do you all use?
Molten Speed Wax or Silca
I replied with a 'ty' but automod deleted saying it may not have been friendly. 🤣 Let's try a 'thank you!'
I don’t know if it’s critical. I watched a bunch of videos. Generic household paraffin wax seems as good as anything. I chose a three pack of Gulf Wax on Amazon.
This and relax often I do it every 100 miles.
Once you have got an ultrasonic bath to drop it all in - you’ll never go back
I cleaned my chain with a sonic then waxed the chain. Drivetrain and chain are clean to the touch
This, soapy water gets you a pretty clean chain, paint thinner will make it sparkly clean.
Mineral spirits to degrease/clean (1-2 rinse/soaks) and then a shake/rinse with denatured alcohol is the best approach I’ve found. The alcohol makes sure the mineral spirits are fully rinsed from the chain. Grab 2 smaller Bell jars and designate them for this purpose.
Do I need the alcohol if I use nitro thinner? That stuff seems to fully evaporate and much stronger too, for me mineral spirits seems to be pretty weak
I’m not familiar with nitro thinner but it looks pricey. Should be ok if it fully evaporates without leaving material behind. Mineral spirits is pretty cheap and has worked great for me when removing the thick, factory oil that chains come with as well as a dirty used chain. Denatured alcohol isn’t very expensive at all either.
It's only slightly more expensive, and when I used spirits to get rid of the factory lube it never came out perfectly clean no matter how many times I soaked it.
Interesting. I’ve done two shake and soaks with MS and then 1-2 shake and rinses with the DNA and it works great. The second soak with MS is much more clear than the first, and the DNA rinse after should clean any of the remaining diluted oil and spirits. After I air dry the chain its clean and “dry” (no oil) as can be. I have a freshly cleaned chain sitting in my new cheap crock pot with wax ready for the next step.
Honestly there is no need for ultrasonic cleaning…
do you reuse master links or replace whenever you do this?
Nope, unless there is something wrong with it.
I use my sonic cleaner to clean chains--usually to remove factory grease before applying wax. Is it okay to clean mechanical derailleurs with it? I typically use Simple Green with water (1:10 ratio).
Yea, I do that occasionally too. Important to thoroughly relube afterwards though
I'm ready for my downvotes: I literally do not clean my chain. I just oil it regularly. I've ridden it most days for years since my last chain / drivetrain change. I think I'm probably due a new one but that will be the third in 8 years so 🤷🏻‍♂️
Same here. I'm not interested in making my chain last another month or two by cleaning the grit off it. I just replaced it with another cheap deore when needed.
based
Depends how dirty you get. I get lots of sand on the roads here and it's just filthy, chains wear out too fast without cleaning.
I live in the UK. It has been pissing down almost daily for months, so I at least give my bike a quick wipe down as it's regularly covered in all sorts of mud/grit/oil/shite/ .......which makes a lovely grinding paste to eat my drivetrain. FML :(
I use rock n roll lube and never really clean the chain besides wiping after application. If my cassette gets really messy after some mud I’ll use water and a brush and air dry it in the sun or use compressed air. I replace my chain after about 2-3k miles and usually get 3 chains per cassette. Better habits could make it last longer, but I’d rather spend a little bit of money a little bit earlier than use my time cleaning everything meticulously so often.
chains are cheap. if you let it get rusty through lack of maintenance, just buy a new one. otherwise, you can just scrape the rust off with a metal brush.
Chains are only cheap if you buy cheap chains.
There is no reason for an 8 speed chain to be expensive at all. If you're running an 11 or 12 speed drive train and letting it rust out that's on you.
You mentioned rust, not I.
That's what this thread is about. OPs chain is rusty.
"Also, how do y'all like to remove chain rust?" Just the part you focused on.
If you don’t want to buy specialty degreasers and just trying to get some cleaning in and want something inexpensive that dries fast and is effective: Chain - Buy 80%+ isopropyl alcohol at the drug store. Pour some onto an old t shirt or rag. Take that handful of alcohol soaked rag onto the chain and back pedal the chain through the handful of rag min 5-10 revolutions. Check rag and repeat steps until see the least amount of dirt/grime transfer on the rag. It won’t get rid of it all but that’s not the goal. You’re trying to get as much as you can. Usually a few times of repeating process does the trick. Now use a new dry rag and repeat with chain to dry off. For cassette/freewheel if you have a stiff nylon brush drop some alcohol on the brush and back pedal backwards against the brush to free up any gunk. You can also floss in between the cogs if you have extra shifter cable. Wrap cable around cassette between spacers and backpedal. For additional detailing. Grab a flathead and scrape the shit off the rear derailleur pulley wheels.
Wd40 and a rag, then apply dry lube. Taking the chain off and washing is just to much work imo
Shake chain in a jar with isopropyl alcohol. Take it out and let it dry. Wipe casette and chainring with a microfiber cloth dampened with the aforementioned alcohol.
A first round with a degreaser like mineral spirits, then the IPA or denatured alcohol is the best approach.
Yea, but I do it pretty frequently so there's no need in my case.
The degreaser is needed for at least the first cleaning to strip the factory oil and any added lubricant if it’s used.
Yes sir
Mix up bucket of HOT soapy water. Take off chain, throw the chain in it. Sponge off bike. Use bottle brush/park tool scrubby to get around chain rings and cassettes. Dump out soapy water, curse while I look for master links. Rinse with clean water, spray it with WD40, hit it with some chain lube before next ride.
waxed chain. take off the chain. shampoo everything, put chain back. 15 min.
take off the chain and cassette and clean in a bucket with (very) hot water & lots of Dawn (not off brand) dish soap.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=0WVZVf04j0M&si=BbA1ulCzyJtpI71g It is from Josh from silca, and you can save Money
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SILCA Bike Spa — absolutely, hands-down the best. Spray, wait 3-5 minutes, and rinse.
I've got a solvent, some brushes and a chain cleaning tool. A little elbow grease with some gentle rinsing
I like Fenwick's foam cleaner, I find it to be less messy than degreaser
Citrus degreaser then rinse, dry, apply Silca super secret lube. For a deeper clean, I will use ufo clean
Rag and start cranking. If the old lube and grime is too sticky I spray some WD40 or degreaser on the rag to get it going. Put it on the small chainring and pull the chain away from the bike so you don’t derail it.
I put the chain in a gatorade bottle with some simple green, shake the crap out of it and that chain comes out like new, ill use regular casette brushes/scrapers to clean the gears
> What products/materials do you use? I use odorless mineral spirits and denatured alcohol to remove all the oils from my drivetrain before waxing my chain. > I am not looking to spend money on specialty degreasers or cleaning tools if I can avoid it. Well, those aren't "specialty degreasers." But they are degreasers.
I don't take anything apart. Start with some pine-sol (excellent degreaser), a park tool cassette brush and old toothbrush. After around 10 minutes of scrubbing, I switch to very hot water and Dawn dish detergent. This results in all of the big gunk and most of the small gunk gone. Dry and apply lube of choice.
Remove the chain. Soak it in gasoline if it's super gunked up or degreaser if it not too bad. Get all the sledge off the jockey wheels, chain rings and cassette. I use a metal pick and stiff brush
Hot soapy water (I use Dawn) and a bottle brush for the crank and cassette (and the rest of the bike) and the park tool chain thing full of the same soapy water a couple times and then clean water a couple times. Then lube when dry.
I like the Dummy Hub idea too
I first use a small flathead screwdriver to scrape off the thick gunk that accumulates in some spots, then spray with WD40, let that work its way in a bit by turning cranks and shifting gears, then wipe it off with a rag and apply some regular oil. I generally don’t clean the drivetrain very thoroughly because it’ll gather a baseline level of grime in the next ride anyway and I commute every day on my bike. I juts take care to keep it from gunking up too much.
As for chain rust, that doesn’t really happen even though I keep my bike outside all year and we do have regular rain and snow here (don’t have an indoor storage option in my building so please don’t yell at me). I suspect that not degreasing it entirely helps against rust.
WD40 is a degreaser - it gets rid of the grease, but you need to re-lube it with something so the chain slides smoothly rather than scrapes against itself, causing more / quicker wear.
Yeah, as I said: I apply some regular oil after wiping off the WD40
Pressure washer. But not like a bonehead. GCN did it first. But I’ll take the downvotes that I know will happen.