I’ve become a bit obsessive about chain cleanliness recently, probably bought on since my purchase of a Proconnect! I’ve used the various wet, dry, spray on, pour on etc types of chain lube / cleaners before with varying degrees of success but none have worked really well.
Reading the late Sheldon Browns web site about chain maintenance he mentions a trick taught to him by a mechanic friend using an old plastic coke bottle: Chain Maintenance and I thought I’d try it out.
This method does mean the chain needs to be removed from the bike but with the use of quick release chain links the task is not too much of a chore. If your chain has no release link then fitting one is easy enough. You’ll have to break the chain with a conventional link removal tool and then insert one of these: SRAM Powerlink Connector | Buy Online | ChainReactionCycles.com Select the link for the number of speeds your bike has.
Tools
What you’ll need is:
A wire coat hanger cut about 12” long with hooks fashioned at each end
4pint and a 2pint plastic milk bottle with screw on lids
Lubricant of your choice
Tin of Gunk from all good motor factors inc Halfords!
An oven heated to 100C
An old biscuit tin or similar
An understanding partner who is out for the day / afternoon (very important this one!)
A garage or space with a nail in a rafter high enough to hook the chain and coat hanger onto without the chain touching the floor but also allowing the 4pint bottle to stand underneath.
Cleaning
Drop the chain into the 2pint bottle. Pour in 1” to 1.5” of Gunk. Screw the lid on and shake and shake and shake!
Pour the contents down the drain or sink (it rinses away with water and your partner should be nowhere to be seen!). Repeat.
Fill the bottle with hot water from the tap and shake, empty and repeat.
Fish the chain out of the bottle with the wire coat hanger. Dry off with kitchen paper. Make sure the chain is clean, if not repeat the Gunk process or brush down the chain then repeat the Gunk process.
When clean lay the chain in the biscuit tin and ‘cook’ in the oven at 100C for 20 mins to drive out any moisture from the links.
Remove from oven and leave to cool.
Oiling
Oiling is now a personal choice. With the chain still in the tin you can apply either wet or dry spray oils or wax and hang the chain up in the garage to dry or you can submerse the chain totally in an oil bath. I’ve been using the submersion method and the results have been very good so far.
Take the 4pint bottle and pour in the oil, I’m using synthetic EP90 oil that I have spare. Drop the chain into the oil, screw the cap on and shake...
Fish the chain out using the coat hanger, find the end link and hang the chain up from the rafter with the 4pint oil bottle underneath and allow to drip dry overnight. Clean the bike chain rings and sprockets.
Next day wipe any excess oil from the chain with a clean lint free cloth or kitchen roll paper and refit the chain to the bike.
I’ve found with this method you will need to wipe down the chain a few more times after riding the bike for a bit...the oil seems to get squeezed out from between the rollers. EP90 oil may not be the best to use though, it does smell (a bit like gas!) and there is some ‘throw off’ from the chain. Also, wet lubricants in general pick up dust and grit especially if you ride on dusty paths etc. So maybe this is best for winter riding or pure road riding.
After doing this on my Proconnect and then riding a number of Sustrans routes off road I found the chain had picked up a lot of dust so I’m now trying a Castrol ‘Race’ motorcycle Wax lubricant that is very similar to the original Wax the chain was first covered in. This is sprayed on and left to dry before refitting the chain.
I’m also planning on trying the Bikehut Wax lubricant that Aldby pointed out in another thread.
I’ve now done the above cleaning and oiling on all of my bikes and I’m pleased with the results, however, the jury is out on what type of lubricant is best at this point.
Reading the late Sheldon Browns web site about chain maintenance he mentions a trick taught to him by a mechanic friend using an old plastic coke bottle: Chain Maintenance and I thought I’d try it out.
This method does mean the chain needs to be removed from the bike but with the use of quick release chain links the task is not too much of a chore. If your chain has no release link then fitting one is easy enough. You’ll have to break the chain with a conventional link removal tool and then insert one of these: SRAM Powerlink Connector | Buy Online | ChainReactionCycles.com Select the link for the number of speeds your bike has.
Tools
What you’ll need is:
A wire coat hanger cut about 12” long with hooks fashioned at each end
4pint and a 2pint plastic milk bottle with screw on lids
Lubricant of your choice
Tin of Gunk from all good motor factors inc Halfords!
An oven heated to 100C
An old biscuit tin or similar
An understanding partner who is out for the day / afternoon (very important this one!)
A garage or space with a nail in a rafter high enough to hook the chain and coat hanger onto without the chain touching the floor but also allowing the 4pint bottle to stand underneath.
Cleaning
Drop the chain into the 2pint bottle. Pour in 1” to 1.5” of Gunk. Screw the lid on and shake and shake and shake!
Pour the contents down the drain or sink (it rinses away with water and your partner should be nowhere to be seen!). Repeat.
Fill the bottle with hot water from the tap and shake, empty and repeat.
Fish the chain out of the bottle with the wire coat hanger. Dry off with kitchen paper. Make sure the chain is clean, if not repeat the Gunk process or brush down the chain then repeat the Gunk process.
When clean lay the chain in the biscuit tin and ‘cook’ in the oven at 100C for 20 mins to drive out any moisture from the links.
Remove from oven and leave to cool.
Oiling
Oiling is now a personal choice. With the chain still in the tin you can apply either wet or dry spray oils or wax and hang the chain up in the garage to dry or you can submerse the chain totally in an oil bath. I’ve been using the submersion method and the results have been very good so far.
Take the 4pint bottle and pour in the oil, I’m using synthetic EP90 oil that I have spare. Drop the chain into the oil, screw the cap on and shake...
Fish the chain out using the coat hanger, find the end link and hang the chain up from the rafter with the 4pint oil bottle underneath and allow to drip dry overnight. Clean the bike chain rings and sprockets.
Next day wipe any excess oil from the chain with a clean lint free cloth or kitchen roll paper and refit the chain to the bike.
I’ve found with this method you will need to wipe down the chain a few more times after riding the bike for a bit...the oil seems to get squeezed out from between the rollers. EP90 oil may not be the best to use though, it does smell (a bit like gas!) and there is some ‘throw off’ from the chain. Also, wet lubricants in general pick up dust and grit especially if you ride on dusty paths etc. So maybe this is best for winter riding or pure road riding.
After doing this on my Proconnect and then riding a number of Sustrans routes off road I found the chain had picked up a lot of dust so I’m now trying a Castrol ‘Race’ motorcycle Wax lubricant that is very similar to the original Wax the chain was first covered in. This is sprayed on and left to dry before refitting the chain.
I’m also planning on trying the Bikehut Wax lubricant that Aldby pointed out in another thread.
I’ve now done the above cleaning and oiling on all of my bikes and I’m pleased with the results, however, the jury is out on what type of lubricant is best at this point.
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