Bike chains are often a forgotten component of a bike. Wipe clean the sprockets and chain rings. You’ll get mixed results with really stubborn grit, but it’ll do an impressive job at getting in all the nooks and crannies. Cleaning a Bike Chain With WD-40. In this quickest of methods, simply wrap the chain with a clean, lint-free cloth, and then backpedal the drivetrain through it to wipe off the exterior muck. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. This opens the master link, meaning you can now feed the chain through the drivetrain. Depending on your lube choice, it might be a good idea to clean your chain like this after every ride. A stiff-bristled brush, such as a cog brush or paint brush, A container to use as a degreasing bath (a plastic storage bucket or large ice cream container work well), or a dedicated parts washer, Assess whether the chain is worn and needs replacement. While slowly backpedaling the rear wheel, apply one drop of lube to each link (roller) in the chain until the entire chain has been coated. After you're finished with the chain, take a few minutes to … If it’s grabbing unusually on the chainring, making weird noises or shifting poorly on the front, new chainrings are likely needed, too. Happy reading! A quick spray down will help get anything you haven’t already got to with the brush. Our article on chain wear explains the concept and how to check it easily. Remove rear wheel and remove cassette. To help know what to clean a bike chain with, here’s a quick list: How to Clean a Bike Chain with Household Products. If your chain has a master link, use your hands to slide the pin out... 2. Take the bike chain from the bike. Reiterate the effect it can have on operating a bike, and that it must be removed to properly clean it. There are many different ways to clean a drivetrain. Learn how your comment data is processed. Spray or wipe it on, leave it to soak in, and then wipe off with a rag. Your bike chain is connected to the foot pedals and so is needed if you ever want your bike to travel anywhere. If you want to get a good scrub on, you can remove the chain from the bike and then get some real elbow grease in, however, it’s not necessary to do this. And if it’s more worn than this, then you may need new chainrings. If the chain is skipping at the back under power, you’ll need a new cassette. Replace the degreaser with denatured alcohol and repeat steps 1-3 until the fluid remains clean. Therefore, it’s essentially that you clean the chain regularly. The process is not so different, so let’s break it down here. As the saying goes, a clean bike is a fast bike. A jostle or a bump could knock your bike on the ground and cause damage. Whatever chemical you use, be sure to dispose of it responsibly. Hang the chain to dry, or speed up the process with a hair dryer or compressed air. – The best degreaser for bicycles. Once you have removed the chain put into the bottle with degreaser, fasten the lid and shake for a couple of minutes. Other methods and chemicals will work, he says, but it’s hard to beat this once you price it up. If you do this, you’ll only rarely need to use degreaser, and when you do, you’ve got plenty of options. Once you have got the bulkier bits of dirt, grime and gunk out, use a hose to spray down the chain. Compressed air is handy for removing grit from pulley holes and other cutouts. And of course, the better you are with your preventative maintenance, the less frequently you’ll need to do a full clean. Attach the chain cleaner to the chain to begin cleaning. Dampen a clean rag with degreaser. The name stands for “water displacement” with the 40 referencing the number of attempts it took to create. “The only way to get full access to the chain, derailleur , and chainrings is to take the wheels off.” If you don’t have a chain cleaning tool, use a rag. My recommendation here is that if you are a regular cyclist, do this about once every week or two, or about every 200 miles ridden or so. Start by turning the rear wheel with one hand, whilst brushing away debris and other dirt or gunk. Chain cleaner fluid; Bike chain lube for the conditions; Clean with degreaser: If you’re using a chain cleaning tool, open it up and pour in the cleaning fluid up to fill line. A kickstand won't likely be good enough to hold your bike in place while you're working on it. “I’ve long said the more anal you are about putting the lube on, the lazier you can be in taking it off.”. Pull the chain through the rag to... 3. Rotate the foot pedal backward with your free hand to move the chain through several rotations as you look for dirt, rust and grime. Ultrasonic cleaners are fast becoming popular for a hands-off approach to the degreasing bath. Then grab yourself a wire brush, a degreaser, and a lubricant (again, a spray like WD40 works wonders). Getting a chain visually clean, and then actually clean inside of the rollers, are two very different things, and for that, Kerin suggests that the previous methods mentioned above just don’t cut it. Brush out the links with a firm brush (an old toothbrush also works). Before you use WD-40, rinse the bike chain off a degreaser. This ensures the solvent is thoroughly flushed out, and that any further hidden dirt is removed. Spray through your bike chain with your WD40 or other chosen lubricant. Bike chains are usually made from steel and so once exposed to oxygen and water, corrosion and rust begin to set in. You dip the chain into the melted wax. A huge part of this is preventative – especially in the pro ranks, the drivetrain they’re cleaning was probably cleaned one ride ago – but the method used by pro mechanics is still well-proven. Once dirt is removed, you can look for rust. Fold your clean cloth in half a few times to create a nice cushion, then hold it against your chain, again using the rear wheel to back pedal. Once re-lubricated, you can reverse the steps to reattach your bike chain. Clean the derailleur pulleys and cage with a rag or strip of cloth. It doesn’t require you to remove the chain and leaves very little mess, but we would recommend taking it outdoors in case things don’t go as planned. Give each a squirt of grease and shift the mech to help it sink in. This can be quite a time consuming task and some people prefer to not have to do this. The method we’re about to go through here is not only more meticulous, but also better contained, which may be useful for those with limited access to an outdoor cleaning space. Only use environmentally-friendly degreasers if you do this. Remove the Chain Finish removing a bike chain by unscrewing the drive pin and removing the chain tool from the chain. “Many drip lubes (and obviously a must for wax submersion) will work their best if they have access to the chain metal,” Kerin explained. The same process applies on both the rear and the front derailleurs. Once the chain is removed from the bike, use a toothbrush to brush out the links and remove dirt. Whether you want to do the bare minimum, or have a chainring you can eat off of, there’s an approach for you. If you see them having more spike style teeth, it’s time to replace them. Did you read the “Holy Grail of chain lube” articles and are now keen to get the most life and best performance from your chain? Apply a light layer of lube to the chain by rotating pedals backwards and dripping lube on the center rollers of the chain. It also serves as the perfect periodic maintenance opportunity to inspect and service other bits such as bottom bracket bearings and freehubs. The on-bike method described above will be the way to go for most, but sometimes a more thorough clean is warranted. Most bike chains, if not left unchecked for extended periods of time, can easily be cleaned with household products too. In fact, excessive amounts of oil will attract dirt and eventually wear them out quicker. When it comes to dirt bikes, you will know that it’s dirt bike by name, and dirty bike by nature. While that may yield better visible results, it also mixes degreaser with your dirty lube, instead of removing it. How To Clean a Bike Chain Without Removing It. Wipe off gunk, dirt and other stuff with a clean, dry cloth and brush out hard-to … Remove and discard it in that case, but otherwise determine if the chain can easily be removed (such as with a. Clean chain with a preferred method as detailed above. First, we recommend that you remove the chain guard, if any, before removing the chain. Then re-lubricate your chain with a lube spray such as WD40 and you’re done! However, excessive use of water could damage your bike in other ways, so be careful. Slide the pin holding the link that’s closed out of its slot. Clean Chainrings. Be sure to always read the application instructions, and if a lube calls to be left on the chain overnight before riding, definitely do so. Just like the jockey wheels and the rear sprockets the chainrings will hold dirt and … If it’s been sometime since the last time you cleaned your derailleur out, you might find your jockey wheels caked in a layer of grime. Brush degreaser onto the cassette sprockets; a larger brush will speed up the process. A high pressure water jet stream like your garden hose will really help get through crevices that you otherwise can’t. Stand next to the bike and lift up the rear of the bike. Oil-based lubricants also help float contaminants to the surface of the chain, so you can also repeat the wiping process a few more times until the outside of the chain looks clean. Drag the bike chain in a place where you have slackened the fastener. But if your chain is left dirty, that grit will form an impressively effective grinding paste, causing expensive wear, poor shifting, rough pedaling, and wasted efficiency. Relubricate the links from time to time with a chain lubricant. Both Kerin and Jason Smith (formerly of Friction Facts, now with CeramicSpeed) believe new chains should be stripped of the packaging grease prior to using your preferred lube. Finish Line Bicycle Chain Cleaner. It’s a great way to finish off your quick chain clean too. Remove the chain if it has heavy surface rust. Things You’ll Need. But despite this, they are one of the most important cogs in the machine, that is, if you want the wheels to keep turning! Pay close attention to the heat and solvent used in order not to cause plastic or anodisation damage. Then simply use a can of regular WD-40, and spray across your bike chain. To clean your bike right, you need to do a “wheels-off wash,” says Roy. You can use a home mixed degreaser such as the following: Mix half a cup of salt, a quarter cup of washing soda, and 16 ounces of baking soda in a bowl, then add a quarter cup of water to make a paste. Note that I haven’t recommended using a rag soaked in degreaser. Part one is getting the chain clean, and the second part is ensuring there is no film left on chain from what was used to clean it.”. “I use mineral turpentine for the first cleaning part; it does a great cleaning job and is cheap to buy. Grab a set of brushes, and use these to clean through the bike chain, rotating the rear wheel as you go. You can also use the bike chain cleaner or brush. When you change gears, your bike chain drops down or lifts up onto another notch on the gearbox or derailleur. But if your drivetrain is leaving you with a calf tattoo after every ride, is sounding gritty, or you’ve got an upcoming event, it’s probably due. Buy a chain wear gauge, check your chain often and replace when worn. Brush degreaser onto the chain, backpedaling the chain through the brush at various angles. Tools to remove cassette (lockring tool and chainwhip) and chainrings or cranks (e.g: hex keys, bearing preload tool for Shimano, etc). Whichever chain lube you use, ensure you use enough to penetrate inside the rollers. Hi, I’m Jennie who loves cooking and fascinated by healthy lifestyle. I’ve broken it down into four levels of detail, with each level requiring a little more mechanical aptitude, but each providing better end results. Your sprockets and chainrings don’t require any specific oiling as they receive sufficient lubrication from the chain as it runs through them. Image source: WD40. You need to remove all existing greases, dirt and oil from the chain, including the residue left over by most degreaser products. Clean like a pro: Nine of the best chain keepers reviewed, How to check for chain wear: The easy way, the best way, and why, Seeking the holy grail: A fast chain lube that saves you money, Finding the best bicycle chain: What over 3,000 hours of testing revealed, The best degreaser: cleanliness made safe and easy, Chain quick links: A guide to easy connection, A stiff-bristled brush, such as a chain brush or paint brush, A container to hold degreaser (the pro method is a sawed-off bidon held in your seat tube’s bidon cage), A garden hose, spray nozzle, and running water (a pump-style weed spray bottle or bidon will work if a hose isn’t available), An open space you don’t mind getting a little dirty and/or wet. Lube your chain. Generally speaking, if you’ve worn your chain past 0.8mm wear, you’ll likely need to replace your cassette. Use any bike-specific chain lube, not WD-40, which is a degreaser, not a lubricant. Run the chain through a rag wet with degreaser. You may need to allow the chain to soak for some time, especially if it’s brand new. Place chain in container, cover with denatured alcohol, shake for one minute, remove chain and wipe clean (use new rag so chain isn't contaminated by mineral spirits from wiping chain in previous steps) Clean container and lid. If the chain is dirty, and you’re in a rush, consider lubing it anyway (and following the easy clean process). As already mentioned, regular light cleanings like this will make more thorough cleanings a rare task. You don’t want to spray too much though, as too much might remove all grease (you need some). So whether you want to get an old chain prepped for a submersion wax treatment (the gold standard, according to the recent Holy Grail chain lube article), just want it feeling like-new, or want the packaging grease stripped from a new chain, the method described below is the way to go: Chain maintenance all starts with proper chain lube selection and use. 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