Clean that chain

During two very successful Dr. Bike surgeries during bike week it became very apparent that some of you out there do not like cleaning your chain. We saw chains that had a build up of oil and crud that resembled the black sticky mess found on beaches after a tanker spill disaster. And these were the ones that were being lubricated! There were other chains brown, orange and rusty with seized links that hadn't seen a drop of oil since the day the bike came out of the shop.

OK so cleaning your chain is akin to washing out the bottom of your dustbin or unblocking the waste pipe from your sink. It is a very unwelcome chore but it is necessary for the smooth running, clean shifting long life of your chain, cassette and cahainrings. Nothing spoils a ride more than a chain that slips, squeaks, won't shift and then breaks. With a good maintenance regime in place you can double or triple the life of your chain.

Well how do you do it? It's a very awkward long thin piece of kit and getting the degreaser and oil in the right place seems to require the skills of an Olympic marksman. There are several ways to clean a chain and the compromise you choose between effectiveness, time and mess will have to suit you best.

Probably the best way to clean a chain is to actually remove it from the bike and lay the chain in a shallow container of degreaser and allow it to soak over night. While the chain is off the bike give the cassette (rear sprockets) and chainrings (front sprockets) a clean and maybe clean the rest of the bike too.. There's not a lot of point in cleaning the chain if you are going to put it back onto dirty components. Then give the chain a brisk scrub with a stiff brush on all sides doing your best to get between the links and remove all oil and crud. Next wipe the chain with an old rag, rinse the chain with water and refit to the cycle. Lubricating the chain can be done before or after refitting to the cycle. This method is good if you have the kind of chain with a link that allows you to split it by hand – if you have to use a chain splitter then this method is probably too much of a performance. Another tip if you use this method is to have two chains then you can have one clean and ready to fit while you are soaking the one you have removed.

If the above method seems to be too much of a performance – use a chain cleaner. A chain cleaner is basically a reservoir with internal brushes that you fill with degreaser. The device fits around the chain and you run the chain through it turning the pedals. Remove the device, rinse the chain with water, wipe the chain with a rag and lubricate it. Don't forget to clean your cassette and chainrings. You can buy a chain cleaner from Halfords for about £13; I've been using the Halford's model happily for a couple of years now. You can use any degreaser you like in the device. I have friends that use diesel (they get it for nothing), I prefer to use Muc-Off it's bio-degradable and thus environmentally friendly.

A third method and probably the least effective is to spray your chain in situ with degreaser, give it a brush, give it a rinse, give it a wipe and then lubricate it and off you go.

When you clean your chain depends on how often and the kind of conditions you are riding in. If your ride in the rain or off-road your chain is going to need more cleaning. Tell tale signs that the chain needs attention are that there is a build of sludge, or the chain looks dry and horror of horrors it is going rusty. Go on – clean it!

Ian Pendleton