chain cleaning

"Jiyang Chen" <[email hidden]> wrote in news:bc0sr3 [email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

Using soap and water to clean chain--effective? Are degreasers a better way?

Remember that you're trying to clean the rollers inside the chain. Soap isn't very effective unless
you scrub really hard.

In article said:

Using soap and water to clean chain--effective?

In the past, I've used dish detergent & hot water with moderate success. Detergent /is/, by
definition, degreaser.

Quoted message said:

Are degreasers a better way?

Degreasers specifically for cleaning chains -- most definitely, yes. Much, much better.

cheers, Tom

--
-- Powered by FreeBSD Above address is just a spam midden. I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn
[point] bc [point] ca

Simple green works well and is much less toxic than petroleum based degreasers.

"Jiyang Chen" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Using soap and water to clean chain--effective? Are degreasers a better way?

Jiyang

one of the six billion said:

Simple green works well and is much less toxic than petroleum based degreasers.

"Jiyang Chen" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Using soap and water to clean chain--effective? Are degreasers a better way?

Jiyang

How often do you degrease your chain?

Cori

"one of the six billion" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Simple green works well and is much less toxic than petroleum based degreasers.

Paint thinner is reusable, shake chain in a plastic container, settle used solvent for next time.

"Ken" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Jiyang Chen" <[email hidden]> wrote in news:bc0sr3 [email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

Using soap and water to clean chain--effective? Are degreasers a better way?

Remember that you're trying to clean the rollers inside the chain. Soap isn't very effective
unless you scrub really hard.

As I recall from one of Jobst's lectures, water itself will clean your chain while it is turning, at
least. You don't have to worry about soapy water not getting into your chain. It's getting it out
that'll be the problem. Fling!

--
Robin Hubert <[email hidden]

Robin Hubert said:

As I recall from one of Jobst's lectures, water itself will clean your chain while it is turning,
at least. You don't have to worry about soapy water not getting into your chain. It's getting it
out that'll be the problem. Fling!

Last time I degreased my chain, I rinsed it thoroughly in clean water, then stuck it in the oven for
an hour at 250 degrees F. It came out quite clean, dry, and ready for lube. To reply by e-mail, be
polite. Rudeness is unnecessary.

What's the proper way to use ProLink lubes? I apply, backpedal, and wipe, a few times to "flush the
old lube out", as the direction says. I lube until the runoff is gray or clear, and wipe dry, and
leave overnight. The next day I ride, and the chain is black and dirty again... Am i doing
something wrong?

Do I have to repeat the whole process (relubing a couple of times to flush the old lube out) over
after I clean a chain? Or can I simply lube once, backpedal, and wipe?

Jiyang

"Jiyang Chen" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Using soap and water to clean chain--effective? Are degreasers a better way?

Jiyang

"Jiyang Chen" <[email hidden]> wrote in :"]news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

What's the proper way to use ProLink lubes? I apply, backpedal, and wipe, a few times to "flush
the old lube out", as the direction says. I lube until the runoff is gray or clear, and wipe dry,
and leave overnight. The next day I ride, and the chain is black and dirty again... Am i doing
something wrong?

Wipe the chain again the next day. The chain is not going to be shiney spotless, though.

After reading the FAQ item:

draco.acs.uci.edu8d.2.htmlOpen ↗

I noticed there is still something missing and that FAQ, that being "What is that ugly black stuff
on the chain?" It is worn chain steel, almost all of which comes from pin and sleeve wear, the wear
that shows up as pitch elongation. A chain that doesn't produce black particles is a chain that does
not wear. The rate of wear being primarily dependent on how clean the chain is internally. It has
little to do with external cleanliness, the place that gets the most attention on chains.

Jobst Brandt [email hidden] Palo Alto CA

jobst.brand said:

The rate of wear being primarily dependent on how clean the chain is internally. It has little to
do with external cleanliness, the place that gets the most attention on chains.

As a small testiment to that, I was watching the local coverage/hype for the
US-Pro/bank-name-of-the-week race last Sunday here in Philadelphia. It showed a team mechanic,
apparently well-paid for his work, cleaning the chain on a bike. Chain was on the bike. He was
drizzling oil on the chain and wiping it down with a rag, thus making sure to embed lots of
grit inside.

--

David L. Johnson

__o | If all economists were laid end to end, they would not reach a _`\(,_ | conclusion. --
George Bernard Shaw (_)/ (_) |

David L. Johnson said:

Quoted message said:

The rate of wear being primarily dependent on how clean the chain is internally. It has little to
do with external cleanliness, the place that gets the most attention on chains.

Quoted message said:

As a small testament to that, I was watching the local coverage/hype for the
US-Pro/bank-name-of-the-week race last Sunday here in Philadelphia. It showed a team mechanic,
apparently well-paid for his work, cleaning the chain on a bike. Chain was on the bike. He was
drizzling oil on the chain and wiping it down with a rag, thus making sure to embed lots of
grit inside.

Tribology is a mystery to many engineers let alone bicycle mechanics. Friction and wear seem to be
unnatural to the human thinking.

Jobst Brandt [email hidden] Palo Alto CA