Monday, 4/23/07 at 5:54 PM
by Sara Jarrell
by Sara Jarrell
Cleaning your Chain
The best kind of maintenance for your bicycle is preventative. This blog will help you maintain one of the components on the bicycle that does a tremendous amount of work to keep you rolling-- the chain. Regularly cleaning and lubing your chain will save you money and it makes for a super smooth and quiet ride.
There are probably a million different ways to clean a chain. I am going to detail the ways that have worked best for me. That being said, do not be afraid to venture out and try something different as long as you are keeping your chain happy! A good rule of thumb with chains is like anything else, once it is clean, keeping it clean is a lot easier. So getting into the habit of cleaning your chain as regularly as you ride is not a bad way to go. An easy way to keep your chain in good maintenance is to put a drop of lube (bicycle specific) on each roller and where the chain plates overlap, then let it sit for a couple of minutes. It is easiest to do this job when the chain has been shifted to the small cog and the small chainring. Lubricating the chain in this way helps to remove grime and will allow the lube to penetrate all of the parts of the chain. After a couple of minutes take a clean, lint-free rag and wipe the excess lube from the chain while back pedaling. Wiping the excess lube from the chain is just as important as lubing the chain because an overly oily chain will just pick up excess dirt and grime causing your drivetrain to wear more quickly. This method of lubing and cleaning the chain is a very basic method used to keep the chain in good shape in between more in-depth methods.
My favorite way to really get down and dirty with your chain is to remove the chain from the bike and give it a good soak in a biodegradable solvent. If you have a chain with a master link remove it and take your chain off your bike. If you have a chain without a master link you will have to remove a pin to take your chain off. Be careful not to remove the pin that initially connected the chain; it is usually a slightly different color. If you do not know how to use a chain tool to remove and reinstall a pin from your chain please consult your local bike shop professional. Check manufacturers’ specifications to see if you can reuse your old pin or if a new pin is required to reconnect your chain. After removing your chain it is time to make the magic solvent soaking tank a.k.a. an empty juice or coke bottle containing biodegradable degreaser. Place your chain in the bottle with the degreaser and let soak for as long as you can, if your bottle has a lid shaking it every once and a while will help clean the chain. After the chain is done soaking, dry it with compressed air if it is available or let it dry in direct sunlight for two or so hours or 20 plus hours without direct sunlight. When the chain is dry reinstall it on your bike (if this is tricky for you your local bike shop can definitely help). After reinstalling the chain lubricate it the same way that was described above, coating each roller and overlap, letting it sit and wiping away the excess while back pedaling.
If you are uncomfortable with removing your chain there are other ways to clean your chain that are also sufficient. Park Tools, Pedros, and many other bicycle tool manufacturers make on-the-bike chain cleaning mechanisms (follow manufacturer’s directions). They usually consist of some sort of hand-held contraption with brushes and a tank to hold your degreaser solution. These tools work well, an advantage that they have is that the chain is moving through brushes and degreaser so it helps get the grime out of the hard to reach places. After degreasing the chain with your cleaning tool the chain needs to dry and be lubricated as stated above.
A couple of things to remember:
- Avoid spray lubricants and definitely NO WD40.
- Be sure to let the chain dry after it has been cleaned before lubricating.
- Follow manufacturer’s specifications when disconnecting and reconnecting your chain and seek assistance from your local bike shop if you are unsure of this process at all.
- Always use bicycle-specific lubricants and degreasers.
- Gloves are always a must when using any kind of chemical lubricants and degreasers, and eye protection is recommended.
Good Luck and Smooth Rollin’
Sara
There are probably a million different ways to clean a chain. I am going to detail the ways that have worked best for me. That being said, do not be afraid to venture out and try something different as long as you are keeping your chain happy! A good rule of thumb with chains is like anything else, once it is clean, keeping it clean is a lot easier. So getting into the habit of cleaning your chain as regularly as you ride is not a bad way to go. An easy way to keep your chain in good maintenance is to put a drop of lube (bicycle specific) on each roller and where the chain plates overlap, then let it sit for a couple of minutes. It is easiest to do this job when the chain has been shifted to the small cog and the small chainring. Lubricating the chain in this way helps to remove grime and will allow the lube to penetrate all of the parts of the chain. After a couple of minutes take a clean, lint-free rag and wipe the excess lube from the chain while back pedaling. Wiping the excess lube from the chain is just as important as lubing the chain because an overly oily chain will just pick up excess dirt and grime causing your drivetrain to wear more quickly. This method of lubing and cleaning the chain is a very basic method used to keep the chain in good shape in between more in-depth methods.
My favorite way to really get down and dirty with your chain is to remove the chain from the bike and give it a good soak in a biodegradable solvent. If you have a chain with a master link remove it and take your chain off your bike. If you have a chain without a master link you will have to remove a pin to take your chain off. Be careful not to remove the pin that initially connected the chain; it is usually a slightly different color. If you do not know how to use a chain tool to remove and reinstall a pin from your chain please consult your local bike shop professional. Check manufacturers’ specifications to see if you can reuse your old pin or if a new pin is required to reconnect your chain. After removing your chain it is time to make the magic solvent soaking tank a.k.a. an empty juice or coke bottle containing biodegradable degreaser. Place your chain in the bottle with the degreaser and let soak for as long as you can, if your bottle has a lid shaking it every once and a while will help clean the chain. After the chain is done soaking, dry it with compressed air if it is available or let it dry in direct sunlight for two or so hours or 20 plus hours without direct sunlight. When the chain is dry reinstall it on your bike (if this is tricky for you your local bike shop can definitely help). After reinstalling the chain lubricate it the same way that was described above, coating each roller and overlap, letting it sit and wiping away the excess while back pedaling.
If you are uncomfortable with removing your chain there are other ways to clean your chain that are also sufficient. Park Tools, Pedros, and many other bicycle tool manufacturers make on-the-bike chain cleaning mechanisms (follow manufacturer’s directions). They usually consist of some sort of hand-held contraption with brushes and a tank to hold your degreaser solution. These tools work well, an advantage that they have is that the chain is moving through brushes and degreaser so it helps get the grime out of the hard to reach places. After degreasing the chain with your cleaning tool the chain needs to dry and be lubricated as stated above.
A couple of things to remember:
- Avoid spray lubricants and definitely NO WD40.
- Be sure to let the chain dry after it has been cleaned before lubricating.
- Follow manufacturer’s specifications when disconnecting and reconnecting your chain and seek assistance from your local bike shop if you are unsure of this process at all.
- Always use bicycle-specific lubricants and degreasers.
- Gloves are always a must when using any kind of chemical lubricants and degreasers, and eye protection is recommended.
Good Luck and Smooth Rollin’
Sara
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