Chain Cleaning

[Rikki]

Hi there. I was in Lidl a while back & picked up a can of Baufix Brush Cleaner, as the tin stated it's suitable for machine parts/bicycle & motorcycle chains etc. I didn't think at the time whether it would be suitable for O ring chains though. I don't suppose anyone has tried using this stuff?

The gumph on the tin states it contains aromatic hydrocarbons, esters, ketones, alcohols and xylene (isomers). I have no idea what all that means but would any clever people know if any of that is NOT suitable for O ring chains?

[VNA - BMW Wank]

Why do you want to clean your chain?

Never cleaned mine.

[richfzs]

Some people are weird like that. Never understood it, myself...

[Rikki]

Why do you want to clean your chain?

Because the manual tells you to.

[Gray fox]

I'm sure that mix of chemicals will bypass the o rings and de-grease the chain internals, probably degrade the o rings too. Stick to a rag soaked in WD 40. Got 25000 miles from my last chain and sprockets.

[DanielT]

I use muc-off. Just ordered the gadget to use with it.

[Major Rant]

No No No ... don't ever clean your chain ... just put waste engine oil on it.
 
(Or scotoil , or new oil or vegetable oil ... it doesn't matter what as long as its "oily").
 
Chain lubrication works like this ... (and it took me until I was past 40 to figure this one out)
 
Shiny new 0-ring chain sits covered in clean oil on nice new sprockets - you go out for a ride.
 
Road-grit adheres to oily chain, forms grinding paste and starts grinding away between the rollers and the sprockets and starts to work at the crevases where the rubber O-ring meets the metal.
You add oil - it dilutes the grinding paste ... the diluted paste gets flung off - mostly under the front sprocket cover but partly onto the rear-wheel.
The chain remains covered with diluted grinding paste.
Your job is to keep the grinding paste as dilute as possible.
You can't ever clean it off unless you take the chain off, scrub each link in parraffin with a tooth-brush replace the chain and re-lubricate.
 
Use waste engine oil (I use waste Diff-oil cos its slightly thicker) and your chain will last 20K miles +.
What more could you ask.
 

[AdieR]

I personally use paraffin for cleaning chains - it's not exactly expensive, and at any rate, it's cheaper than replacing any chain.

[Fazerider]

If you value your O-rings don't put that stuff on your chain... that mixture sounds as if it would dissolve anything non-metallic.


I don't clean my chain either. As the Major says, a regular supply of oil keeps the thing lubricated and as clean as it needs to be.
One thing I wouldn't use is waste engine oil, it's full of carcinogenic crap and corrosive combustion products... which is why you emptied it out of your engine. Cheap car engine oil in a Scotoiler is fine if you can cope with the expense of about 50p per thousand miles.

[ghostbiker]

i use paraffin to clean it to, but i only tend to clean it a few times over the winter to get rid of the crap they spread on the roads. rest of the year i use a scott oiler.
parrafin and a couple of cheap 29p nail brush's job done in a few mins.
i wouldnt let the lidl stuff anywhere near the o rings

[dazza]

Don't clean my chain that often but when I do I prefer to use sulphuric acid. I love the way it fizzes and smokes on contact with anything it touches and the smell, the smell it makes is divine.

[Rikki]

Thanks for the replies folks. Hmmm...didn't expect to see so many different approaches, just assumed there was a standard procedure that everyone followed. I guess I'll ditch the brush cleaner though. Will probably go for the paraffin/scrubbing brush/re-lube option.

Any suggestions what to do with a surplus can of brush cleaner?

Don't clean my chain that often but when I do I prefer to use sulphuric acid. I love the way it fizzes and smokes on contact with anything it touches and the smell, the smell it makes is divine.

Smells like...............................Victory!

[Andy FZS]

Clean brushes?
 
Andy

[Aegis Bearing Mel]

I usually go with paraffin and a cheap washing up brush, the type with the long handle.
I'm a lazy twat so tend to use the engine at tick over to turn the chain, hence the long handle.
I know common sense and the urge to keep all digits says not to, but as I said I'm a lazy foccer.

(The chain and brakes are about the only bits I clean before some bugger comments about my cleaning regime.)

[MadDogMcQ]

If I was you Rikki, I'd follow the instructions in the Manufacturers Guide - I'm guessing that they have a tiny bit more knowledge on these things than Billy from Billinge or Teddy from Toddington.
 
Personally, I would only clean a chain a couple of times a year. You don't have to remove it to do it either. Immediately after a short ride, put the bike on the centrestand, put a large catch-tray under the tray and then use a bristle brush and parrafin to clean the lower run of chain. Rotate the wheel and do the next section, etc, until it's all done. Then leave it to dry or assist drying with compressed air if you have it.
Now you can apply lubricant. I prefer plain engine oil or Scottoiler Lubricant. In fact, fitting a Scottoiler is a great way to keep that chain in good condition inbetween cleans.
 
By the way - WD40 is not good for your chain!
 
Tom
 

[MadDogMcQ]

Ooops - I meant put a catch-tray under the bike 

[Rikki]

Thanks MadDog, I had something like that (procedure) in mind. My last bike had a scottoiler fitted by the previous owner but it kept getting air bubbles in the pipe/hose & never worked consistantly. I ended up lubing from a tin anyway.

[SteveH41]

Not been riding long but I gave my chain a damn good clean when I got the bike and now whenever I get back from a ride around I get some Castrol Chain Lube and give it a quick spray while spinning the back wheel making sure to get the O ring sections and inner rear sprocket areas. Chain sounds lovely and smooth, get around 4 full rear wheel rotations before it stops.