I have been riding and maintaining bikes for nearly 40 years. I am not impressed by this video and I have a few thoughts on it: 1. The factory lube is in fact a really excellent deep penetrating lube for your chain, despite the fact that it can attract some dirt. A lot of folks agree. Personally I keep it on for a while and ride until chain is very dirty and needs a good clean. 2. You don’t need to remove the chain from your bike in order to degrease it. Use a Park tool chain bath or something similar. It does a great job and no need to worry about breaking the chain and rejoining etc. It also has the added benefit of agitating your chain physically in the degreaser rather than just sitting there. 3. You need to thoroughly rinse the chain with water a couple of times after you degrease it in order to wash and flush the degreaser out and completely off the chain, including from in amongst the rivets. Wiping off the degreaser from the outside does not remove the degreaser from inside the chain which is amongst the rivets. 4. Following this you need to dry your chain using paper towels or a dry clean rag to make sure all the water is removed. I also leave it overnight to evaporate and dry further before re-oiling. 5. Re-oiling the chain by running the chain fast under the nozzle of your oil bottle is lazy and actually a really a poor way of oiling your chain. Instead oil each rivet individually and slowly by hand making sure the chain is completely saturated and gets into each link join. Give it an hour or more to sink in. Then clean the excess lube off from the outside of the chain and off from the chain rings and jockey wheels.
@@MD.media01 hi, depends on the pressure you apply. Just need to lightly hold thick paper kitchen roll sheet around chain and run through and then change to different parts of the paper towel before it starts ripping. Or like I say just can use a dry cloth instead.
Holy cow! If you do this every time you've been in wet/dirty conditions - Respect! No way I can find time and energy to do this 'trick' more than a few times a year...
Me too. This seems to me extremely inefficient. If he does this really after every wet/muddy ride, he wasts soo much time of his life. I mean... Normal chain maintenance needs what, 5 minutes? Clean it, relubricate it, remove acess oil. He needs I would guess an hour? For what? To save 30 Bucks every 4-6 months? Before a race, yes, absolutely. For everyday riding? Hell no, I have better things to do.
@@dag1704 yep! For my opinion, methode like this costs a lot more time, than price equivalent of the chain. Seems like less cost is just buy a new chain when it dies instead doing this almost every other day. This methode, for me, looks like I have to grovel to my bike, instead riding whith pleasure. I just trying to say, that u need to spend a LOT of time for this. It`s okay if u have much of free time, but it doesn`t if u have to work 50+ hours in a week, lol.
FINALLY, Someone that maintains their drive train the same way I do. I truly hate having a black chain and you can almost hear the money grinding away when it sounds gritty. Done it that way for nearly 30 years (and owned a bike shop), never snapped a chain or had a chain suck or slip but out lasted everyone else's drive trains.
I think is better to remove cassette before cleaning. Degreasing spray and oil from brush can end on disc rotor. Result is contamination, which is bad.
Soak and flush the chain in petrol, dry off with a rag, soak in de-greaser and flush with waste, dry off with a rag. Allow the grime to settle, drain off and save the petrol and de-greaser for later reuse. Melt paraffin wax to about 55-60DegC take off the heat and add approx 20% 20w50 oil. Pour into a plastic container that the wax can be removed when it solidifies later on so you can remelt. While the wax is still liquid immerse the chain fully so it is covered with a bout 50mm of hot melted wax over it. Agitate the a little to allow the wax/oil to penetrate and displace any air within the chain and leave for about 10-15 minuets. Fish out the chain with a wire hook while the wax is still molten and a skin is just forming on the surface of the wax. The chain will still be hot allow the wax to drain off and lightly wipe off the excess wax. Allow the chain to air cool and reinstall chain on the bike. The wax/oil mix will have lower the melting point to a bout 35-40 deg C for remelting and waxing the chain. The wax mix on the chain will become soft at around 28-30DegC and unlikely to spatter all over your bike as oil does . Sand and dust is less likley to stick to this mix than it is to oil or grease. Re-wax every 4-6weeks depending on how much you ride.
I clean my bike with a pressure washer, plus bike shampoo and a brush. Never had any problems. No matter how clean it can be, as soon as you drive on a trail or just drive through the forest, everything is dirty anyway. And even on the street it quickly gets dirty again.
I love how much effort you put into cleaning your bike. first you go through every hole in the pulleys with a towel, then you lace shoelaces all around your chain in both directions haha.
I service my bike at home so I switched to wax. I remove the chain, clean it in a bottle with a small ammount of mineral spirits, then place it in a molten wax bath for 5 minutes. Waxed chain leaves no grime so I don't have to degrease the rest of my transmission - everyghing can be cleaned with warm water and a rag/brush, no mess. Performance-wise, didn't feel any difference.
A.wet the bike B.Motip gel degreaser on the chain and cassette C.fill up the chain cleaning device with degreaser C.Spray with WD 40 bike wash liquid everything including the foaming drivetrain. D. Run 50 rotations with the device filled with degreaser and another 50 with water E. Hard brush long bristles do cassette and chainring. Rest bike with sponge. Rinse everything. Dry with rag. PTFE spray on derailleur, dry lube always on the chain, brunox on shocks and dropper posts. That's 10 minutes. It's my nemesis but it's done after every single ride right at the car parking.
Always protect your rotors from overspray of lube. I forgot to do this on my rear disk. Just a little bit of overspray will mess up the pads if it's not cleaned up.
Why lubricate the chain before cleaning the cassette? Wouldn't it make more sense to first clean & degrease the cassette before lubing the chain and cassette?
Wheel out to clean cassette - one drop of oil per link at a time - takes longer but more effective - not sure citrus degreaser will contaminate discs but good practice to protect them regardless.
You can do something similar for the frame. Wash thoroughly, let dry and then apply Pledge furniture polish. After a muddy ride, just let the mud dry and then brush off the mud which will flake off easily. Works on the cassette and exterior of chain as well, as an alternative to silicone, mentioned by others.
I totally agree keeping drivetrain clean and dry is most important. But i would suggest to use dry industrial chain grease, it is times better than bike chain greases. But ofcorse after applying the excess must be cleaned because chain only needs grease inside bushes not outside.
It really helps to do it when you arrive rather than right before your ride. It allows the WD-40 to dry out and the lubricant to penetrate the chain rollers.
I use different method. Couple years back, seen some people using paraffine / beeswax method. Tried that, worked nice. I improved it with graphite powder. Nothing sticks to the chain, and sounds healthier. But, I'm riding mostly gravel roads and city. So this isn't solution for everyone. I concluded that not having a grease is way better then have abrasives stuck to chain. In my case I use dry grease with graphite, it lasts around 200 kilometres, then it needs to be greased again, for that i make terpentine or kerosene solution, same stuff but diluted in solvent. Works great, made a lot of kilometres, feels fine.
Cleaning the cassette after lubricating the chain? Is the video in the correct order? I would clean everything first, then I use an air compressor to dry the chain. Leave it for a while then lube everything.
Well, this is the right video for Pressure washer cleaning and oil lube haters. Everyone here seems to be owner of the truth. I like to spend some time cleaning my bike, gives you the oportunity to inspect the bike for debris or any other stuff. And for you haters: I use silicone Spray on fork stanchions, cassette and chainring (and yes, wheel on the bike) before any ride.
My experience is That instead of brunox/wd40/whatever mulitioil I do the same at the end with silicon spray. That mix of good chain oil and silicon works perfect in mud and dirt.
I cook my chain once a year in Putoline chain grease (more like wax, stays where it should) in the can for Non-O-Ring motorcycle chains together with my 125 cc Chain. During the year I only Keeper the chain clean / rust protected by Pullis it through a cloth with some gear oil or any other oil. Same with all my motorcycle chains.
Beautiful! 1. Use guest WC towels 2. Using Ozy’s latest ptfe wax works even better on chain, in wettest UK 3. Sonic bath, decreases the chain best 4. Don’t get caught by the wife using guest towels 5. Mix a glass of gin&tonic, because you deserve it!
I would honestly take the wheel off to remove the cassette to achieve that cleanliness and lubing. I’m not a fan of submersing the chain in degreaser or paraffin as I’ve seen some bike shops do it. Q20 degreased and leaves just the right lube film on the chain. The real trick is to NOT use commercial lubes: squirt, white lightning, finishline are all dirt magnets, it creates a compound that kills your drivetrain, whether in wet or dry conditions, DO NOTuse these products, Q20 with proper cleaning is all you need. My XX1 eagle chain and chainrings last a minimum of 3000km, I practice what I preach.
I think it also great to invest a leaf blower in drying your bike as it drives water away from small crevices. Sometimes you never know water stays on places not reached by drying towels.
Paraffin wax is my favorite for the chain. I'm not able to use it now because I'm running a Dura Ace chain and the chain must be taken off to hot wax. Shimano does not recommend a master link and I don't want to replace a chain pin every cleaning. I wipe the chain clean after every ride and I lube with Boshield T9 on the chain pins. Highly successful.
by pressure washing the rear sprocket, all the grease and mud goes to the rear sprocket. It's a big mistake. if so, direct the nozzles from the side of the shield or vertically from above onto the rack.
I wash my chains with gasoline with a brush (cleans away the muddy grease) , after clean with warm soapy water , and dry out on hot surface , or in sunrise, Muc Off dry lube, then go ride, this procedure 3-4 time / week, or after each muddy ride
First question...is your floor covered in little gunk bits and what did you put down to collect them. Second, is your wall covered in grease splatter from all that brushing? Third, how is your brake rotor not contaminated from all that careless brushing in the rear?
Everyone says "clean drivetrain religiously", oh but use "special lubricants" then clean them off every ride or when the chain and cassette are visually dirty. Might as well use any CHEAP oil because it gets cleaned off anyway. All I've used is clean engine oil and motorcycle fork oil and have had a cassette last for over 4 years and still going. Not going to buy expensive lube.
Rather meaningless to say 4 years. In 4 years I put 50,000 km on my bike. Does your cassette last over 50,000km? My brother hasn't changed his cassette in 20 years, but then he never rides the bike!
Every time? I ride my bike 5-6 times a week, so no. I clean the chain, cassette, etc, with towel and thats it. I mean, how many time does it cost to clean the bike nearly every day this way? 8-10 Hours a week, just for cleaning?
Hi, mechanic from moab utah here. You should be cleaning your bike dependent on the conditions you ride in. If its a lot of mud and wet conditions you really want to keep it clean after every ride. If its dry and a little dusty a simple wipe down of the chain is fine. Washing with water and dish soap and a brush should be good enough for muddy days.
Fully agree with that except I would probably use car soap instead of dishsoap just to protect the bike's factory paint protection, but yeah riding with a dirty bike without washing it is a great way to get dirt into your bearings.
One day I will be rich and powerful enough to fly this guy to my mansion everyday to do his thing on my bikes. Until then I will ride lots but clean, not so much.
You've also really got to get the grit out of the internal part of the chain rollers if you've been riding in the mud. It acts like sand paper and really shortens your chain life.
@@GorgeGeorg if you have the time to do it then yes. Most people just won't waste hours and hours just to save $20 chain. Once in a while or if your chain/cassette/chain ring is dirty, use brush or rag, wipe down quickly as much as you can and relube. Done
@@qui11 Yes, but my comment was directed to people who would actually watch a video about Mountain Bike / Chain Clean - you know - people watching this video and are thus more like to care Then the "Most people" you refer to who would never watch this video in the first place.
The chains are rolled in hot oil in the factory. This is a heavy weight oil. Think of 40 weight motor oil which is pretty much syrup when cold. That’s why waxing a chain works. Anyway, thanks for the share. 👍🏻
I am not a fried of degreaser and i think it doesn't belong to the chain. The original lube is a bit sticky and should be cleaned from the outside chain - but a bath in degreaser is really too much and probably does more damage than help! I use a self made chain lube from some wax, some permanent grease with dry lube (MoS2) + some diesel oil for solution. Works great so far!
How will removing grease damage steel? How can one effectively apply a dry lube or wax based lubricant when there is already oil on the chain? The oil from the factory is on the chain to keep it from rusting on the shelf, it's not appropriate as a chain lubricant. It needs to be removed before applying a proper chain lube. You can half ass it and apply whatever you want over top of the factory applied oil, but you'll get much better results if you thoroughly clean the chain first.
Park Tool chain cleaner is very effective and you don’t need to remove the chain. Also, if you degrease the chain properly and then apply a wax based lube, then you can just rinse the chain with water only after a few rides.
Using a pressure sprayer is the worst way to clean your bike. Water gets in your bearings , use pledge furniture spray ,spray everything on the bike an the dirt wipes off after riding with a rag. Spray the pledge first .
Wippermann confirms on their website to wash out the conservation grease. I use Interflon Eco M100+ degreaser. Blow dry and grease with a chain oil with an evaporant. Let it rest overnight. Take the chain off first. Standard practice in industry
Weird that this guy doesn't use chain cleaner device - I've bought a no-name transparent black-ish one more than 10 years ago - and it still works (the foam part for soaking up liquid when chain exits the device had to be changed several times). Just a week ago we used it on my kid's bike - who, unlike his father, isn't too lazy to ride during winter - and the chain, after abt. 5 minutes of washing in a mixture of white spirit and small amount of acetone - looked and felt like new (previously it had lots of rust on it due to road salt), after a quick drying and lubing with MucOff chain lube, the chain was perfect - without the need to take the chain off. After seeing how dirty the liquid in it was I decided to reuse it also on my bike (a reused thing has double the value) which had been left with dirty chain since October or something, and it came out perfect - again, without the need to ever take the chain off. Just a week ago got corrageous and splashed out entire 16 EUROS on a new chain cleaner - Cyclone from Park Tool - hasn't arrived yet, but I bet it will be even better than the old noname. Also - weird that this guy cleans cassette AFTER cleaning and greasing the chain - should be vice versa. Also - you DO NOT USE WD40 on your chain or sprockets. Actually - anywhere on the bike. It's staying very wet and sticky for an extremely long time and like a magnet attracts all sorts of stuff, which makes its way into the chain and sprockets. It's not a good product for the bicycle (although it might say so on the can). Also - the use of metal (hard tool steel) screwdriver on plastic pulleys doesn't seem right. There are special tools for this - or use something of hard plastic, like a large size cable-tie. Overall - for a "pro" that this guy claims to be (well, giving advice on the inter-webs kinda equals such a claim) - several crucial shortcomings.
"Also - you DO NOT USE WD40 on your chain or sprockets. Actually - anywhere on the bike." The use of WD-40 is perfectly fine in this case. He is thoroughly cleaning off the extra oil after application anyways. WD-40 contains a light lubricant that isn't going to last long but since he is cleaning and reapplying the lube after each ride that should not be an issue. There are obviously better lubricants, which he also mentioned, but for this method it does not matter too much. The cassette does not need a whole lot of lubrification since the chain is also lubed up. "Also - the use of metal (hard tool steel) screwdriver on plastic pulleys doesn't seem right." Those are not made from plastic but anodized aluminum or steel or even titanium. You are not going to scratch off the anodization of the gears unless you really really scrape hard. The chain that scrapes across those is made from hard steel as well.... Should you manage to scratch them a replacement set is usually less then $10. The chainring is also not made from plastic but aluminum or steel or even titanium. Are you talking about the CFRP cover? "Overall - for a "pro" that this guy claims to be (well, giving advice on the inter-webs kinda equals such a claim) - several crucial shortcomings." The guy says that he is using this method in actual races,... races you can watch here on this channel if you don't believe him lol.
1) Put degreaser on the drive train 2)Clean chain with degreaser 3)Wash off old degreaser with water from the drive train and chain 4)Clean drive train with a brush and water 5)Wash the entire bike (optional) 6)Let it dry 7) Lube Chain (***Not recommended to degrease the chain and then apply degreaser on the drive train as degreaser may solve the lube on the chain ***)
Was this edited in the wrong order? Sure degrease the chain if you must but you must get rid of that degreaser from deep inside the links or your lube will never make it in there. That normally means a water wash afterwards if your degrease is soluble then shake out the excess ( air gun if you can ) then leave to dry, not dry to touch but dry out. Then 1 drop of lube per link, don't get it on the edges, just the rollers. if you lay the chain on paper towel you can do the whole lot, if not just do the exposed inner links, leave a few mins then turn the crank to expose the next links ( normally about 3 times ) Run the chain through all the gears to put some lube on the gears then wipe off everything with a towel leaving only lube in the rollers. Leave overnight at least before riding. Unless your ride is proper muddy or a long wet one use dry lube only, the odd bit of wet on a couple of hour ride won't remove a dry lube enough to hurt. However after every ride wipe the chain clean with a rag, be it dust or mud. If the weathers dry this is all you should need do for a few rides before a full relube. If wet I then wash with muc off, spray with a disperser, dry, leave overnight and lube the next day.
Masterlinks CAN be reused if they specifically say so on the product description, KMC makes them and many that are not strictly reusable can, and have been reused with no problems.
This is dangerous advice. Just do not reuse chainlinks which are not specified to be reused! Think about it in the second you go all out on a sprint and your chain snaps .... happy hospital ...
Apparently we all have our own ritual method of drivetrain maintenance. Yours seems to have triggered a few in the comment section. lol I enjoyed it nonetheless.
@@pewe7314 it is outdated announcement. Even in Sheldon times there were already better lubes, than stock chain oil. By the way if You leave stock lube and then apply f.e. wax lube - it would not work.
Nice but - • Be kind to your bearings: don't use high pressure water jets to clean your beloved bike. • Clean the cassette with the rear wheel off the bike. • Avoid using aerosols, which can easily contaminate the disc rotor. • Use a wax-based emulsion chain lubricant eg Squirt, or a wax/PTFE home-made mix. It enters the rollers, then dries, leaving no sticky residue. It is easy to clean after a ride too - just hot soapy water,, dry the chain and reapply.
Modern bearings are sealed and all the pro teams use pressure washers it's a none issue, just look at the dozens of YT vids of people testing it out. Put this in the same category as "washing up liquid rots your paint"
@@Bikey_McBeardfacehave you ever replaced or maintained bearings? bearings have seals for many many years. No seal will resist pressure water like that. Will still work but reduce it's lifetime by a lot as grease will be mixture with water and dilute. Pro teams do that because they replace bearings as often as we replace our underwear so they don't care. Advise. Don't do pressure near any bearing.
Man I was hopping for a magic spay that would shed mud away, this is nothing but a lot of work and once a season type thing (fore me), but I guess when your racing it's worth it
Great video, thanks. Would you recommend Eagle or XTR when thinking about mud clearance and ease of maintenance? My experience with older Shimano groupsets was that mud builds up quite easily in the cassette for example.
Well, some questionable details like the pressure washer or the spray towards the brake disc. After all you cleaned and lubricated your drivetrain with quite some passion. OK, but how does that make it mud proof? The mud will stick a little less easy on a cleaned and lubricated surface but in the end it will stick anyway.
Wow a pressure washer to wash the bike- hell no ! I’ve gone through two sets of pivot bearings in the last 6 months cost me a fortune at the bike shop. I have the Orbea rallon m10 2018 great cleaning vid though thanks.
Thanks for the video! - very helpful. I'm curious if there is a DIY degreaser you recommend? or something I can buy from the grocery store? Like dishwashing soap? You're going to pay much more for a "bike" degreaser. Thanks.
Squirt the 🔝, you'll never need to degrease again the chain, except on extraordinary cleaning when you dismount the chain. Using squirt I extended life chain of 50% more.
I have been riding and maintaining bikes for nearly 40 years. I am not impressed by this video and I have a few thoughts on it:
1. The factory lube is in fact a really excellent deep penetrating lube for your chain, despite the fact that it can attract some dirt. A lot of folks agree. Personally I keep it on for a while and ride until chain is very dirty and needs a good clean.
2. You don’t need to remove the chain from your bike in order to degrease it. Use a Park tool chain bath or something similar. It does a great job and no need to worry about breaking the chain and rejoining etc. It also has the added benefit of agitating your chain physically in the degreaser rather than just sitting there.
3. You need to thoroughly rinse the chain with water a couple of times after you degrease it in order to wash and flush the degreaser out and completely off the chain, including from in amongst the rivets. Wiping off the degreaser from the outside does not remove the degreaser from inside the chain which is amongst the rivets.
4. Following this you need to dry your chain using paper towels or a dry clean rag to make sure all the water is removed. I also leave it overnight to evaporate and dry further before re-oiling.
5. Re-oiling the chain by running the chain fast under the nozzle of your oil bottle is lazy and actually a really a poor way of oiling your chain. Instead oil each rivet individually and slowly by hand making sure the chain is completely saturated and gets into each link join. Give it an hour or more to sink in. Then clean the excess lube off from the outside of the chain and off from the chain rings and jockey wheels.
I appreciate this constructive comment, it looks like the way to go.
I've been using Rock and Roll Gold chain lube on a friend's recommendation, which seems to work well for both cleaning and drying/protecting.
Excellent comment 👏
Comment beats video :)
@@MD.media01 hi, depends on the pressure you apply. Just need to lightly hold thick paper kitchen roll sheet around chain and run through and then change to different parts of the paper towel before it starts ripping. Or like I say just can use a dry cloth instead.
Wow! You can apply this method to ANYTHING!
- mud free clipless cleats? Wash them.
- mud free pedals? Wash them.
- mud free frame? Wash it.
See? Wow! 😆
You loco man
Holy cow! If you do this every time you've been in wet/dirty conditions - Respect! No way I can find time and energy to do this 'trick' more than a few times a year...
Me too.
This seems to me extremely inefficient.
If he does this really after every wet/muddy ride, he wasts soo much time of his life.
I mean... Normal chain maintenance needs what, 5 minutes? Clean it, relubricate it, remove acess oil. He needs I would guess an hour? For what? To save 30 Bucks every 4-6 months?
Before a race, yes, absolutely. For everyday riding? Hell no, I have better things to do.
@@dag1704 yep! For my opinion, methode like this costs a lot more time, than price equivalent of the chain. Seems like less cost is just buy a new chain when it dies instead doing this almost every other day. This methode, for me, looks like I have to grovel to my bike, instead riding whith pleasure.
I just trying to say, that u need to spend a LOT of time for this. It`s okay if u have much of free time, but it doesn`t if u have to work 50+ hours in a week, lol.
Why not clean the cassette before putting the lube on the chain?
The degreaser is now working the lube that just got put on the chain. Makes no sense.
FINALLY, Someone that maintains their drive train the same way I do.
I truly hate having a black chain and you can almost hear the money grinding away when it sounds gritty.
Done it that way for nearly 30 years (and owned a bike shop), never snapped a chain or had a chain suck or slip but out lasted everyone else's drive trains.
I think is better to remove cassette before cleaning. Degreasing spray and oil from brush can end on disc rotor. Result is contamination, which is bad.
Soak and flush the chain in petrol, dry off with a rag, soak in de-greaser and flush with waste, dry off with a rag. Allow the grime to settle, drain off and save the petrol and de-greaser for later reuse.
Melt paraffin wax to about 55-60DegC take off the heat and add approx 20% 20w50 oil. Pour into a plastic container that the wax can be removed when it solidifies later on so you can remelt.
While the wax is still liquid immerse the chain fully so it is covered with a bout 50mm of hot melted wax over it. Agitate the a little to allow the wax/oil to penetrate and displace any air within the chain and leave for about 10-15 minuets. Fish out the chain with a wire hook while the wax is still molten and a skin is just forming on the surface of the wax. The chain will still be hot allow the wax to drain off and lightly wipe off the excess wax. Allow the chain to air cool and reinstall chain on the bike.
The wax/oil mix will have lower the melting point to a bout 35-40 deg C for remelting and waxing the chain. The wax mix on the chain will become soft at around 28-30DegC and unlikely to spatter all over your bike as oil does . Sand and dust is less likley to stick to this mix than it is to oil or grease.
Re-wax every 4-6weeks depending on how much you ride.
that lasts months on my road bike keeps it looking new after a thousand miles
I clean my bike with a pressure washer, plus bike shampoo and a brush.
Never had any problems.
No matter how clean it can be, as soon as you drive on a trail or just drive through the forest, everything is dirty anyway.
And even on the street it quickly gets dirty again.
Indeed
I love how much effort you put into cleaning your bike. first you go through every hole in the pulleys with a towel, then you lace shoelaces all around your chain in both directions haha.
that pressure washing your bearings will thank you
I service my bike at home so I switched to wax. I remove the chain, clean it in a bottle with a small ammount of mineral spirits, then place it in a molten wax bath for 5 minutes. Waxed chain leaves no grime so I don't have to degrease the rest of my transmission - everyghing can be cleaned with warm water and a rag/brush, no mess. Performance-wise, didn't feel any difference.
A.wet the bike
B.Motip gel degreaser on the chain and cassette
C.fill up the chain cleaning device with degreaser
C.Spray with WD 40 bike wash liquid everything including the foaming drivetrain.
D. Run 50 rotations with the device filled with degreaser and another 50 with water
E. Hard brush long bristles do cassette and chainring. Rest bike with sponge.
Rinse everything. Dry with rag. PTFE spray on derailleur, dry lube always on the chain, brunox on shocks and dropper posts. That's 10 minutes. It's my nemesis but it's done after every single ride right at the car parking.
Always protect your rotors from overspray of lube. I forgot to do this on my rear disk. Just a little bit of overspray will mess up the pads if it's not cleaned up.
Degrease the cassette after you lubricate your chain? Seems backwards to me.
I think the point is to have the lubricatiom on the chain itself and not on the chainrings.
@@madmanjoe yes but he degreased the cassette with the newly cleaned and lubed chain on it.
Love the magnet to retrieve the quick link! Genius!
FYI the stuff on new chains is meant for protection and not lubrication. They should be cleaned before use.
Why lubricate the chain before cleaning the cassette? Wouldn't it make more sense to first clean & degrease the cassette before lubing the chain and cassette?
Yup
Wheel out to clean cassette - one drop of oil per link at a time - takes longer but more effective - not sure citrus degreaser will contaminate discs but good practice to protect them regardless.
Absolutely. Don’t use any spray - except maybe brake cleaner - where it could contaminate the disc or pads. A schoolboy error.
You can do something similar for the frame. Wash thoroughly, let dry and then apply Pledge furniture polish.
After a muddy ride, just let the mud dry and then brush off the mud which will flake off easily. Works on the cassette and exterior of chain as well, as an alternative to silicone, mentioned by others.
Another Wax fan here. A 1kg tub of putoline costs about the same as you probably waste on PTFE loaded oils in six months but lasts years...
I totally agree keeping drivetrain clean and dry is most important. But i would suggest to use dry industrial chain grease, it is times better than bike chain greases. But ofcorse after applying the excess must be cleaned because chain only needs grease inside bushes not outside.
The start of the video is pressure washing directly on the wheel, and bearings don't usually like that, even sealed.
It really helps to do it when you arrive rather than right before your ride. It allows the WD-40 to dry out and the lubricant to penetrate the chain rollers.
I use different method. Couple years back, seen some people using paraffine / beeswax method. Tried that, worked nice. I improved it with graphite powder. Nothing sticks to the chain, and sounds healthier. But, I'm riding mostly gravel roads and city. So this isn't solution for everyone. I concluded that not having a grease is way better then have abrasives stuck to chain. In my case I use dry grease with graphite, it lasts around 200 kilometres, then it needs to be greased again, for that i make terpentine or kerosene solution, same stuff but diluted in solvent. Works great, made a lot of kilometres, feels fine.
You improved it or watched the updated video on adding graphite?
Cleaning the cassette after lubricating the chain? Is the video in the correct order? I would clean everything first, then I use an air compressor to dry the chain. Leave it for a while then lube everything.
Recently switched to rock n roll extreme lube no issues so far with it chain stays really clean
Spraying lube so close to the brake rotor 😱
Next weeks vid fixing broken brakes
@@luminousfractal420 or a video on removing gravel from his face because his bike wouldn’t stop
Aside from his debateable method of lubing the chain. This is what compelled me to give a thumbs down.
It was degreaser, not lube 🤙
Me and the boys lubing the chain
Mud proof drive train ? Yeah ok . Just after I finish grooming my unicorn
Very satisfying watching such a gunked up jockey wheel be cleaned!
Well, this is the right video for Pressure washer cleaning and oil lube haters.
Everyone here seems to be owner of the truth.
I like to spend some time cleaning my bike, gives you the oportunity to inspect the bike for debris or any other stuff.
And for you haters: I use silicone Spray on fork stanchions, cassette and chainring (and yes, wheel on the bike) before any ride.
Why on the wheel?
@@psychonaut038 I mean I don't take out the wheels before silicon spraying, just try to be carefull around the callipers and rotors.
@@ManuelMartinez09 O haha, I read it wrong. So why u soray the chainring and stuff? I onky spray the fork.
i spray the cassette with silicone. oils attract dirt. IMO
My experience is That instead of brunox/wd40/whatever mulitioil I do the same at the end with silicon spray. That mix of good chain oil and silicon works perfect in mud and dirt.
I cook my chain once a year in Putoline chain grease (more like wax, stays where it should) in the can for Non-O-Ring motorcycle chains together with my 125 cc Chain. During the year I only Keeper the chain clean / rust protected by Pullis it through a cloth with some gear oil or any other oil.
Same with all my motorcycle chains.
Beautiful!
1. Use guest WC towels
2. Using Ozy’s latest ptfe wax works even better on chain, in wettest UK
3. Sonic bath, decreases the chain best
4. Don’t get caught by the wife using guest towels
5. Mix a glass of gin&tonic, because you deserve it!
Thanks for putting me onto Oz Cycle, great channel!
I would honestly take the wheel off to remove the cassette to achieve that cleanliness and lubing. I’m not a fan of submersing the chain in degreaser or paraffin as I’ve seen some bike shops do it. Q20 degreased and leaves just the right lube film on the chain. The real trick is to NOT use commercial lubes: squirt, white lightning, finishline are all dirt magnets, it creates a compound that kills your drivetrain, whether in wet or dry conditions, DO NOTuse these products, Q20 with proper cleaning is all you need. My XX1 eagle chain and chainrings last a minimum of 3000km, I practice what I preach.
And ALWAYS use a chain wear indicator too, it will save you $1000's over a few short years
I think it also great to invest a leaf blower in drying your bike as it drives water away from small crevices. Sometimes you never know water stays on places not reached by drying towels.
Would a hair dryer do the trick?
@@kevinevangelista8362 can be..but a leaf blower has a stronger motor thus will blow stronger air.
my technic more or less is similar like yours. the crucial application to have is patient.
what about the overspray on the brake rotor?
Have you experimented with hot waxing your chain? Parafin wax works well as a lubricant and no dirt or dust sticks to it.
Paraffin wax is my favorite for the chain. I'm not able to use it now because I'm running a Dura Ace chain and the chain must be taken off to hot wax. Shimano does not recommend a master link and I don't want to replace a chain pin every cleaning. I wipe the chain clean after every ride and I lube with Boshield T9 on the chain pins. Highly successful.
Godamn!!! You lubed the hell outta that chain bro!!! I just feel sorry for that brake rotor 😎
by pressure washing the rear sprocket, all the grease and mud goes to the rear sprocket. It's a big mistake. if so, direct the nozzles from the side of the shield or vertically from above onto the rack.
Waxing the chain is the way to go!
Be sure to melt the wax after you put it on
@@Fred_the_1996 I usually submerge it into melted wax, and cook about 10 minutes to get rid of all air bubbles around pins and rollers.
@@TheoreticalCyclist cool
I wash my chains with gasoline with a brush (cleans away the muddy grease) , after clean with warm soapy water , and dry out on hot surface , or in sunrise, Muc Off dry lube, then go ride, this procedure 3-4 time / week, or after each muddy ride
Hot chain waxing, the initial cleaning is a pain but after that you will wonder why you have been using chain lube all these years
First question...is your floor covered in little gunk bits and what did you put down to collect them. Second, is your wall covered in grease splatter from all that brushing? Third, how is your brake rotor not contaminated from all that careless brushing in the rear?
Everyone says "clean drivetrain religiously", oh but use "special lubricants" then clean them off every ride or when the chain and cassette are visually dirty. Might as well use any CHEAP oil because it gets cleaned off anyway. All I've used is clean engine oil and motorcycle fork oil and have had a cassette last for over 4 years and still going. Not going to buy expensive lube.
Rather meaningless to say 4 years. In 4 years I put 50,000 km on my bike. Does your cassette last over 50,000km? My brother hasn't changed his cassette in 20 years, but then he never rides the bike!
Every time? I ride my bike 5-6 times a week, so no. I clean the chain, cassette, etc, with towel and thats it. I mean, how many time does it cost to clean the bike nearly every day this way? 8-10 Hours a week, just for cleaning?
Hi, mechanic from moab utah here. You should be cleaning your bike dependent on the conditions you ride in. If its a lot of mud and wet conditions you really want to keep it clean after every ride. If its dry and a little dusty a simple wipe down of the chain is fine. Washing with water and dish soap and a brush should be good enough for muddy days.
Fully agree with that except I would probably use car soap instead of dishsoap just to protect the bike's factory paint protection, but yeah riding with a dirty bike without washing it is a great way to get dirt into your bearings.
Using that metod on all bike parts and frame, silicon or teflon spray work wonders :)
yes
Degreasing the cassette after lube the chain ? Seems equal to lube a dirty chain
Yeah I screwed my hub power washing the cassette definitely a bad idea
One day I will be rich and powerful enough to fly this guy to my mansion everyday to do his thing on my bikes.
Until then I will ride lots but clean, not so much.
Just clean chain with rag and re-lube after every ride. Takes 10 mins.
You've also really got to get the grit out of the internal part of the chain rollers if you've been riding in the mud. It acts like sand paper and really shortens your chain life.
@@GorgeGeorg if you have the time to do it then yes. Most people just won't waste hours and hours just to save $20 chain. Once in a while or if your chain/cassette/chain ring is dirty, use brush or rag, wipe down quickly as much as you can and relube. Done
@@qui11 Yes, but my comment was directed to people who would actually watch a video about Mountain Bike / Chain Clean - you know - people watching this video and are thus more like to care
Then the "Most people" you refer to who would never watch this video in the first place.
There should be another part of cleaning the cleaning tools
You cannot rinse the bike with such a strong stream of water, you are causing the water to seep into places they shouldn’t get in.
Perfect way to contaminate your rear brakes. This might work but make sure you clean the disk afterwards.
Paraffin is great to clean chains about 8 quid for 4 litres in diy shop in the uk
I have been looking into waxing my chain, the ozcycle guy has some great videos on it
Have been waxing my chains for over 20 yrs. Definitely much cleaner and longer lasting. There is still wear and tare in dirty conditions though.
The chains are rolled in hot oil in the factory. This is a heavy weight oil. Think of 40 weight motor oil which is pretty much syrup when cold. That’s why waxing a chain works. Anyway, thanks for the share. 👍🏻
I am not a fried of degreaser and i think it doesn't belong to the chain. The original lube is a bit sticky and should be cleaned from the outside chain - but a bath in degreaser is really too much and probably does more damage than help! I use a self made chain lube from some wax, some permanent grease with dry lube (MoS2) + some diesel oil for solution. Works great so far!
How will removing grease damage steel? How can one effectively apply a dry lube or wax based lubricant when there is already oil on the chain? The oil from the factory is on the chain to keep it from rusting on the shelf, it's not appropriate as a chain lubricant. It needs to be removed before applying a proper chain lube. You can half ass it and apply whatever you want over top of the factory applied oil, but you'll get much better results if you thoroughly clean the chain first.
Mate keep doing what your doing your doing the Wright thing
Park Tool chain cleaner is very effective and you don’t need to remove the chain. Also, if you degrease the chain properly and then apply a wax based lube, then you can just rinse the chain with water only after a few rides.
Using a pressure sprayer is the worst way to clean your bike. Water gets in your bearings , use pledge furniture spray ,spray everything on the bike an the dirt wipes off after riding with a rag. Spray the pledge first .
Watch seths video
And these days mtbs Have sealed bearings
@@Sahkomiaas sealed but not againts pessure watter.
@@martindurchanek8090 it can be a Bad way to clean The bike but you don't Have to complain about something that small
Dude how may pro teams have to use pressure washers before you people let this one go.
Wippermann confirms on their website to wash out the conservation grease. I use Interflon Eco M100+ degreaser. Blow dry and grease with a chain oil with an evaporant. Let it rest overnight. Take the chain off first. Standard practice in industry
I can't believe folk don't know how to clean their bike. Totally amazing Probably about right for YT and FB
It’s Amazing how many people here think that the stock grease should be left on.
Which I guess is why these folks have chains that are dirty as crap
Weird that this guy doesn't use chain cleaner device - I've bought a no-name transparent black-ish one more than 10 years ago - and it still works (the foam part for soaking up liquid when chain exits the device had to be changed several times). Just a week ago we used it on my kid's bike - who, unlike his father, isn't too lazy to ride during winter - and the chain, after abt. 5 minutes of washing in a mixture of white spirit and small amount of acetone - looked and felt like new (previously it had lots of rust on it due to road salt), after a quick drying and lubing with MucOff chain lube, the chain was perfect - without the need to take the chain off. After seeing how dirty the liquid in it was I decided to reuse it also on my bike (a reused thing has double the value) which had been left with dirty chain since October or something, and it came out perfect - again, without the need to ever take the chain off. Just a week ago got corrageous and splashed out entire 16 EUROS on a new chain cleaner - Cyclone from Park Tool - hasn't arrived yet, but I bet it will be even better than the old noname. Also - weird that this guy cleans cassette AFTER cleaning and greasing the chain - should be vice versa. Also - you DO NOT USE WD40 on your chain or sprockets. Actually - anywhere on the bike. It's staying very wet and sticky for an extremely long time and like a magnet attracts all sorts of stuff, which makes its way into the chain and sprockets. It's not a good product for the bicycle (although it might say so on the can). Also - the use of metal (hard tool steel) screwdriver on plastic pulleys doesn't seem right. There are special tools for this - or use something of hard plastic, like a large size cable-tie. Overall - for a "pro" that this guy claims to be (well, giving advice on the inter-webs kinda equals such a claim) - several crucial shortcomings.
"Also - you DO NOT USE WD40 on your chain or sprockets. Actually - anywhere on the bike."
The use of WD-40 is perfectly fine in this case. He is thoroughly cleaning off the extra oil after application anyways. WD-40 contains a light lubricant that isn't going to last long but since he is cleaning and reapplying the lube after each ride that should not be an issue. There are obviously better lubricants, which he also mentioned, but for this method it does not matter too much. The cassette does not need a whole lot of lubrification since the chain is also lubed up.
"Also - the use of metal (hard tool steel) screwdriver on plastic pulleys doesn't seem right."
Those are not made from plastic but anodized aluminum or steel or even titanium. You are not going to scratch off the anodization of the gears unless you really really scrape hard.
The chain that scrapes across those is made from hard steel as well....
Should you manage to scratch them a replacement set is usually less then $10.
The chainring is also not made from plastic but aluminum or steel or even titanium. Are you talking about the CFRP cover?
"Overall - for a "pro" that this guy claims to be (well, giving advice on the inter-webs kinda equals such a claim) - several crucial shortcomings."
The guy says that he is using this method in actual races,... races you can watch here on this channel if you don't believe him lol.
1) Put degreaser on the drive train
2)Clean chain with degreaser
3)Wash off old degreaser with water from the drive train and chain
4)Clean drive train with a brush and water
5)Wash the entire bike (optional)
6)Let it dry
7) Lube Chain
(***Not recommended to degrease the chain and then apply degreaser on the drive train as degreaser may solve the lube on the chain ***)
Put something on your disc before spry- lubing......
7:41 I bet those brakes sound nice
Lol
Its a degreaser hehe yes the brakes will be grease free 😆
Stole the words out my mouth 😂
Was this edited in the wrong order?
Sure degrease the chain if you must but you must get rid of that degreaser from deep inside the links or your lube will never make it in there.
That normally means a water wash afterwards if your degrease is soluble then shake out the excess ( air gun if you can ) then leave to dry, not dry to touch but dry out.
Then 1 drop of lube per link, don't get it on the edges, just the rollers. if you lay the chain on paper towel you can do the whole lot, if not just do the exposed inner links, leave a few mins then turn the crank to expose the next links ( normally about 3 times )
Run the chain through all the gears to put some lube on the gears then wipe off everything with a towel leaving only lube in the rollers.
Leave overnight at least before riding.
Unless your ride is proper muddy or a long wet one use dry lube only, the odd bit of wet on a couple of hour ride won't remove a dry lube enough to hurt.
However after every ride wipe the chain clean with a rag, be it dust or mud.
If the weathers dry this is all you should need do for a few rides before a full relube.
If wet I then wash with muc off, spray with a disperser, dry, leave overnight and lube the next day.
Yeah, i doing it after every my Ride. It works like a Dream.
This has got to be the worst tutorial for cleaning.
What was the point in cleaning the front chainring if you put the dirty chain back on it?
What do u think about waxing the chain. And u will rest from all this headache
I've yet to see him comment on chain waxing! But I think it's the next (current) big thing.
After all that work, your video ends up a good promotion for Zwift! 😉
Masterlinks CAN be reused if they specifically say so on the product description, KMC makes them and many that are not strictly reusable can, and have been reused with no problems.
This is dangerous advice. Just do not reuse chainlinks which are not specified to be reused! Think about it in the second you go all out on a sprint and your chain snaps .... happy hospital ...
7:39 please don’t contaminate your brake rotor
pipe cleaners are also pretty handy for cleaning the cassette!
This always works best if you use the good towels, from the guest bathroom.........
couldn't agree more
Do you use the same dirty oily brushes after cleaning the chain that you used before?
The best method for a clean drive train is hot waxing your chain. I've been doing it for 10 years.
how about rust ?
Apparently we all have our own ritual method of drivetrain maintenance.
Yours seems to have triggered a few in the comment section. lol
I enjoyed it nonetheless.
finishline green = dirt magnet. check ausbikers vids on ultimate chain lube (diy wax+teflon powder) works great.
When I see this kind of video I think how much cleaner life track racers have, especially indoor.
New chain comes with stain protection. This is NOT a lube! Before use you MUST wash out stock oil!
Not correct. The lube that comes with a new chain is the best there is. Sheldon Brown hade a great article about this.
@@pewe7314 it is outdated announcement. Even in Sheldon times there were already better lubes, than stock chain oil. By the way if You leave stock lube and then apply f.e. wax lube - it would not work.
this is good tips for cleaning. keep it up ! brother 🤟
7:38 how does this not contaminate your rotor?
Iv gone through more sets of pads with this method than iv had hot dinners 😂
its not lubricant, its degreaser
It's degreaser so no problem
Would be cool to see a comparison with or without this treatment
Great tip with the magnet at 5:47!
Nice but -
• Be kind to your bearings: don't use high pressure water jets to clean your beloved bike.
• Clean the cassette with the rear wheel off the bike.
• Avoid using aerosols, which can easily contaminate the disc rotor.
• Use a wax-based emulsion chain lubricant eg Squirt, or a wax/PTFE home-made mix. It enters the rollers, then dries, leaving no sticky residue. It is easy to clean after a ride too - just hot soapy water,, dry the chain and reapply.
Modern bearings are sealed and all the pro teams use pressure washers it's a none issue, just look at the dozens of YT vids of people testing it out. Put this in the same category as "washing up liquid rots your paint"
@@Bikey_McBeardfacehave you ever replaced or maintained bearings? bearings have seals for many many years. No seal will resist pressure water like that. Will still work but reduce it's lifetime by a lot as grease will be mixture with water and dilute. Pro teams do that because they replace bearings as often as we replace our underwear so they don't care. Advise. Don't do pressure near any bearing.
@@pmjcr than take a step back and pressure wash it
Thanks for the tips. I will see how I can implement them for easy use.
Btw, how is that Oiz? Have one in that same color with 120mm suspension.
I clean my drive train almost every ride. I normally get around 3800 km out of my xx1 chain
Man I was hopping for a magic spay that would shed mud away, this is nothing but a lot of work and once a season type thing (fore me), but I guess when your racing it's worth it
Great video, thanks. Would you recommend Eagle or XTR when thinking about mud clearance and ease of maintenance? My experience with older Shimano groupsets was that mud builds up quite easily in the cassette for example.
if you believe srams marketing it works better in mud than shimano but für lifespan and ease of maintenance take shimano 110%
Well, some questionable details like the pressure washer or the spray towards the brake disc.
After all you cleaned and lubricated your drivetrain with quite some passion. OK, but how does that make it mud proof? The mud will stick a little less easy on a cleaned and lubricated surface but in the end it will stick anyway.
It’s a lovely orbea 🤩👌
That's an oxymoron 😂
Wow a pressure washer to wash the bike- hell no ! I’ve gone through two sets of pivot bearings in the last 6 months cost me a fortune at the bike shop. I have the Orbea rallon m10 2018 great cleaning vid though thanks.
that's a bike specific pressure washer made by Mucc-off so its safe.
@@sukhjotbains8520- Ah I see. I wasnt being funny ai have googled them n have one on order.! Love the way you clean ur drive train though 👊🏻
@@BikingVikingMTB i am not the creator of the video u don;t know how I clean my drivetrain
@@sukhjotbains8520-Wires x’d
Taking ages to super clean the chain, oiling the chain, then start using degreaser on the cassette 😐😐 smart move bro keep it up 😂😂
When can I bring my bike..?😉
Solid work bro
Thanks for the video! - very helpful.
I'm curious if there is a DIY degreaser you recommend? or something I can buy from the grocery store?
Like dishwashing soap? You're going to pay much more for a "bike" degreaser. Thanks.
@Graham Bio kitchen degreaser. If you can use it on food preparation items what harm can it do to your bike?. Its also much cheaper then muck off.
Squirt the 🔝, you'll never need to degrease again the chain, except on extraordinary cleaning when you dismount the chain. Using squirt I extended life chain of 50% more.
Any tips on how to degrease/clean the brushes you use? If not, i imagine after some time you will just spread the old grime
Take and old jar and pour WD-40 (sold in gallon cans) in it. Soak the brush for a hour in there and then rinse it off.