Cleaning the winter crud off

Having kept up some regular riding through the winter I've found, appart from the cold, that all the winter road crud is difficult to shift off the gears and chain.

I dont seem to be able to find the time to strip the bike down regularly so does any one have any tips for cleaning the gears and chain insitu?

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Permalink Reply by Andy Dawson on April 11, 2012 at 16:25

I've tried using the spray cans of de-greaser with the chain-bath/brush attachment but they never seem to work that well and more often than not bring the chain off while I'm doing it.

Best, and cheapest, approach I've found is to use a spray de-greaser plus toothbrush. I just spray the cassette/chain and scrub away.

Not as thorough or as satisfying as dismantling though! Particularly so for jockey wheels: a lot of crud gets on them and, if they don't have sealed bearings, some dirt will grind its way in between the wheel and its inner bush.

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Permalink Reply by Nick Williamson on April 11, 2012 at 16:41

Thanks Andy, a word of warning re degreaser, make sure it doesnt get in your bearings as happened to me, new bearings needed!

i did identify with your phrase 'Not as thorough or as satisfying as dismantling though!'

I will get the the tooth brush out for now....

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Permalink Reply by Andy Dawson on April 11, 2012 at 18:15

Good point about the degreaser. I do try make sure that it only goes on the cassette teeth and the chain.

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ModeratorPermalink Reply by Richard Gate on April 11, 2012 at 21:34

No short cut I'm afraid,

Best you can do is get the MucOff brush set, use degreaser with a proper chain cleaner first, then use the residual degreaser from the chain cleaner with the thin cog scraper/brush. No substitute for removing the cogs to clean them, you'll need a chain whip and splined tool though..

Secondly use the MucOff, I prefer Hope Sh1t Shifter actually,

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Permalink Reply by Nick Williamson on April 11, 2012 at 22:14

thanks Richard, will give it a go.

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Permalink Reply by Cameron Foster on April 25, 2012 at 21:53

What you should do after a hard winter of training is buy a new chain, remove the drivetrain (cranks, mechs and cassette) wash it in white spirit using an old paint brush and bog roll. Wash the bike and reassemble and leave it for about 6 months and repeat ...Seems to work.

Cam

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Permalink Reply by Nick Williamson on April 25, 2012 at 23:04

You're right Cam, can't beat a proper clean!

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ModeratorPermalink Reply by Chris White on April 26, 2012 at 12:15

I've started using Purple Harry products. The Degreaser is very effective (on bearings too so be careful) and the Bike floss is great for Jockey wheels and in between the rollers! I have also sterted to use Baby wipes to remove road grime.

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ModeratorPermalink Reply by Nathan Carter on May 16, 2012 at 22:01

Hi, as a formal pro, and now a pro bike builder, the very best thing to use, ( a little trade secret) is a spray bottle with a degreaser called JIZZER, its true, come back from your ride, or try and do it once a week, spray your chain and drive train, mech etc, with the jizzer, leave it for a minute or two, and then rinse off with soapy water, we use faily liquid, work well, this well remove all the crud etc, once this is done, simply re oil, the chain and mech, etc, after many years I think it is always best to wet lube, than the more common dry lubes

I can give you the best information of recommended oils and grease, that will help your bike, ,

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Permalink Reply by Craig Breakey on May 17, 2012 at 8:20

Hello All,

With my commuting Cube bike I clean every week due to riding in all weathers, I used to use all the degreasers and muck off cleaners on the market.

All you need is baby wipes, clean the worst of the oil and crud off the chain with an old cloth, then take the back wheel off and clean the cassette with the baby wipes in the gaps off the sprokets, run the chain through more baby wipes then replace wheel oil and take excess off with a baby wipe,

Takes no more than an hour to clean and keeps your bike in tip top condition.