Ultrasonic cleaners?

[LBKloppers]

I have been struggling with the proper cleaning of my bike's chain especially during this wet season and it got me wondering.

I spent way too much time to hang the bike, prep the chain and the cassette, scrub and rinse several times, and go for a ride and still experience some muck somewhere inside my chain. The exchange rate is hurting us cyclists in ZA and the complexity and precision of the modern drive train systems require one to keep a close eye on the wear and tear of the drive train. I concluded that the strongest cleaning materials and all my time spent trying to maintain my kit is NOT successful. So, what about adding an Ultrasonic cleaner to the recipe?

Are there anyone out there who has tried it? Does anyone except the dealers, know about the pro's and con's of this technique?

[droo]

They're expensive and a bit of a hack to use, but you'll get good results. the main thing is to put whatever you're cleaning in a basket to avoid damage to the bath.

 

The danger is that if you don't properly (and I mean properly) dry and relube the chain when you're done, you'll wear a chain out in about 3 rides since all the lube will have been stripped from inside the chain. The best is to boil the chain in wax or soak it in oil, just dripping it on with a dropper bottle won't get the oil to penetrate far enough into the chain.

[madmarc]

I looked into ultrasonic cleaners some years back - and they certainly not the silver bullet to clean drive trains. Many YouTube videos on the subject.

I use pure water based engine cleaner - soak for 10 - 15 minutes and then rinse it off with a water jet - I then soak in engine cleaner again and again until no dirt is visible in the liquid with a final rinse with water jet. I also use a hard brush to get al lthe external dirt and grime off.

I have a home compressor and an air gun - blow out every link with air to make sure you get rid of all the moisture in the links. Then i lube every roller with a drop with my lube mixture of standard engine and chainsaw oil. 

The trick is not to over lube, when this happens your chain and sprockets get caked in dirt and grime and it makes it harder to clean.

I don't use synthetic or wax lubes because, from where i come from, wax is for candles and oil is for lubricating metal parts.

Edited April 20, 2022 by madmarc

[Eldron]

I use an u/s cleaner and love it. Saves time and does the job properly.

As droo said - be careful of completely delubing the chain. Getting lube back in the chain (between the plates) is not super easy.

It is good for people using conventional wet&dry lubes - it is a must have for people using real dry waxes.

[Dexter-morgan]

There was a youtube video about Muc-off going to provide the service at your LBS but I think not in SA.

[Steady Spin]

Unpopular opinion. 

People overclean their bikes and do more damage than good. 

[Sepia]

I use one.  Fantastic.  Always dry afterwards and I only use gear oil on my chain.  7000kms so far and still good.  

I use the cleaner for many other parts......jockey wheels, derailer, cassettes, valves etc.

Recomended.

Edited April 20, 2022 by Sepia

[Kom]

Check out Sick Bikers channel on Youtube - a number of really good hacks he gives that i live by, and I also do >5000 km on my chains before reaching a 0.5mm gap for replacement.

A couple of my own mistakes:

1 - not Lubbing when the chain is dry

2 - ignoring the cassette (even brushing on a micro layer of Q20 works magic)

3 - over degreasing (at one point i was soaking my chain in paraffin, not recommended)

[AJB76]

If you want all the info you will ever need, watch the video series on YouTube by Zero Friction Cycling. The guy literally has hours and hours of in-depth info on the subject. 

[Fat Boab]

Cheapest local source of US cleaner?

[Jakkals.]

53 minutes ago, Kom said:

3 - over degreasing (at one point i was soaking my chain in paraffin, not recommended)

I don't think you paraffin and over degrease should be used in the same sentence.

Edited April 20, 2022 by Jakkals.

[DieselnDust]

The ultrasonic cleaner itself is not an issue, it’s a great tool. The cleaning medium and how the parts are treated thereafter is key.

lubricants need to adhere to surfaces to be effective. Degreasers break those bonds and therefore that layer of polar molecules must be replaced to ensure long life for the component.

Hot water with soap is a good detergent to clean chains. 
some Alcohols are great but need to be treated with care from a health and safety perspective.

I could wax lyrical and lubricate the conversion appropriately but I’ll make it short 

whT ever you clean with make sure you add in an oil dip and bath procedure using the ultrasonic bath to get the oil back in and then leave the chain to soak and drip dry. Then I hot wax.

[Jakkals.]

if I could ever find that find that post from Johan, which was lost with "theHub"

[Sepia]

5 hours ago, Kom said:

was soaking my chain in paraffin, not recommended)

Disagree.  Washing/soaking in paraffin is a good idea (if you can afford it these days.)  Once dry, it creates a covering layer.  It has a name but forget what it is and call upon the Engineers here to comment on this process. It makes the metal more succeptable to accepting oils and the likes. This is visually possible to observe.

[Kom]

13 minutes ago, Sepia said:

Disagree.  Washing/soaking in paraffin is a good idea (if you can afford it these days.)  Once dry, it creates a covering layer.  It has a name but forget what it is and call upon the Engineers here to comment on this process. It makes the metal more succeptable to accepting oils and the likes. This is visually possible to observe.

I started picking up crazy surface rust on my XX1 chains, so stopped doing it. I wouldn't easily go back, the methods ive picked up i.e organic degrease, proper dry/clean with a fibre cloth, 24hr lubbing just works for me now.

[100Tours]

Ghetto opinion..

I get really good results with a wet wipe 😗

Wash with soap and water. rub off any remaining gunk with a wet wipe. 1 wet wipe = 1 clean chain.

I do use a beautician-style wax melter from time to time if the chain needs some extreme lubing.

Edited April 20, 2022 by 100Tours