The wet lube is certainly a bit more messy than squirt (wax based lube) but could be better for the chain in the Winter, however the jury is out. It would be interesting to hear your thoughts in the comments.
In my teens (55+ years ago) I did a huge amount of cycling - remove chain and soak in Gunk. Scrub with old nail brush. Wash in the kitchen sink! Stick it back on & oil with 3in1 - Happy Days. No gears to worry about, it was a fixed wheel. Nice one Sandy mate 👍 I'll be passing your gaff on Saturday morning so I'll give you a hoot 😃
Good chain cleaning demo, proper real world experience. As it happens i have exactly the same chain cleaning device and its very effective, the best chain cleaner ive ever had. Degreaser can be bought from motor fsctors or screwfix at £10 for 5 litres. Its water soluble, and supposedly environmentslly friendly. Riding offroad in winter my chain needs a clean every ride otherwise jt corrodes and its shimano XT quality. Ive got the art of chain cleaning down to 5 minutes so its no big deal and as Sandy says its quite theraputic. Nice video mate.
Having tried a similar device I went back to putting the chain in a plastic bottle with white spirit. A good shake then leave to dry. The white spirit can be reused.
Wet lubes are a grinding compound (oil & dirt). i switched to hot wax years ago and it makes a huge difference reducing wear on the drive train. It's very much worth the bother.
I completely agree you, hot waxed bike chains are a monumental leap forward in cycling. I can’t stress enough just how much of a difference it makes. 👍
A good educational video there Sandy. It’s important to keep the drive chain clean as it not only saves it wearing out as quickly, but also saves you a few watts of power as it runs more efficiently. It’s a bit of a pain when you have a large number of bikes as you are constantly cleaning them. I always feel better once they are done. I think you are right,it’s like therapy for the cyclist. 😊
Thank you for demonstrating one of these tools because I’ve seen them in Amazon and I really wondered if they were worth buying because I ride bicycle and cleaning your chain to be a real pain in the body. I used to just take it off and give it a gasoline wash and scrub and then give it a bathwhich is a pain in the ass
I’ve had one of these for a while now , I think it’s the best thing ever for cleaning the chain . I use the bright cleaning solution too, it’s a little bit expensive but is definitely worth it. Also after cleaning I use an airline and compressor to blow dry the chain and cassette , derailleurs too . Then relube. Brilliant. 👍
I’m a complete convert to submerged chain waxing. I recently pulled the trigger on the Silca wax system and will NEVER ever go back to messy oils again. I re-wax my chain every 150-200 miles and not only do I enjoy the benefits of an infinitely cleaner chain, drive system, back wheel and right trouser leg, but also the vastly extended life of the chain itself. After 3,500 miles my Park Tool chain checker is still recording zero chain degradation. The Silca system will pay for itself eventually. Even after a 60 miles ride I can wipe my finger across the top of the chain and it’s literally as clean as a whistle. Oh, and to fully de-wax a chain, all you have to do is open the quick-link and drop your chain in hot water - Zero mess, zero clean-ups and zero fuss! 👍
That sounds interesting. I have been using squirt wax based emulsion during the summer but went for a wet ride recently and the chain started to rust. Also a friend who was using squirt on a long wet ride ruined his chain, the rain having stripped the wax out. Otherwise I have been very pleased with squirt and will return to it in the drier months.
@ Whenever I’ve been riding through some wet weather, I dry the chain with a microfibre cloth and then a wipe over again with a paper towel or two. I then apply Silca’s Super Secret drip-wax and I’m good to go and ready for the next ride. This takes me 5 minutes, tops! My advice is to switch to a fully nickel-plated chain, or the silver/silver variant as they’re now quite often referred to.
@@martymartin2894 Way too viscous. It just can’t penetrate into the inner plates, rollers and pins. Engine oil needs to be heated up to achieve penetration viscosity; a bikes open and air-cooled drivetrain just can’t get hot enough to achieve this.
@@HenryWilkinson-c5n oh I see. I actually got good stuff in lidl recently it's a synthetic spray lube for bikes, and I also got cans of cleaner there too.
I've been mountain biking for around 30 years. I use GT 85 after a ride to clean the chain, then apply wax lube in the winter and a more oil based lube in the summer.
That has to done quite often to keep the gear changeing smooth but i find that on my mountain bike the chain still only last's 2000 to 2500 klms and 3000 to 3500 klms on my touring bike after that they are streched out enough to eat away the gear sets, and if you let that happen it all gets very expensive, great video as always, thankyou.
I used to use the big brand lubes for years, the products always broke down to the typical black mess that caked your hands or gloves when fixing punctures. Then I gave Revolubes a go for a year or two before going totally in on Smoove lube which is so clean it rubs off your hands. My age-old Park CM-5 scrubber rarely gets used now.
Messy job that sandy but worth it, look after your kit and your kit will look after you. Fred and Pete were very happy yesterday, everything went well which was good. Love to all the family hope Mandy is feeling better 😊♥️👍😉
Great tutorial Sandy, thank you👌👍When I had the bike shop we stocked the 'Finish Line' lube 🏆As you say, it stays on the chain during bad weather and the clag.
@WiltshireMan Absolutely👍 Only downside of the wet lube is that it holds on to the grit/sand/dust which if not cleaned regularly will wear the chain, teeth and jockey wheels👍👍
Thanks again for your work producing something interesting to view, I am sure every biker has their method of servicing chain gear,your new method is quite slick n easy, I always put a large sheet of cardboard down which catches all the dripped dirt n oil and is easily disposed of in many ways without stains on concrete etc. A couple episodes back you mentioned doing feature about Becket Hall as a kid I spent many many hours fishing, biking through the grounds and woodland, my mum used to work with your auntie Marjorie at the hall as it was the officers mess. Staying fit as you do Sandy will help you avoid many health issues, unlike myself since having the unsayable jab which within few days caused several heart and other issues and all so that I would be allowed visit friends family and church. The world went mad that’s for sure oh I’m sorry for rant but your channel keeps many smiling that’s for sure so keep on keeping on😅😅😅......Robert .......NZ
@@WiltshireMan Ditto… 👍 We now sadly live in a world where, Doctors destroy health, Lawyers destroy justice, Universities destroy knowledge, Governments destroy freedom, The press destroy information, Religion destroys morals, And our banks destroy the economy. (Chris Hedges)
The new chain cleaning and maintenance to that you were using new gadget for does appear to be a very therapeutic process Sandy. When you do really enjoy an item that you use for an important hobby (such as bike riding), maintaining the bike should be an enjoyable extension of your time with that hobby. You ask a lot from your equipment and always expect a lot from it and it can also be very expensive to replace. It is very beneficial to take care of that equipment a nd well worth the effort I think. Thanks for letting see your maintenance routine, we can all learn something from others. And thank you for taking us along for a little bonus ride afterwards, always enjoyable. Take care and I will see you on the next one.
@@campfire52 Yea, and Mandy will no doubt find giving Sandy a right good thick ear very therapeutic the minute she discovers that filthy oil stain on the patio. It takes 10 seconds to put a small tarp or plastic refuse sack down.
@@campfire52 Mandy’s a shrewd girl,she’ll wait till he settles down in front of the telly, they deliver a stinging blow to Sandy’s best ear. If he’s shouting a bit loudly in the next video, you’ll now know why. 😂
Always have the chain on the smallest cog ; the chain is at its lowest tension so the degreaser can get in the rollers and clean. Get muc off drivetrain cleaner. Spray on. Rinse off. Very little effort needed for the jockey wheels
thanks for that I bought the same one you're using It looks very simple.Would you please tell what bike stand you have as want to get one much appreciate for your wisdom
Hello Sandy , i've got a similar chain cleaner , very effective but very messy too . I probably don't use it that much , say every 3 months coz it's messy and i'm lazy :-)
Wet Lube is the ultimate ingredient for making a drivetrain wrecking ‘grinding-paste’. Road grit, sand and soil debris inevitably sticks to the lube like 💩 to a woollen blanket, this then rapidly reduces the working life of your chainrings, rear cassette, jockey wheels and of course, the chain itself. Even if you clean your chain after every single ride, you still won’t stop it completely. Apart from fitting a Gates carbon belt system, waxing is the only real answer.
😂 poor old jelly baby 😂 I used wurth dry lube on my motorbike chain now I have shaft drive , I have a bike coming as you motivated me / you may not approve but it gets me back out ,, I got a duotts c29 e-bike coming , it will hopefully motivate me to get some fitness back into my life , cheers Sandy
Squirt indeed washes off easily. Try Smoove if you can get hold of it. I know bikeinn still sell it. They did lands end to John o goats on it. It’s by far the best lube I’ve tried. Muc off ludacris is 2nd best but ~£35 for 50 ml. Juice Lubes make the best chain cleaner.
Ha ha thanks (NOT) for reminding me I need to do this for all the family bikes - I'll ensure no one at home sees me watching this otherwise it'll be another job to add to the to do list 😂 Cheers.
Not much point cleaning the chain and leaving the cassette dirty. I stopped using wet lube a couple of years ago, and switched to drip wax like squirt or similar. Much better, even in the wet. The wax-based stuff doesn't attract the crap like the oily ones. In wet and muddy conditions, it matters not a jot what's on the chain. 25 years of mountain bike racing taught me that.
My cleaning regime (and I use the term loosely) consists of cleaning the chain with WD40, which is actually a solvent, not a lubricant, then spraying with motorcycle chain wax and wiping off the excess. Seems to work OK.
@@adriansmith38 I completely agree! 👍 Those chain cleaning contraptions can never effectively rinse out the grinding paste from inside the rollers, pins and inner-plates. The other massive benefit of using the tried and trusted jar method is you can fill it with hot water and detergent and thoroughly breakdown the degreasing solution afterwards. I’ve seen some riders re-lubing an un-rinsed chain and then wondering why their drivetrain runs like a pig soon afterwards. 🤷♂️
A typical 8-speed, 118 link chain is constructed from 472 separate components, so it makes absolute sense to look after the one on your own noble steed doesn’t it? Inner plates, outer platers, bushings, rollers and pins all working seamlessly together like a well practiced orchestra and all it ever asks in return is a little bit of TLC every 50 or so miles. Not too much is it? True story: I once met a couple road cyclist in Italy who (I kid you not) lubricated their top of the line Campagnolo chains with the oil from freshly squeezed olives - clearly cycling purist of the absolute highest order. 🫒
The wet lube is certainly a bit more messy than squirt (wax based lube) but could be better for the chain in the Winter, however the jury is out. It would be interesting to hear your thoughts in the comments.
What about the other sprockets Sandy? Should you not be changing gears as you go?
In my teens (55+ years ago) I did a huge amount of cycling - remove chain and soak in Gunk. Scrub with old nail brush. Wash in the kitchen sink! Stick it back on & oil with 3in1 - Happy Days. No gears to worry about, it was a fixed wheel.
Nice one Sandy mate 👍 I'll be passing your gaff on Saturday morning so I'll give you a hoot 😃
The world would be a far happier place if it had more like ‘Wiltshire Man Sandy’… He’s a clearly a thoroughly decent fella. 👍
And artistic 1000%
Lovely video. Zen and the Art of Bicycle Maintenance 😄
I have one of these Sandy, incredible tool, Park Tool are the bees knees for cycle maintenance equipment. Great video. 👍
The interesting thing with Sandys channel you learn some thing every time great channel
Good chain cleaning demo, proper real world experience. As it happens i have exactly the same chain cleaning device and its very effective, the best chain cleaner ive ever had. Degreaser can be bought from motor fsctors or screwfix at £10 for 5 litres. Its water soluble, and supposedly environmentslly friendly. Riding offroad in winter my chain needs a clean every ride otherwise jt corrodes and its shimano XT quality. Ive got the art of chain cleaning down to 5 minutes so its no big deal and as Sandy says its quite theraputic. Nice video mate.
Again I agree a quiet bike purring along is very satisfying, just the sound of your tires!
Having tried a similar device I went back to putting the chain in a plastic bottle with white spirit. A good shake then leave to dry. The white spirit can be reused.
Great video, Sandy! What a wonderful tool. Looks like it works really well. Thank you for taking me along. Cheers!
A little TLC maintenance goes a long way ! Nice one Sandy enjoyed the video. My best wishes to you from the Philippines ♥️💪👍😉😀😁🏁🛺🏍️🐑🇵🇭🏴⭐
Good job there Sandy. Nice to see it done properly 😊
Wet lubes are a grinding compound (oil & dirt). i switched to hot wax years ago and it makes a huge difference reducing wear on the drive train. It's very much worth the bother.
I completely agree you, hot waxed bike chains are a monumental leap forward in cycling. I can’t stress enough just how much of a difference it makes. 👍
A good educational video there Sandy. It’s important to keep the drive chain clean as it not only saves it wearing out as quickly, but also saves you a few watts of power as it runs more efficiently. It’s a bit of a pain when you have a large number of bikes as you are constantly cleaning them. I always feel better once they are done. I think you are right,it’s like therapy for the cyclist. 😊
Paraffin in spray bottle best cleaner ever. Old cardboard box underneath
Yea, and two big fat fingers up to the environment.✌️
Hi Sandy, good to see you cleaning your bike, I'm sure it's not the first time he he!
Thank you for demonstrating one of these tools because I’ve seen them in Amazon and I really wondered if they were worth buying because I ride bicycle and cleaning your chain to be a real pain in the body. I used to just take it off and give it a gasoline wash and scrub and then give it a bathwhich is a pain in the ass
I’ve had one of these for a while now , I think it’s the best thing ever for cleaning the chain . I use the bright cleaning solution too, it’s a little bit expensive but is definitely worth it. Also after cleaning I use an airline and compressor to blow dry the chain and cassette , derailleurs too . Then relube. Brilliant. 👍
I’m a complete convert to submerged chain waxing. I recently pulled the trigger on the Silca wax system and will NEVER ever go back to messy oils again.
I re-wax my chain every 150-200 miles and not only do I enjoy the benefits of an infinitely cleaner chain, drive system, back wheel and right trouser leg, but also the vastly extended life of the chain itself. After 3,500 miles my Park Tool chain checker is still recording zero chain degradation. The Silca system will pay for itself eventually.
Even after a 60 miles ride I can wipe my finger across the top of the chain and it’s literally as clean as a whistle. Oh, and to fully de-wax a chain, all you have to do is open the quick-link and drop your chain in hot water - Zero mess, zero clean-ups and zero fuss! 👍
That sounds interesting. I have been using squirt wax based emulsion during the summer but went for a wet ride recently and the chain started to rust. Also a friend who was using squirt on a long wet ride ruined his chain, the rain having stripped the wax out. Otherwise I have been very pleased with squirt and will return to it in the drier months.
@@WiltshireManI think a drop of engine oil is as good as any of that stuff Sandy.
@ Whenever I’ve been riding through some wet weather, I dry the chain with a microfibre cloth and then a wipe over again with a paper towel or two. I then apply Silca’s Super Secret drip-wax and I’m good to go and ready for the next ride. This takes me 5 minutes, tops!
My advice is to switch to a fully nickel-plated chain, or the silver/silver variant as they’re now quite often referred to.
@@martymartin2894 Way too viscous. It just can’t penetrate into the inner plates, rollers and pins. Engine oil needs to be heated up to achieve penetration viscosity; a bikes open and air-cooled drivetrain just can’t get hot enough to achieve this.
@@HenryWilkinson-c5n oh I see. I actually got good stuff in lidl recently it's a synthetic spray lube for bikes, and I also got cans of cleaner there too.
I've been mountain biking for around 30 years. I use GT 85 after a ride to clean the chain, then apply wax lube in the winter and a more oil based lube in the summer.
That has to done quite often to keep the gear changeing smooth but i find that on my mountain bike the chain still only last's 2000 to 2500 klms and 3000 to 3500 klms on my touring bike after that they are streched out enough to eat away the gear sets, and if you let that happen it all gets very expensive, great video as always, thankyou.
I used to use the big brand lubes for years, the products always broke down to the typical black mess that caked your hands or gloves when fixing punctures. Then I gave Revolubes a go for a year or two before going totally in on Smoove lube which is so clean it rubs off your hands. My age-old Park CM-5 scrubber rarely gets used now.
Messy job that sandy but worth it, look after your kit and your kit will look after you. Fred and Pete were very happy yesterday, everything went well which was good. Love to all the family hope Mandy is feeling better 😊♥️👍😉
Congratulations on the happy day Marcus:)
@ thanks Sandy
Great tutorial Sandy, thank you👌👍When I had the bike shop we stocked the 'Finish Line' lube 🏆As you say, it stays on the chain during bad weather and the clag.
Sounds like using wet lube in winter could be the right thing to do then?
@WiltshireMan Absolutely👍 Only downside of the wet lube is that it holds on to the grit/sand/dust which if not cleaned regularly will wear the chain, teeth and jockey wheels👍👍
Thanks again for your work producing something interesting to view, I am sure every biker has their method of servicing chain gear,your new method is quite slick n easy, I always put a large sheet of cardboard down which catches all the dripped dirt n oil and is easily disposed of in many ways without stains on concrete etc. A couple episodes back you mentioned doing feature about Becket Hall as a kid I spent many many hours fishing, biking through the grounds and woodland, my mum used to work with your auntie Marjorie at the hall as it was the officers mess. Staying fit as you do Sandy will help you avoid many health issues, unlike myself since having the unsayable jab which within few days caused several heart and other issues and all so that I would be allowed visit friends family and church. The world went mad that’s for sure oh I’m sorry for rant but your channel keeps many smiling that’s for sure so keep on keeping on😅😅😅......Robert .......NZ
Keep fighting, Robert, tomorrow’s another new day. ❤
A lot of harms have been done in recent years Robert. I no longer trust authority.
@@WiltshireMan Ditto… 👍
We now sadly live in a world where,
Doctors destroy health,
Lawyers destroy justice,
Universities destroy knowledge,
Governments destroy freedom,
The press destroy information,
Religion destroys morals,
And our banks destroy the economy.
(Chris Hedges)
The new chain cleaning and maintenance to that you were using new gadget for does appear to be a very therapeutic process Sandy. When you do really enjoy an item that you use for an important hobby (such as bike riding), maintaining the bike should be an enjoyable extension of your time with that hobby. You ask a lot from your equipment and always expect a lot from it and it can also be very expensive to replace. It is very beneficial to take care of that equipment a nd well worth the effort I think. Thanks for letting see your maintenance routine, we can all learn something from others. And thank you for taking us along for a little bonus ride afterwards, always enjoyable. Take care and I will see you on the next one.
Thanks Terry, I do enjoy a bit of tinkering, the chain cleaner seemed to work well too.
@@campfire52 Yea, and Mandy will no doubt find giving Sandy a right good thick ear very therapeutic the minute she discovers that filthy oil stain on the patio. It takes 10 seconds to put a small tarp or plastic refuse sack down.
@@HenryWilkinson-c5n 🤣🤣Sandy is in great shape, he can run pretty fast I think.
@@campfire52 Mandy’s a shrewd girl,she’ll wait till he settles down in front of the telly, they deliver a stinging blow to Sandy’s best ear. If he’s shouting a bit loudly in the next video, you’ll now know why. 😂
I agree with your comments re a well-maintained bike will run better
There’s nearly 500 separate parts to a 9-speed chain, so it makes perfect sense to give yours plenty of TLC. ❤️
Great vid.....gonna get Park Tool cleaner etc, is head & shoulders ok for the rinse.....
'Ull' east yorkshire.
Those chain cleaners can sometimes feel like you’re stirring coal with a poker. They also wear out and break very quickly.
Always have the chain on the smallest cog ; the chain is at its lowest tension so the degreaser can get in the rollers and clean. Get muc off drivetrain cleaner. Spray on. Rinse off. Very little effort needed for the jockey wheels
Give the bike a wash Sandy! It's similar to what i do on my V-Strom (occasionally)
thanks for that I bought the same one you're using It looks very simple.Would you please tell what bike stand you have as want to get one much appreciate for your wisdom
Hello Sandy , i've got a similar chain cleaner , very effective but very messy too . I probably don't use it that much , say every 3 months coz it's messy and i'm lazy :-)
great visd as always thanks lee
Wet Lube is the ultimate ingredient for making a drivetrain wrecking ‘grinding-paste’. Road grit, sand and soil debris inevitably sticks to the lube like 💩 to a woollen blanket, this then rapidly reduces the working life of your chainrings, rear cassette, jockey wheels and of course, the chain itself.
Even if you clean your chain after every single ride, you still won’t stop it completely. Apart from fitting a Gates carbon belt system, waxing is the only real answer.
I have Brompton with the running gear close to ground it needs doing often.. i use same and take chain off too for a deep clean..
I've been using WD-40 to clean and then WD-40 chain lube. It seems to work okay, but I'm sure there is better. Thanks, Sandy, 🙂
"Closed Captions," Thank you!
great vlog sandy i use muc off wet lube
😂 poor old jelly baby 😂 I used wurth dry lube on my motorbike chain now I have shaft drive , I have a bike coming as you motivated me / you may not approve but it gets me back out ,, I got a duotts c29 e-bike coming , it will hopefully motivate me to get some fitness back into my life , cheers Sandy
Squirt indeed washes off easily. Try Smoove if you can get hold of it. I know bikeinn still sell it. They did lands end to John o goats on it. It’s by far the best lube I’ve tried.
Muc off ludacris is 2nd best but ~£35 for 50 ml.
Juice Lubes make the best chain cleaner.
Ha ha thanks (NOT) for reminding me I need to do this for all the family bikes - I'll ensure no one at home sees me watching this otherwise it'll be another job to add to the to do list 😂 Cheers.
Not much point cleaning the chain and leaving the cassette dirty. I stopped using wet lube a couple of years ago, and switched to drip wax like squirt or similar. Much better, even in the wet. The wax-based stuff doesn't attract the crap like the oily ones. In wet and muddy conditions, it matters not a jot what's on the chain. 25 years of mountain bike racing taught me that.
You could be right Chris, it's a learning curve for me.
Just rotate the chain backwards, applying oil to the lowest jockey wheel. Takes 10s to do the chain. Then keep rotating for a few seconds.
⚔️💪👍
Coincidentally, Graham Foot also uploaded a video about bike maintenance today. Very interesting to see his take on it Sandy ! ATB Marc
I saw Grahams video :)
My cleaning regime (and I use the term loosely) consists of cleaning the chain with WD40, which is actually a solvent, not a lubricant, then spraying with motorcycle chain wax and wiping off the excess. Seems to work OK.
Tut, tut, Sandy...your near Northrtern neighbour In Gloucestershire might suggest a more apt use for your degreaser!
I might have to get some more squirt :) One thing for sure it will be easy to clean and degrease
Good day Sandy from NZ in spring time, a couple of you 0:05 sag
Forget the tool ,elbow grease degreaser 1 pound in shops and rag just as good.
Thankfully I never have to do this with my Penny-Farthing… Tyres a a bit of a pig to get hold of though. 😂
I'm guilty as charged on this one Sandy 😂 .I've needs doing
Get it done Steve, look after the chain and hopefully it will last a bit longer without troubles
Your Mandy’s gonna give you a right thick ear the minute she discovers that filthy oil stain on her patio. 🧑🏼🦲🤛
I use WD40 and an old pair of skids! 😆
Or a silicone based lube.
I second that, kidda 74.
Do you wash those old pants beforehand, or do the skid-marks make a useful abrasive? 😂
Too much mess. Easier to just remove the chain and clean in a jam jar
@@adriansmith38 I completely agree! 👍 Those chain cleaning contraptions can never effectively rinse out the grinding paste from inside the rollers, pins and inner-plates.
The other massive benefit of using the tried and trusted jar method is you can fill it with hot water and detergent and thoroughly breakdown the degreasing solution afterwards. I’ve seen some riders re-lubing an un-rinsed chain and then wondering why their drivetrain runs like a pig soon afterwards. 🤷♂️
That's a fancy bit of kit, but nothing cleans a chain like a pressure washer with hot soapy water.
And rapidly destroys it as well. Not to mention the adverse effect it has on the environment. 😔
A typical 8-speed, 118 link chain is constructed from 472 separate components, so it makes absolute sense to look after the one on your own noble steed doesn’t it?
Inner plates, outer platers, bushings, rollers and pins all working seamlessly together like a well practiced orchestra and all it ever asks in return is a little bit of TLC every 50 or so miles. Not too much is it?
True story: I once met a couple road cyclist in Italy who (I kid you not) lubricated their top of the line Campagnolo chains with the oil from freshly squeezed olives - clearly cycling purist of the absolute highest order. 🫒