What cleaner and oil should I use on my bike chain

Question

Hope everyone is well. I need to clean and oil my chain as its getting a little clunky when I’m changing gears. I have no idea what I should be cleaning it with and then what I should oil with. Any help would be great. It’s a road bike that is used every day no matter the weather.

Answer 1

For the casual rider the simplest approach is to go to a bike shop and get a bottle of "chain oil". Apply the chain oil fairly liberally (drizzle it on while cranking the chain backwards, if the bike has a freewheel), then wipe the chain with a rag (while cranking backwards). If the chain is REALLY dirty, repeat.

For slightly more aggressive cleaning (on a derailleur bike), get a "chain washer" and the associated solvent. Fill the washer and clamp it on, crank backwards for 30-60 seconds. Wipe with a rag. Apply chain oil. Wipe. If you're riding daily this is probably what you should use, every week or two.

There are the obsessive types who still remove their chains and boil them in kerosene or whatnot to clean then, but that's kind of silly (and dangerous), since chain washers have become available.

Note that chain oil comes in "wet" and "dry" varieties. "Wet" is for wet weather, and helps prevent corrosion in the wet, while "dry" is for dry weather and doesn't pick up dust nearly as fast as "wet" (and hence keeps the chain cleaner). And there are "do-all" and "in-between" varieties. Just pick what seems to fit your riding conditions best.

Do note that, even if properly lubricated, chains wear out. You should get a "chain stretch gauge" to measure the wear of your chain, and replace it when worn to about 0.8. Running a worn chain damages the sprockets.

Answer 2

After some tinkering with dedicated bike products, my cleaning/lubing routine settled with very straightforward and cheap strategy:

1. When needed (usually chain too black/stainy or too dry/squeaking) I take it off the bike, put it inside a plastic bottle, and shake violently with about 100ml kerosene, repeating as needed until the kerosene comes out reasonably clean. I let the kerosene rest so that dirt goes down, you can use a bottle of kerosene like forever this way;
2. With the first more-or-less clean doses of kerosene coming from the chain bottle, I clean the gears, front and rear;
3. The last rinsing is with new, pure kerosene, so that residual dirt comes off.
4. I then reassemble everything and go out for a ride. As soon as the chain gets noisy enough, I stop and apply the oil, which I always have along.

Now for the oil, I use something that is very similar to Finish-Line "Wet" oil: gearbox oil, which you buy by the liter and also last forever. It is recommended for chain lubing of motorcycles, and the end result when compared with dedicated bike oil is, in my experience, indistinguishable. I apply it "half" drop per link, since I don't let the drop fall, but rather touch the chain roller while the drop is still forming in the oil bottle nozzle. I found out I don't have excess to wipe out if I use this "half drop" measure.

I stress the fact that "I do it like this" instead of "this is the right way to do it" because this is a somewhat religious issue amongst riders. What I can assure you is that I have tried other methods, and kept this one because it is cheap, easy, makes sense, and works (lubrication lasts a lot, chain lasts a lot).

Hope this helps!

Answer 3

I use Simple Green. Any degreaser will work. I would use Dawn if I could squirt it out of a spray bottle.

I come from an industry where cleaning dirty greasy parts is part of our daily routine. The best degreasers were Dawn and Simple Green. I think a lot of people in similar industries will tell you the same. For one thing, people who buy the little drip bottles of degreaser treat it like it is liquid gold and use it so sparingly it is ineffective.

I squirt the hell out of my chain and cassette. I have a chain cleaner that straps over the chain and allows me to run the chain through a series of brushes. Those cleaners are popular enough. When I upgrade I am going to get the one that connects to the deraileur and holds steady. I also save my old toothbrushes and finish the job right. I rinse and repeat until my drive train is oil-free. I also work the links to feel for any grit in there. BTW, perfect time to inspect everything.

I use a simple lube, Tri-Flo. All the wet and dry stuff is part of the cycling fad and gimmicks.

I clean my drive train at least weekly if not after each ride. The whole process takes me about :15 and I have to schlep the gear up and down steps. Our bikes are expensive and important to us. I don't want to just go out and buy new stuff for my bike because they were neglected. Nor do I want to get stranded on the trail over a chain that I didn't take care of.

A clean chain ( and drivetrain) is the difference between someone who loves riding and someone who says they love riding.