Get A Factory Fresh Chain In Less Than 10 Minutes! | Maintenance Monday
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 20 сен 2024
- Some of us cyclists are really good at cleaning our chains after every ride, whereas some of us... aren't that good. Either way saving time on your maintenance means more time for everything else in your life, be it watching live racing on GCN+ or just riding your bike! Alex takes you through his ultimate chain cleaning guide!
Useful Links:
Adventure Documentaries, Exclusive Shows & Live Racing on GCN+: gcn.eu/plus
Download the GCN App for free: gcn.eu/app
Visit the GCN Shop: gcn.eu/gcnshop
Join the GCN Club: www.gcnclub.com/
Do you have any methods for cleaning your chain? Let us know in the comments below!👇
Watch more on GCN Tech...
📹 How To Get Factory Fresh Shoes 👉 gcn.eu/7mt
📹 Watch our Editor’s Choice Playlist 👉 gcntech.co/Edi...
📹 Watch the latest GCN Tech Show 👉 gcntech.co/GCN...
🎵 Music - licensed by Epidemic Sound 🎵
Escucha mi Salsa (Instrumental Version) - Son Habana
Lilacs - [ocean jams]
#gcntech #gcn #cycling #roadbike #biketech #bikediy
Photos: © Velo Collection (TDW) / Getty Images & © Bettiniphoto / www.bettiniphot...
Brought to you by the world’s biggest cycling channel, the Global Cycling Network (GCN), GCN Tech is the only channel you need for all things bike tech - past, present and future.
Simply put, we’re obsessed with tech: we seek out and showcase the best in bikes, components, tech, accessories, upgrades and more from races and events, tech shows and product launches across the globe to bring you the best in road bike technology.
We’ve also got great maintenance videos to help you get the most from your bike; pro-bike tours from all the biggest races; special features and the weekly GCN Tech Show. We also take a deeper look into the future of cycling, apps, smart tech and virtual riding.
Join us on the channel and the GCN App to submit your content, vote on the latest tech and keep abreast of exciting new trends.
Thanks to our sponsors:
Castelli Clothing: gcn.eu/Castelli
Giro Helmets: gcn.eu/Giro
Pinarello Bikes: gcn.eu/Pinarello
Zipp Wheels: gcn.eu/Zipp
Topeak Tools: gcn.eu/Topeak
Canyon Bikes: gcn.eu/-Canyon
Pirelli Tyres: gcn.eu/Pirelli
Orbea Bikes: gcn.eu/Orbea
Vision Wheels: gcn.eu/Vision
Wahoo Fitness: gcn.eu/Wahoo-Fi...
Park Tool: gcn.eu/-parktool
Elite Bottles: gcn.eu/EliteBo...
Whoop Fitness: gcn.eu/Whoop
Komoot: gcn.eu/komoot
Selle Italia: gcn.eu/SelleIt...
SIS: gcn.eu/Science...
Zwift: gcn.eu/Zwift
Shimano Wheels: gcn.eu/Shimano
Shadow Stand: gcn.eu/ShadowS...
DMT Shoes: gcn.eu/DMT
Muc-Off: gcn.eu/MucOff
Watch our sister channels:
Global Cycling Network - / gcn
GCN Racing - / gcnracing
Global Triathlon Network - / gtn
GCN Italia - / gcnitalia
GCN en Espanol - / gcnenespanol
GCN auf Deutsch - / gcnaufdeutsch
GCN en Francais - / gcnenfrancais
GCN Japan - / gcnjapan
GCN Training - / gcntraining
Global Mountain Bike Network - / gmbn
GMBN Tech - / gmbntech
Electric Mountain Bike Network - / embn
DON'T shake too vigorously. The chances of the jar breaking are directly proportional to the distance to the nearest carpet.
Haha yeah, I was about to say the same, and wearing something like gardening gloves to protect the hands from the sharp pieces of glass if it breaks while shaking..
But maybe it's just me that's unlucky enough to have stuff like that happen 😁
Or just use a plastic jar
@@MattRose30000 depends on what cleaning chemicals you use, as some might dissolve the plastic leaving you with a big mess anyway
"inversely proportional
@@nemeczek67 came to check if this has been addressed in comments. Was not disappointed 😄
If you want to avoid shaking a glass container with a metal chain inside of it, while wearing greasy gloves: You can also check the bottom of your muc-off or other degreaser container to see what number appears within the recycle symbol, denoting the plastic type used. Find another container with a same number, and it will be just as inert" as anything else.Also much safer.
reasonably sure that old cycling water bottles will not leach anything in the relatively short time (few months to a year) from a supposed won't harm the environment product that comes in plastic to begin with
Put the chain in wire mesh and wrap it loosely, then put it in the bottle. (like heavy duty window screen repair for insects)
Funnily enough, those triangular arrows don't mean recycling. They just imitate recycling symbol, so the plastic industry looks more eco-friendly to the public eye :)
Instead of water for the last step use denatured alcohol/methylated spirits. It drives the water out and dries really quickly so you can get lube on there sooner. I've had some chains rust while waiting for the water to dry since the previous 2 steps essentially strip all the coatings off.
Yer but the rust goes as soon as you ride, so it don't matter.
Water is nice to use.
Agree. Never put water on a chain.
Yes I don't know what compels people to put water in a bare steel bearing interface. My preference for degreasing and cleaning chains is "Marvel Mystery Oil".
Sorry but i don't trust gcn, i have a forbidden secret about chains only i know about and not even manufacturers know it, i will only clean my chain once and only once, then, it will perform as good as new as long as it takes, no need to clean ever again, no worries even if it gets wet by rain, once cleaned, it will perform as good as new until the sprockets wear out, I call it the eternal clean, which material and the method how i clean is a secret, after twenty years my chain is still good as it was back in day one, smooth and supple despite dirt and grime, im not revealing it for mercy on the manufacturers, they're gonna kill me if i expose it lol
@@johnnyboy3357 you're weird
I bought an ultrasonic cleaner that needs much less degreaser because I make a mix of degreaser with warm water. It cleans chains much deeper. By saving money on quantities of degreaser over 2-3 years you can buy the ultrasonic cleaner that costs around 90 euro.
Some ultrasonic cleaners heat up the water as well.
Amen. If you can afford it, buy a lab quality one as the transducers last a lot longer than the ones designed for cleaning jewellery.
@@666Dejmien666 yes, right. Mine does as well, but it is quicker and easier to add warm water directly.
I did that for a while but found it weakened the chain. I've had 2 chains break after being in the ultrasonic cleaner so now use it only for the cassette and so on.
@@davidcunningham5008 Chains should not break like that. I bet you did something odd when reinstalling them. There is no way an ultrasonic cleaner will do that.
I really want to see these videos done with a chain that doesn't look like an off the shelf brand spanking new component to start with. GIMME RUST GCN
Your chain should never have rust on it.
I'm pretty sure rust means the component is dead and needs to be replaced. Maybe just ask for gunk.
I can volunteer a dirty chain if they need one, the chain on my mtb hasn't been cleaned in something like 6 years... It's well oiled though, no rust!
@@kurre_kallkvist 😱
@@DaveCM I don't think it's possible to live somewhere as wet as the UK and not have some rust...
I do the same process almost, with the same products, with the chain on the bike. This is because my quick links are not re-usable and I clean the chain too often to keep burning through new quick-links. :)
To save myself from using extreme amounts of degreaser, I have some tips;
Put some degreaser on an old, empty chain lube container. Apply the degreaser to the chain as if applying lube. Use a short small paint (or tooth) brush to agitate it. Then apply some degreaser to Park Tools Cyclone brushes. Rotate the chain through the Cyclone. Rinse.
Repeat the same process with the mild detergent or you can fill the Cyclone with watered down mild detergent as intended.
I rotate the chain backwards really fast to spin the excess water out of the system first. Then wipe it dry with a cloth. Then I ride the bike around for 3 - 5 mins. This pushes some more of the ingressed water from the chain and I wipe it dry again.
Then I apply the chain lube. Wipe the excess. Ride it for a few meters and wipe the excess again.
It took longer to explain than it does to apply the process. It is quite practical once you get used to it.
Hopefully this may help some riders out there in reducing the amount of degreaser usage. Bio-degradable or not, it is better to save when we can.
This point about re-usable and one-use quick links is important.
Reusable connex wipperman link.. Absolutely brilliant
This is a well thought out plan. Alex gives a practical plan we mortals can use! There are other quick methods that don't get a chain as sparkling as this glass jar method, but some cleaning is better than no cleaning.
Thanks I always try new ways to clean my chain and I'll try this. I usually just use dawn dish detergent and a scrub brush in a bucket works pretty good
I look forward to another chain cleaning vid in 6 months.
Also have an empty clean jar, put coffee filters on top, pour dirty cleaner over coffee filters, reuse cleaning solution.
or old t- shirt scrap fabric , or those blue dish cloths work well too
Thank you Alex. Good to see a goof clean that doesn't involve wax. Spot on.
Wax is not used for cleaning. It’s used for lubrication.
If Muc-Off made chain wax, GCN tech would have a video about it and it would be the best thing sliced bread, according to GCN. I do of course know that you already made a waxing video, but that doesn't mean I'm wrong ;)
money talks
truer words were never written. I'm starting to believe to work at GCN you must get the muc off logo tattooed on your body
I use washing machine on white cotton program, followed by the dishwasher on intensive with two tablets, then oven at 220c
#askgcntech Does San Pellegrino only work on Italian climbs? Should I use Vittel for Climbs in France?
Champagne for climbs in France, and beer if you need a clean chain in Belgium.
@@johnkay6051 Now I understand. And the „dubbel“ or „tripel“ on Belgian beer says for which type of chainset it is.
Careful, though. Don't forget that Vittel makes you piss ;)
I have been using a similar process for years. I use much smaller glass jars (130ml) and automotive brake cleaner in a two stage cleaning process. The chain just fits in the smaller jars so the brake fluid moves but the chain doesn't when shaking. I use a magnet to retrieve the quick links. Not the most eco friendly, but I do recycle the cleaner fluid. If you leave the used dirty fluid sealed in the jar, the muck will settle and you can decant the clean fluid into a fresh jar. Because the cleaner is volatile, use in a well ventilated work space and keep away from heat. The advantage is that you don't need to rinse with water at the end as it evaporates away very quicly and it will be super clean because unlike petrol/diesel it doesn't leave an oil film.
And don't do it near an open flame. I imagine carb cleaner would work just as well, also, but I've only seen it in aeresol cans.
Brake cleaner works great at cleaning cassettes too.
I would consider it as a good thing if the links of the chain moves while shaking so that it is easier for the fluid to get everywhere and some rubbing/friction in the chain might remove dirt as well.
I use Squirt Wax lube, so i tske the chain off and use a little bit of dish soap, hot water and some brushes and some elbow grease. This is for my deep clean.
My quick/lazy clean, is to use a old cloth dipped in hot water and run the chain backwards. Gets most of the gunk off for a relube.
I find the Muc Off degreaser used here more effective than my regular citrus one, hence why the jar method works well. It is powerful stuff!
However, I also found it is hydrocarbon based (hence why it works so well), so I never used it again. I can feel the fumes even outside, and I much rather not dump it outdoors. I don't think other organisms should pay the price of a spotless chain...
Absolutely. That's the rub with using such "aggressive" cleaners--they do a great job with the cleaning but are very bad for our environment. I'll continue to stick with Dawn detergent and water.
Your body produces hydrocarbons. Every time you pass gas, the world gets more methane.
@@stevek8829 Let me know if you ever cleaned your bike chain with that and how you dispensed of it. Thanks.
You could also use something like Marine Clean degreaser. It is a concentrated base (either KOH or NaOH) that reacts with the grease. You need to be careful though as it will turn the fat under your skin into soap if you get it on you (like I said above, it reacts with the grease). I dilute it about 20 to 1 with water to make a 2% to 2.5% solution, which is safer for me but still plenty strong to clean the grease off the chain, car suspension, boat engine, etc.
@@michaelb1761 Thank you for the suggestion and all the useful tips. This looks great.
I had a glance at the SDS and everything looks pretty good on the environmental/hazardous front. It's not very frequent to see "readily biodegradable" written, even on products which claim to be.
I've learned something today.👌
This seems like a great technique, and I firmly plan on doing this the next time I put on a new chain and need to clean off the factory grease that is on the chain when you buy it.
However, I don't think it's necessary to take your chain off your road bike to clean it if you do it regularly. I clean my chain at least once a week: I just go over the chain with a cheap toothbrush for a few minutes, then vigorously wipe it down with a clean, dry rag or a few shop towels, then lube it and remove the excess. I don't even bother with degreaser unless the chain is unusually dirty, and my chains are pretty clean all the time, even in winter. You have to stay on top of it, though; if your chain is a gunky, gritty, cassette-destroying mess, you should probably do what Alex demonstrates here, or just go after your entire drivetrain with a hose, bucket, scrub brush and degreaser.
I use Screwfix No Nonsense degreaser (cheap as chips) and two nailbrushes. Soak the ends of the brushes in the degreaser, inter-mesh them top and bottom of the chain and rotate the crank a few rotations. Then apply mild detergent with a soft brush, followed by a gentle spray with tap water. I then use my leaf blower to get most of the excess water off the chain and bike because I washed that at the same time. I'd imagine that, by the time you#d bought all the Muc-Off stuff it would have been cheaper to replace the chain.
Perfect timing. Just came from a 140 km ride, and my chain was very dirty.
Did Chloe approve of using the kitchen sink?
absolutely not!
I normally use a chain cleaning machine but I tried this for the first time because I had the chain of my bike and was amazed by how clean it got my chain 👍.
A much simpler way of cleaning. Great work Alex 👏🏼
I did this last week on two of my bikes and I can’t tell you how satisfying it was. The drivetrains now look like new. It’s remarkable how dirty they get over time, and how regularly people over-lubricate their chains. No reason to.
Do it old school, clean your chain and cogs quick. Pine-sol or Pine-O-Pine. Natural degreaser and cheap.
Everyone I knew competitively racing for five years did the same cleaning.
Do this outdoors. Mix the cleaner @ 4:1 water to cleaner.
Apply with a nylon brush like a chain brush, while rotating your crank/wheel/cogs. You’ll see a lot of dirty liquid coming off your chain and cog. Shortly sparkling clean. Spray with water, while rotating. Allow to air dry. Lube.
My only question is. Do you re-use the quick release for the chain, or do you replace it everytime. I thought you weren't supposed to re-use those.
My question also. 👍👍
Some quick links are single use only and according to the manufacturer require replacement with a new one once removed (e.g. Shimano, Sram), however, people report reusing them a few time without issues. You can buy links that are approved for repeated use (YBN, Connex and some versions KMC).
I work on the general principle that if the link still has strong click into place then it’s good to go. I wax my chains and have reused a quick link over 20 times in the past, however waxing generates far less chain wear than lube.
A far better way of doing this (and far cheaper) is 2 x old bidons, one a third full of citrus degreaser, one a third full of white spirit. Put the chain in the citrus bidon and shake like Bez for five mins then let it settle for 10 mins. Take the chain out, wipe it down, then drop it in the bidon of white spirit and do the same - shake for 5, settle for 10. The white spirit cleans off the citrus degreaser and any residual particles of dirt/grease - and it also evaporates off the chain if you let it dry for a few hours. Hey presto - a sparkling chain. A drop of lube on each link, run it through a few revolutions, wipe clean and off you go.
Pressure washer at the carwash makes it brand new every time. Costs a buck and only takes a minute. It's not like a bike chain has seals or bearings to worry about.
Indirect comment: I wipe the chain after every ride with a dry paper towel. This helps to make more elaborate cleaning sessions necessary less often. Floss between the cassette cogs too.
Can you recommend a product for flossing? I've seen it on Park Tool's videos also, but I don't know what to search for.
@@MattRose30000 Actually, I wrap a paper towel around a hacksaw blade a couple times until it's a tight fit, but not so tight as to tear up the paper towel. Turn the wheel backwards if it's on the bike. Just keep moving the blade to a clean spot or re wrapping, or re wrapping. Gets a lot of gunk out.
@@MattRose30000 search for “pipe cleaners”
"necessary less often" confused me a bit...
@@MattRose30000 I use an old shoelace.
Thanks Alex et al...don't shake it too hard ! Yep. did it .
Pretty well what I do.
I use Gunk degreaser. Allow the sediment to settle in your chosen jar, and you can pour the “good” Gunk back into its tin.
Once chain is rinsed, use an air line if you’ve got one to dry it off.
I then hang my chain in the airing cupboard.
Another fan of Lidl cooking sauces.
Ive been using kerosene or fuel diesel to clean my bike chain using “toothbrush” . Brush thoroughly the chain until all dirt drip off (2 to 3x). After brushing, wipe with clean rug to let the chain dry.. after few minutes , apply with the chain with your “chain oil” then wipe it with clean rug to remove excess oil. After, rotate the bike pedal severally in order that the “chain oil” will evenly reach the innermost chain parts, stop the pedal rotation until you will hear smooth sound of the chain..wipe the chail with WD 40 to retain its shiny look.
I do them same steps but just on my bike with a brush to agitate it. Does the job
I don’t like using water on my chain. I use a similar method but use petrol, cleans it perfectly and evaporates. Cheaper as well.
Then apply a drop of Smoove wax lube to inside of each roller- perfect !
Diesel is a better option.... Or even better kerosene.... Both are solvents and low viscosity lubricants.... kerosene is widely used for this purpose in the automotive and motorcycle industry.... And it is especially true in the states, where they add ethanol, to gasoline....
But I agree with the other point, using a water based solvent, causes more problems than it solves...
I don't think it's even worth cleaning your chain, just use a rag to keep it clean enough and well lubed then check it for wear and replace the chain when it gets out of length. Unless you don't value your time.
I like your humor elements. :) Thanks for sharing these helpful videos.
1:58 After a certain age, cyclists don't have to voluntarily shake anything. But don't rush it. It will happen naturally.
I use Simple Green as my degreaser. Instead of jar, I swirl the chain in the mixture in the bottom of a small bucket.
I put mine in a bag with the degreaser, then drop the bag in my sonic cleaner. Rinse with muc off pink, and blow dry. Final application of muc off hydrodynamic lube and leave to cure before fitting to the bike. KMC-SL Gold chain naturally 👍
I clean the chain with motor oil. Honestly.
Soaking a rag with motor oil (any engine oil will do) and pulling the chain through it is all I do.
That's it.
Repeat every week on rainy conditions and every month on dry conditions.
No special expensive chain oil, chain wax and no degreaser or anything else needed.
Motor oil has everything needed, it works not only as a lubricant but also as a detergent and rust inhibitor, it has anti wear components, too. In winter it's thin enough and in summer thick enough due to it's viscostiy improvers it comes with when it is a multigrade oil which every motor oil nowadays is.
Like I said, everything ever needed is already in motor oil included.
There is no cheaper and more effective way to take care of your bicycle chain.
Gas (30 mins) -> Degreaser (10 mins) -> Ultrasonic (20 mins) -> Turpentine (5 mins) The Turps just makes sure it’s spotless, jar should be clean if it is. If not, repeat. After doing that once, 3 years ago, I wax every 300 miles, which just requires a rinse in boiling water and a dip in the wax for 30 mins. No more chemicals, no more mess, dedicated 5 dollar crock pot, a few candles and some PTFE powder from eBay. But, the cleaning cycle every few hundred miles works also.
Chain Scrubber attached to chain, rotate the pedals backwards, around 30 rotations. Spray bottles for the cassette and chain rings, rinse off, air dry, lube. :)
I love to wax my chain. PERIOT!!
I do something similar. 2 pickle jars & lighter fluid. Use coffee filter to refresh the lighter fluid between the 2 jars. Then dry it off with fire.
Probably the most effective vid I've seen yet to clean a chain.. But this isn't the whole drive train, the jockey wheels, cassette and chain ring are gonna need a clean too!! 👍🏻😎
omg, just wax the damn thing. all the components stay clean
I’m literally cleaning my chain right now and I have two spaghetti sauce jars in the trash. Thanks for the idea! I’ll fish them out and try this method…
Let us know how you get on!
Plastic Coca Cola bottles work better and don't shatter when they are inevitably dropped.
I use diesel, put chain in a jug or jar. Swill it around a few mins, clean with a cloth. Good as new. 😃👍
Gasoline makes them less sticky - in my experience.
Kerosene's effective for cleaning tough stuff vs pre-packaged lube on new chains, sludge/ dried up bunker fuel
Ultrasonic cleaner is my easy method. Mix degreaser with hot water and when chain is removed, the hot chain evaporates the water. The ultrasonic does all the shaking for me !!
I perfer to wax my chain after the cleaning process. With a new chain I will degrease the chain and then give it a good long soak in a sealed jar of denatured alcohol. After that it is waxed. For cleaning and relaxing I use an ultrasonic cleaning with watered-down alcohol for at least 30 min. It gets a good wipe down and then hang to dry. By this point the wax mix is hot and ready for the chain.
ruclips.net/video/I61ArMZwiRg/видео.html
Wax is the bomb! So clean, even when it is dirty.
Using flammable solvents in an ultrasonic cleaner is just stupidity turned up to 11.
@@zygmuntthecacaokakistocrat6589 I have never used the alcohol at full strength in the ultrasonic. The alcohol is cut with water. However, after seeing your post I did some further reading. While the water is diluting the alcohol the fumes could still collect and ignite if there is an electric fault. I will be changing my methods. Thank you.
Thanks a lot. Since I ride on real roads, not RUclips or Swift roads, my chain gets as dirty as ever after 5 minutes of riding. Since my request: could you make a video on how to clean the roads ?
A "factory fresh chain" has a rust preventative coating so that it will not rust in the distribution channel. It amazes me how many people think it is lube and leave that crap on.
“Don’t try to dry this off in the oven..” - me thinks that sounds like the voice of experience Alex!😂
The eye shimmy after is a definite tell. Made me lol
3 chains on rotation makes waxing a lot easier and less time consuming. Understand why some shy away - but if you have the space for it its the way to go. Will save you both watts and money!
definitely. you can't properly clean an oiled chain anyway. its bad advice to promote any other lube than hot wax. be interesting to compare lifespan of a periodically well 'cleaned' oiled chain vs a hot waxed chain. the waxed one even with long rewaxing intervals would likely last multiple times longer than the best maintained oiled chain
Great tip, thanks!
In my experience, liquid laundry detergent works almost as well as regular degreaser. At the same time, it is cheaper and more environmentally friendly.
Do you mean something like Perwoll?
i would not recamend that if you have a lightweight chain unless you sure its 100% steel
@@meneldil7604 KMC X9? , for one, is a nickel coated steel one, am I correct?
If you want your chain to last much longer only ever degrease it with kerosene and wipe it completely dry before re lubing. That’s 2 bike shops and 36 years of experience talking.
Just an automobile disc brake cleaner for 2!minutes 1 sm deep. No brush! Shake for 2 minutes and you can add mucoff chain cleaner for smell - your choice. Used on xx1 gold sram chain. Next i ll do it on bike, not to use quick link too often. Dry it and that s all. Discovered it recently, awesome effect.
I know you're sponsored by Muc-Off but I find Finish Line Citrus degreaser and Motorex Bike Clean bike general cleaner work and smell better (epsecially the degreaser).
I us Marine Clean, a strong base that reacts with the grease to remove it. Since it is a strong base, I dilute it at least 10 to 1 with water when working on particularly greasy things (like the suspension of a 68 Mustang) or 20 to 1 for less greasy items like a bike chain. It will react with the fat under your skin as well, so be careful (also why I dilute it, not just cheapness, to minimize the damage if I do get it on me).
“For less than the price of a new one” - really? And yes, “just wax your chain - it is so much easier” - you said it!
The Park tools Cyclone still does it for me. A lot faster than removing the chain so never the excuse to not clean the chain.
agreed!
I use one between removing once in a while for a better cleaning. It does a pretty good job.
Same here. I use the Cyclone like every 3-4 weeks depending how dirty the chain gets.
There are many cheaper alternatives to Parktool that do the same thing. I use Pedro's Chain Pig Machine -- 2 years in use and still as good as new
Back when I was using an oil based chain lube, in the 80's, I would clean it the same way, except I would use Kerosene to cut to dirt on your first step, and then very hot water and soap.
I believe that in the UK, Kerosene is called Paraffin, which is confusing because in the US, Paraffin means wax.
It's a closed loop. What you call wax, we call kerosene.
@@greenbeetle1 I read that Keros in Greek means Wax.
Brilliant. The 2nd cleaning stage shoud be ehtanol imo. We call it denatured alcohol in the States but I think it'll leave a cleaner surface than soapy water... it'll evaporate and leave virtually no residue or surface film.
YES that's how you clean a bicycle chain by removing it from your bike to avoid any chance of having any solvent or degreaser coming in contact with your bike as it can easily find its way into your rear hub and bottom bracket bearings and ruin them. Same thing with your cassette, you must remove it.. As a 35 year veteran professional mechanic, I see so many expensive bikes get ruined because many clean the chain and cassette directly on their bikes, and they wonder how come their bearings are always failing.
The key is to shake the container like a polaroid picture.
Still, the best is waxing your chain. Your chains and drivetrain last you forever. And no more dirty hands, legs, socks or anything else. You can touch your drivetrain anytime.
ruclips.net/video/I61ArMZwiRg/видео.html
The final rinse is even better with hot running water et flushes out any residue. to dry the chain it can be air blown. (watch the area and any people around)
I accidentally got 20 litres of gas oil mixed with petrol. With intensive chain cleaning habits it will last a few years. Slightly smelly, so I only use it outdoors. Also 2 jar method. Used stuff goes back to the gas station for recycling.
Otherwise, simple petroleum is also an excellent agent.
You don't have to dry it, it already lubricates, it gets along well with chain oil.
I never clean my chain, because after 3 rain rides it is worn. This year is different, there was not any rain, so I decided to clean. I just pushed the dirt out and of with a screwdriver and rag. Total dry clean method.
Can we move away from saving Watts and offer the keen cyclist proper tips and advice such as on this video. Thank you GCN.
This is actually better than factory fresh! Chains from the factory are actually over-greased new.
I clean chains and cassettes with the stuff used to clean car engines. It is way cheaper than chemicals marketed for bicycles.
Do you mean the foaming stuff? I hadn't thought of that. I use a spray on degreaser that's a strong base to clean car parts or the bike drivetrain.
@@michaelb1761 No, it is a spray.
yeah, i never use water in a deep clean of my chain. it doesn't seem to do a thorough enough rinse of the degreasers from the first step, so i've taken to using isoprpyl rubbing alcohol in between each step as my rinse and all the dirt and soapy residues all come off so much easier when dry off with my rag.
Lol I just have my 2 PCS 1 litter Gatorade filled up gasoline / kerosene (whichever is available) about 250ml. I label them 1ST & 2ND
I put my chain inside in 1st bottle for about 5mins and shook it for a minute. Then I wash my chain with water. After that I dip again my chain on the 2ND bottle, shake it for a minute and lastly wash it with water. Last part is that I wipe my chain and dry it off. This is how you do it with less than $5 cleaning cost! 🤣😂🤣 👍
Right or wrong, I buy a gallon of WD-40, put a little in a Park Tool mechanical chain cleaner, and that magically cleans the chain real well without having to remove the chain, then rub that real dry. Later, I then use a highly tested non-wax chain lube on each link, and let that soak in, then rub outside dry while reverse spinning. Easy, no chain cleaner needed (which if not removed can ruin a chain lube, and not sure what that does to paint or carbon, or bearings or wherever that end up?), and quicker means that it gets done more often which is probably better than a better job done less often. Seems to work well.
So much easier and cleaner to just wax the chain :)
You need to do a similar process to get the chain ready for waxing tho
@@littlebigcat Indeed. But for the same effort you get a chain and transmission that is always perfectly clean and a lot longer lasting both chains and the cassette
@@littlebigcat You only do it the one time though. You have to thoroughly degrease your chain before you wax it. Then when it's time to re-wax, you just pour a kettle of boiling water over the chain to melt off the old wax, dry it, pop the chain in the pot of melted wax and PTFE. Give it a stir, take it out, wipe it off, done. No waste, no chemicals, buttery smooth drivetrain.
@@sandswan and you save a small fortune on de-greaser and chain lube 👍
I do same process once a month. But i use cyclone chain scrubber in place after rides. 🤙
If only muc off made chain wax it’ll be the best wax ever. Im so thankful I only have to clean the chain with boiling water. Re wax job done
100% waxing is the way to go! Granted it takes a little longer to do but gives you time to clean the bike at the same time 👍
ruclips.net/video/I61ArMZwiRg/видео.html
Do the first jar - ensure you use a water based degreaser.
Forget the second jar
Rinse chain under a tap, refit, reoil/lube
Oil will displace any moisture.
Hot melt waxing: do a clean a little more intensive (but very similar to this) ONCE at the beginning of chain life.
Practically any other lube: do this clean after EVERY single ride to keep a chain kind-of sort-of wax clean. 😂
I use the Park Tool chain cleaner with biodegradable cleaner and rinse off with water. Air dry and lube.
What about cassette, jockey wheels and chainset? Better to follow the mucoff instructions, spray on method, rinse outside with chain still installed
I do this method and found if you use coffee filters and pour the degreaser into a new jar you can use it for ages as most the big grime stays in the filter
that's a hack
I think I'd filter the degreaser after to remove the crud making cleaning the next chain better.
is there some household item i can use for filtering? maybe some cloths ?
You can Use Brigéciol Emulsion degreaser, motor washer also,
The cheapest degreaser that I know of is gasoline. You can buy a whole gallon of it for $3 or so (in the US), while that Muc-Off Drivetrain Cleaner is over $50 a gallon (or over $160 a gallon if you buy the little 16.9-oz. bottles of it at the rate of $21.49 each).
Also, there is no need to wash the chain with soapy water afterwards; that just creates extra steps and uses up more not-free supplies (you then have to rinse off the soapy water and then let the chain dry, and as a "bonus" it could start to rust from the water), and it accomplishes nothing of any value. Gasoline doesn't leave any significant amount of residue behind when it dries, and what tiny amount may be there isn't enough to interfere with whatever chain lubricant you use.
Out of curiosity, what do you do with the oily rags? Can they be cleaned and re-used?
Yeah just wash them with a whole lot of detergent.
That's something I also wonder about... it doesn't feel right to just put them in the washing machine, but then again... most of the sod/dirt should be out of the chain at this point and in the first jar, so maybe the rags aren't in that bad a shape... maybe we just hand wash them?
I have a bucket and a toilet plunger (dedicated only for this task) where I wash them on their own with lots of dish detergent. I never put these rags in the washing machine. I drilled holes in the plunger to let the water squirt through it. It works well enough for oily shop rags.
Wash them at the local laundromat. No sense in f'in up your washer at home.
I just wash mine by hand. Dish detergent and hot water and good to go. Don't bung them in with your clothes.
Elbow Grease from B&M. £1 a bottle. Cleans entire drive train to like new.
Thanks I'll try that 2 morro🙂
@@steve-rb9bm wife bought me another bottle yesterday and I’m informed it’s now 89p 😀
@@MarkRiddellRacing even better fab 😃
Muc off is expensive. Top tip, use Janitol Plus, you can get of from screwfix, 5litres of concentrate costs around £13 , dilute it with water and it works brilliantly and lasts forever. I’ve been using it on my motorbikes, cars and cycles for absolutely years, superb stuff and funnily enough, looks just like muc off.
#AskGCNTech
Thank you for the tips
Does it matter which way you put the non directional chain back on?
Of course, I did not check to see what side it was on to start with.
good question......
does it?
So, half bottle of muc-off degreaser, half bottle of muc-off bike cleaner, plus half an hour on moving your chain from one bottle to another one. Not to mention you also need some master-link storage, and they aren't cheap for 12sp chains if you do it multiple times. No thanks, I will wash it with a chain cleaning tool, and only use around 100ml of degreaser. Bike cleaner can be replaced by regular detergent as well, personally tested, more cost-effective IMO.
I would say you can save some time and use one of those clip on chain cleaners. Put some degreaser in it and you've got a pretty clean chain in less than a minute. Now the much bigger problem is cleaning your cassette without taking it off the bike.
As usual just another workshop that is reasonably close to real life usability. Amazing. And I've got enough bikes to use that method for. But since I recently switched from standard lube to wax for my road bike, I wonder if this cleaning method also fits such chains. Getting wax off the chain and the sprockets seems to require a little extra effort or maybe some other "degreaser" (dewaxer? 🤔)...
Nevertheless, I am quite convinced that wax is a great alternative to chain lubricant. May worth an extra video about that topic. 😉
Sounds like you're using drip wax not immersive, and likely too much of it. Either way, meths and a cloth melts wax on chainrings etc and boiling water will melt the wax off (don't shake this in a glass jar though!)
Ultrasonic bath . I use it to clean my wife’s jewellery as well as other components
I like this guy…. Great video BTW
You can just put neutral sticky tape all around the jar for one layer. It prevents split everywhere if jar cracked
Sounds like you cracked a jar?
@@alexbergkvist7214 instead of crack a jar, I dropped it while shaking it.
(sticky tape does prevent it split all around).
Good idea 👍
I just use Isopropyl Alcohol. A bottle of it is less than one dollar in the grocery store. When finished I can just dump it in the yard and it evaporates away. That's a huge cost saving over that Muc-Off crap.
i wash my bike nearly every monday. my method is using a hard plastic bristle gun brush. while spinning the chain apply degreaser. after several passes. rinse with hose and repeat the process 2 more times. next i use an high pressure air hose set on medium to dry the chain. run my fingers and see it’s cleaned. continue washing the rest of the bike. on light setting air dry the bike. apply lube to chain. go ride on the weekend and repeat cleaning on monday. sorry guys i work at a car dealer and have access to all the cleaning solutions to detail vehicles.
Instead of a glass jar, the Purist water bottle has a silicon dioxide coating that acts like glass. It should also be noted that just because the cleaning product is biodegradable doesn't excuse the potentially harmful effect of the lube.
yeah, why not spend $100 for 2 freakin bottles in which to wash your chains 😆😆
correct about the lube residues though, was thinking the same.
@@Ris-v4w I see I wasn't being clear with what I mentioned. I'm referring to the water bottles that use the Purist technology such as the Specialized ones, and not the actual Purist bottles.
since you're using jars anyway, after the chain is dry after the water rinse, you could have a final jar filled with chain lube that you give it a final soak in to make sure that the lube fully penetrates into the rollers. after all you've already got it off the bike at that point and since you're putting a clean chain in the jar, you can put the lid on and reuse it.
I spy a Park Tool pizza cutter back there. I love mine :D