Cleaning your drivetrain

[BaGearA]

What's the cheapest Ultrasonic cleaner out there?

googled earlier and it looks like you can get A usb one for 500 bucks but I high doubt it does what it says on the box 

 

decent small ones seem to start at 2500 

[King_Crispy]

Prepsol for my SS. If I'm feeling like I've got extra time on my hands, I'll whip out the toothbrush and go manual on my chain.

Spin to dry afterwards.

Apply dry lube to stop rust.

Ready for next ride

[Firozfx]

Sjoe. Some guys taking their drivetrains apart to clean it

 

I just jetwash the each chain link from sides and top, chainring, cassette and pulleys. Blasts all the dirt easily off. No fuss.

[Butterbean]

googled earlier and it looks like you can get A usb one for 500 bucks but I high doubt it does what it says on the box

 

decent small ones seem to start at 2500

Yeah, paid just under 2k on takealot. Was bought for the Mrs jewelry but the bike makes best use of it anyway...

[Jackal355]

try namgear

nam degreaser for me too. spray on,rinse off then bottled q20 to displace water and lube up next day.gets it squeaky clean for sure, well... not squeaky,but 100% clean    

[Martin PJ]

Paraffin, toothbrush and hose pipe.

 

I use Squirt lube and hardly every clean the MTB drive trains. I lube every time anyone rides, the lube builds up on the road bikes but sheds very well on the MTBs.

[TNT1]

Whats the secret to cleaning your chain and drive train on a mountain bike?

Sunlight liquid and a high pressure jet washer.

[DieselnDust]

20% IPA+80% water.

 

Chain in a ultrasonic cleaning bath gets the 100% IPA treatment. Sprockets too.

Otherwise jus spray the parts with 20/80 mix and clean with a chain brush.

 

same as for my suspension and brake parts when servicing.

degreaser is fine if you have removed the parts from the bike if not it gets to seals and hardens the seals.

Degreaser into a DT star ratchet makes a mess

 

Wax requires the use a hard brush or I just keep the sticks from the ice lollies I buy y daughter after school. Those wok well for getting between the sprocket teeth and scraping gunk off the pulley wheels

[SwissVan]

googled earlier and it looks like you can get A usb one for 500 bucks but I high doubt it does what it says on the box

 

decent small ones seem to start at 2500

That’s a lot of money to spend on a futile exercise.

I get that some like to take the best care of their bikes n bits, but ultra sonic cleaning a bicycle chain is taking it a bit far....imo

[MTBeer]

20% IPA+80% water.

 

Chain in a ultrasonic cleaning bath gets the 100% IPA treatment. Sprockets too.

Otherwise jus spray the parts with 20/80 mix and clean with a chain brush.

 

same as for my suspension and brake parts when servicing.

degreaser is fine if you have removed the parts from the bike if not it gets to seals and hardens the seals.

Degreaser into a DT star ratchet makes a mess

 

Wax requires the use a hard brush or I just keep the sticks from the ice lollies I buy y daughter after school. Those wok well for getting between the sprocket teeth and scraping gunk off the pulley wheels

that's a waste of beer

 

[Schmorglebot]

My 2c...

 

An ultrasonic cleaner will do the best job, it's just science. It does what it says on the tin and it does it well.

I unfortunately don't have one so I do the following:

 

Chains:

 - Overnight in petrol (Strain petrol at the end of the process and reuse later)

 - Then a rinse in Benzine until clear to remove the residue left by petrol

 - Then lube with a wax based lube (in my case, actual wax in a slow cooker)

 

Cassette:

 - Remove/disassemble 

 - Wipe down with Benzine (if you keep a clean chain you wont need to apply too much elbow grease

 

Chainrings:

 - Just get in there with a Benzine rag (I'm not taking my chainrings off)

 

Jockey wheels:

 - I wrap a cloth over a flat screwdriver and run it along the jockey wheels to remove the bulk of the gunk and then wipe with Benzine

 

This is for my road bike, my MTB gets a drivetrain wipe down after every ride and a less intense cleaning every so often. I try and avoid riding in really crap conditions, that is what Zwift is for.

 

PS Brake cleaner is great general cleaner for hardy parts and leaves no residue

[The Ouzo]

Once a week a wipe with a rag to get rid of excess muck and then a re-lube.

Every second to third week degreaser and a tooth brush and then a re-lube.

 

This weekend I built a chain keeper out of wood so that I can do the degreaser thing with the wheel off. Its actually much easier.

 

 

Re: removing the chain to clean.

I read and article the other day where it said that if you're using the supplied quick link on the chain to remove and refit all the time it can weaken it leading to chain failure.

From my own experience I have noticed that its easier to undo the quick link now than it was the first time

[ChUkKy]

Prepsol for my SS. If I'm feeling like I've got extra time on my hands, I'll whip out the toothbrush and go manual on my chain.

Spin to dry afterwards.

Apply dry lube to stop rust.

Ready for next ride

 

So the last time you applied lube must have been in 2017

[WhuYu]

I do this, but I very rarely ride in mud and wet conditions as I'm soft

 

Muc off is worth every penny

Sorry................I call the lube................Muc-on..................LOL............

[Vetseun]

Good on you guys I'm impressed by your dedication, I clearly neglect my bikes in comparison!

I'm one of those more riding, less faffing guys i suppose

+1000000

[Vetseun]

So the last time you applied lube must have been in 2017

Last time I applied lube was just before I gave it to you good