May need a few more of those
Oh, I’ve plenty!
Too bloody easy to drink
Anyways, is it really that easy???
White spirit baths until it runs clear
A couple of methylated spirit baths
Get the hair drier on it
Stick it in the cold wax
Turn it on
Fish it out
Hang it up to dry
Break the wax on each roller
Re-attach the chain?
(Also need to super clean the cassette, front rings and derailleurs - that sounds irksome)
That’s essentially it
Never bothered hair drying the chain though
I also try and break the links around five minutes after you’ve removed it. The bastard will be rock solid if you leave it overnight
It’s worth degresing the chain first, maybe even washing up liquid as the alcohol isn’t good at breaking down the oil/grease.
Cheers
I’ve got LOADS of degreaser, so can give it a swish in that first
How can a session ale be 4.6%?
I did that and put the chains in the oven at 200 oC for 45 mins afterwards. The wife was not impressed
Cheers for that @Doka (and to @Doonhamer for the excellent 20 page PDF)
Apart from the length of time involved for the first time (3 hours) it was very easy.
I did my winter bike as a test.
I’ve not properly cleaned it since the Rapha Festive 500, so it was quite dirty.
What did I do?
Remove chain and cassette.
Degreased them manually with the £1 W5 Lidl household degreaser.
Then ultra sonic baths in white spirits in the Lidl ultrasonic cleaner until the white spirit ran clear (this took 2l and about 6 x 8mins baths!) but I saved the dirty stuff for next time)
Wax melted whilst I was doing all of this
Whipped off the cranks and bottom bracket and gave those a proper clean, too. Along with those annoying parts of the frame you can’t usually get to
Went to work on the derailleurs with degreaser and a 25p toothbrush and rag. I was going to take them off, but they came up nice and clean without needing to do that.
A quick (240s) ultrasonic clean in methylated spirits, put that liquid into a spare container for next time. Dried chain with clean rag, stuck it on the radiator whilst I tidied up and put some parts back on the bike.
Wax nicely melted now, so dropped the chain into it…came out and left to dry overnight…it’s currently 0 degrees in the basement, so looking forward to breaking The Chain (…sings the Fleetwood Mac riff in his head…remembers the old F1 intro)
Good stuff, doubt you will look back. Breaking the links is quite tough as some one else mentioned it’s easiest to get the chain moving just before it sets.
If you’ve not got one its worth getting a chain stretch guage, only a few quid as your chain will last as long as you are prepared to maintain it and it’s good just to be able to satisfy yourself the chain is still good.
Although in true @Poet style you’ve kept things wonderfully clean that is going to be a bugger to loosen up, you’ve got loads of wax on it .
I have my chain & links on a single length. After cooking I unplug & carry my slow cooker on to my drive before taking out the chain & giving it a wipe before hanging.
Here’s a question (not that I’m anywhere near being able to commit the time effort, let alone space and kit)… What do you do with all this excess, dirty liquid. The white spirit etc?
Obs you should collect it & dispose responsibly at the recycling center. Honestly there isn’t very much as its a one time deal to clean a new chain after that its just rinse & straight in the wax.
… and another question if you don’t mind.
What lube do you guys buy for the bike? I assume there may be different types for different roles.
Specifically i have to switch my skewer each time i put my bike on/off the turbo. It used to have a good smear of a very thick looking white grease/lube whatever the correct terminology is. This has now pretty much gone, and i’m guessing that’s not a good thing, especially in the winter.
Any links or recommendations appreciated.
@Doka thanks for that. Didn’t even know the recycling centre took taht sort of stuff. Assumed they would, but have never had a reason to do so as far as i know!
Coming from a mountain bike background I have always stuck with Muc-Off C3 Products, Wet for the winter (messy), dry for the summer (Short lived.)
Both last ages, must be three years since I bought a bottle.
I’m using the Muc Off C3 grease as well, it’s worth buying it with the grease gun attachment first time as they are useful.
I’m not sure why - possibly Wiggle reviews - but I’m using White Lightening winter lube on my computer & it’s good stuff.
Edit:- computer …I meant commuter
Thanks guys - and that is for ‘inside’ components like the skewer and hole (whatever the hell that’s called!) as opposed to chain lube right? Though i am almost out of chain lube, currently have Muc Off wet and dry.
Big post about more general maintenance incoming…
It loosened off like a dream.
I used one of the gold curtain pole cut offs to roll it over
@gingerbongo - I had a few empty white spirit containers from when we moved in, so I’ve decanted into that. I’ll use that dirty stuff for the dirty bath next time, before moving onto new clean stuff.
RE: Grease. On the skewers and bottom bracket I just use regular Chromoly grease. It’s cheap and lasts forever. Just a little smear here and there.
However, it is a filthy grease! Proper black.
thanks
Also drawing attention to my new total (lack of) spanner topic on the gear thread …
thanks in advance lovely people
Yes, C3 grease on non-moving parts like Skewers and threads.
Thanks