Some products, like WD-40 or CRC, are not suitable for bicycle chain lubrication and could shorten the life of your chain. By signing up you are agreeing to receive emails according to our privacy policy. Video: How to adjust a rear derailleur and index your gears. Part of the series: Bicycle Repair. By dipping often, brushing and, when the chain is clean, wiping off the excess solvent, you’ll get things spic and span. Shift the gears on your bike while turning the pedals so that the chain is on the largest ring in the front and on the smallest socket in the back. This is all you need to do to clean a bike chain in most situations. If it feels as though the chain is caked or that its movement is limited by grime, it's time to clean. Feel the master link with your fingers to make sure it is properly fastened. However, if you are unsure, feel the chain with your fingers. If you struggle reattaching your chain even when consulting the pictures you took of the drivetrain, its likely you can find a tutorial or manual for your bicycle online. A bike stand is a simple holder for your bicycle that you can buy or build from scrap parts. Finally, you'll get to the point that no more grease comes off on the rag as you pull the chain through it. This article was co-authored by Ikaika Cox. Do a quick Internet search, and use the tutorial/manual to reattach your chain. Tip: Don't lubricate the chain immediately before riding. A clean bicycle chain also needs to be well lubricated in order for you to get the best performance. This article has been viewed 62,419 times. wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. Here's how. A toothbrush dipped in solvent will help you work between the links of the chain and down into areas that your first efforts with the rag simply couldn't reach. If you don’t have a chain cleaning tool, use a rag. The chain rings in the front and the sprockets in the back, as well as the pulleys on your rear derailleur, will collect grease and dirt as well, and it's good to wipe them down too. To ensure you have an easy, enjoyable ride, you should make sure that your bike chain is kept in good condition. Your front derailleur and rear derailleur are what moves the chain between gears when you shift. The drivetrain is the transmission of your bike. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. LiveAbout uses cookies to provide you with a great user experience. If you're using WD-40, take advantage of the red straw attachment to focus the spray. Cleaning the chain on your bike is a key part of reducing wear, improving performance and showing love to your bike. Cheap bike stands might not be very sturdy. An easier way to do the same cleaning job on a grimy chain is to use a chain-cleaning tool, such as the one shown above by Park Tool. Just run the chain backward several spins. To spot-clean the chain while it's still on your bike: Brush out the links with a firm brush (an old toothbrush also works). My bike and chain usually get a through cleaning 4-5 times a year. Here we have shared an amazing tip on how to fix a bike chain with gears. I am sure you would love to read our updated guide of 2019. Where many cyclists would perhaps degrease and clean their chains before re-adding lubricant, others may wish to use WD-40, which will clean you chain and add lubricant at the same time. A poorly maintained chain can hurt the efficiency of this energy transfer, making your bike ride less smooth and more strenuous! Yanking on your chain to tear it free can do damage to your bike. A chain caked with sludge requires more drastic measures. Fail to take care of your bike chains and you'll work harder, ruin gear shifting, and damage the drivetrain. Apply a little alcohol or WD-40 to a clean rag and simply wipe the accumulated crud from these parts or use the brush to get at them. Using a gear brush really helps you to get into the cassette cogs. We know ads can be annoying, but they’re what allow us to make all of wikiHow available for free. CLEAN AND LUBE THE CABLE AND HOUSING Wipe the exposed cable to remove old lubricant and debris. This technique is a superficial method of cleaning compared to the full method of removing your chain and soaking it in solvent or by using a bike chain cleaner. Using a blob of grease on your fingers, smear a light coat along the length of the cable. By using LiveAbout, you accept our, Prepare Your Workspace and Assemble Your Supplies, How To Inspect, Lubricate, and Adjust a Motorcycle Chain, How to Store Your Motorcycle for the Winter and Cold Weather, Use Penetrating Oil to Loosen a Stuck Nut or Bolt, Homemade Cleaning Products to Detail Your Ride, How to Restore Your Classic Car's Leather Interior, Replacing a Worn Trunk or Side Car Emblem, 10 Tips for Cleaning and Detailing Your Ford Mustang, Solvent of some sort, such as WD-40 or isopropyl alcohol. Chain seems to last as long as everyones else’s. There are 18 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. By using our site, you agree to our. Preventative maintenance can prolong the life of your chain and keep your sprockets in good condition. Work your way again completely through the length of the chain. The chain of your bicycle is the main component that transfers the energy of your pedaling to the wheels of your bike. Sometimes you’ll hear that WD-40 is only for removing water and keeping things rust-fre… Sometimes this stage may be enough to get the chain clean. Yes. You should give yourself at least a couple of hours to allow the lube to fully penetrate, and then wipe away any excess. As well as the chain, clean the little wheels in your rear derailleur (if you have one), using a brush, pad or even a screwdriver to get rid of compacted dirt and debris. More buying choices £7.75 (2 used & new offers) Rhino Goo! Can I clean a bike chain with household items? Slide your chain through the rag and use your hand to apply pressure it to ensure the chain is free of degreaser. Every bike chain degreaser on the market possesses similar features that enable them to eradicate all forms of grime and debris, but the Runaway Bike Degreaser is one product that offers customers with more than a bicycle maintenance item. wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. A spot where you can lean your bike against something to keep your hands free while you're busy is ideal. Thusly, the bike winds up less requesting to approach and you can without quite a bit of an extended set the chain back on its gears. Step 2 From that point onward, you need to release the bolts of your rear wheel with the assistance of wrench and afterward, you need to modify the tire in a way that you need to slide the tire back until the point when you feel the chain is getting tight. Keep in mind that this will remove even the factory wax off of the chain, so you will need to lubricate the chain well after you are done. I use cloth. Attach the chain cleaner to the chain to begin cleaning. Ikaika Cox is the Director of Operations at the Provo Bicycle Collective in Provo, Utah. XCOZU Bike Chain Cleaner Tool Kit, Bicycle Chain Cleaning Kit with Gear Chain Brush/Scrubber/Crowbar, Cycle Chain Cleaner Tool Ideal for Road Bike/Mountain Bike Cycling - 2 Pair Latex Gloves. A clean bike chain will easily shift through the gears. Regularly cleaning your bike's chain will help protect it from rust, extend its life, and make your pedaling more efficient. With the right supplies and know-how, your bike chain could be clean in a half hour or less. If the link is skewed, sitting unevenly in its slot, it could warp. It took them 40 times to figure out the formula that is now known as WD-40. This will help protect the chain from rust, make your pedaling more efficient, and extend the life of your chain. After you're finished with the chain, take a few minutes to clean the other parts of the drivetrain. For excessively dirty chains, you may want to do a double rinse with your degreaser. A thin cog brush, such as the Park Tool GearClean or … How to clean your bike chain and drivetrain in just … However, you can do a deeper clean, if desired. 3.6 out of 5 stars 624. By cleaning your chain regularly, you'll also be aware of changes that happen in your chain over time, like chain stretch or damaged links. Manually clean the cassette, chainrings (or the whole driveside crank), and chain in a degreaser bath. You can use an old rag, a paper towel and some warm water. Our guide below shows you what we believe is the best method to clean and lube your chain. Finish by scrubbing the chainstays, chain rings, cranks and cogs. By using this service, some information may be shared with YouTube. This article was co-authored by Ikaika Cox. They were trying to create solvents and degreasers that would prevent rust. Wipe the chain with isopropyl alcohol on a rag for a quick clean. You do this by slowly turning the pedals backward to move the chain a section at a time so you can clean it by either spraying on the solvent as you wipe down the chain with an old rag or by wiping down the chain with a rag that is saturated with the solvent. Derailleur Assemblies . This keeps the mess to a minimum making cleaning relatively easy. You might want to take a few pictures with your cell phone of of these parts so you have a reference when it comes time to reattach your chain. Wipe down your frame too, to clean off any dirt or grease that have flecked onto it, as well, so that your bike really looks great. Some options include paint thinner, kerosene, and isopropyl alcohol. You can also use the bike chain cleaner or brush. A water bottle makes a good squirter for hard to reach places. 59. Relubricate the links from time to time with a chain lubricant. Degreasing agents can be very harsh, and in some cases are flammable. Apply plenty of soap or degreaser to the brush and thoroughly scrub all the cogs, … If you don't have a degreaser formulated for bicycle chains available, you can use an equivalent found in your home, though these might not be as strong or fast acting. 02. of 06. Here our Great Britain Cycling Team mechanic guides you through the routine. Once you have removed the chain put into the bottle with degreaser, fasten the lid and shake for a couple of minutes. To clean a bicycle chain, remove the chain from your bike by sliding out the pin holding the master link closed. FREE Delivery on your first order shipped by Amazon. Most have a pin/slot configuration where you can slide a small pin out of a slot to open the link and remove the chain. If does not have a master link, you can install one of these yourself or have it done a local bicycle shop. Let the chain soak in the degreaser for up to 20 minutes, then wipe away the excess degreaser with a rag. Your chain is your bike's primary moving part and the one that needs the most love and frequent lubrication. The hardest part is getting down in between the small chainrings. % of people told us that this article helped them. Reattach the chain to your bicycle and lubricate it. Wipe off excess lubricant with a clean, dry rag. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. Place your chain into a bottle containing degreaser, then put the lid on the bottle and shake the container for several minutes. If the chain has a master link, you can start with it as an easier way to keep track of your progress. It'll never be perfectly clean with this five-minute approach, but do your best and you'll definitely see results as you wipe away most of the grime. This helps take away the final bits of grease and other crud that were dislodged as you cleaned with a brush and worked at the pulleys and gears. Finally, you'll want to wipe down your chain one final time with a solvent-soaked rag. A quick eye inspection should be enough to tell if your chain needs cleaning. It usually consists of hooks attached to a frame. Approved. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 62,419 times. To most efficiently do this, prepare another bottle with degreaser in the same fashion as you did the first. The master link, like a Connex or SRAM Powerlink link, allows you to easily remove your chain from the drivetrain. While checking the state of your chain, you'll have an excellent opportunity to find the master link for the chain. Wipe the chain clean The easiest way to clean a chain is to put on some disposable gloves and wipe the links with a rag dampened in biodegradable solvent. Remember to clean both sides and the top and bottom of the chain. Ikaika Cox is the Director of Operations at the Provo Bicycle Collective in Provo, Utah. If you ride in dusty or muddy conditions, you should clean your chain regularly. £10.59 £ 10. Soaking also give your degreaser time to break up thick or stubborn grime. For tips on removing and reattaching your bike chain, read on! For cleaning your bike, first either move outside or find a place such as a garage or basement where it won't be the end of the world if you drip on the floor. Repeat as necessary. http://www.markelinsurance.com/bicycle/resources/bikechain-cleaning, http://www.potomacpedalers.org/?page=cleaningyourchain, http://centurycycles.com/tips/5-tips-care-and-feeding-of-your-bicycles-chain-pg1243.htm, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYU6l6MLPa8&list=PL3ig1wZVZyCVbSfiB0IF69wKwflqdfI2S&index=26, http://www.markelinsurance.com/bicycle/resources/bikechain-cleaning/, http://www.londoncyclist.co.uk/bike-clean/, http://www.bicyclinglife.com/HowTo/ChangeAChain.htm, consider supporting our work with a contribution to wikiHow. This will loosen the collected grease and dirt on your chain and allow it to be wiped away more easily. Keep in mind the solvent will evaporate quickly and your rag will get filthy, so you'll want to frequently rotate your rag to a clean spot as you apply more solvent. This article has been viewed 62,419 times. A dirty and rusty chain makes you work harder, ruins gear shifting, and can damage the other parts of the drivetrain. He received his BA in Literature & Philosophy from Utah Valley University in 2015, and has been a bike mechanic since 2012. How to Clean a Bike Chain. This is a degreaser that is formulated to work without fail on your chain washers or scrubbers. With your bike in position, apply solvent (something like WD-40 or isopropyl alcohol) to the chain. If you have a dirty one then it will be slow to shift and will wear down your expensive drivetrain. Get it Saturday, Jan 23. Last Updated: September 6, 2019 Allow your chain to soak give your degreaser time to work its way into the nooks and crannies between the links of your chain. This is usually fairly inexpensive, generally costing around $15 or less. As long as the chain isn’t really grimy, you’ll be able to wipe off the greasy mess (photo) with a few minutes of scrubbing. Your chain should appear cleaner each time you work through it. Please help us continue to provide you with our trusted how-to guides and videos for free by whitelisting wikiHow on your ad blocker. Your first rinse in degreaser will be quick, breaking up heavy grime. WD-40 was created in 1953 by a small company called Rocket Chemical Comapny. He received his BA in Literature & Philosophy from Utah Valley University in 2015, and has been a bike mechanic since 2012. Follow that up by drying the bike thoroughly with a few clean, dry rags. Continue applying solvent and wiping down the chain while turning the pedals slowly until you've worked through every link. Use degreaser on the cassette and chain Spray more degreaser over the chain and cassette and give them a scrub. Be careful with your choice of lubricant for your chain. More complex/variable gear bikes might have complicated gear-shifting mechanisms at the wheels. Chain care is crucial. It does well as a general purpose parts-cleaning … Once the dirt has gone, rinse your chain and making sure you’ve gotten rid of all the de-greaser. A chain cleaning sponge (essentially a sponge with a groove cut into the top) makes cleaning a chain easy — just grab the chain in the sponge’s … Pour enough isopropyl alcohol onto a rag to wet it. As you do so, pedal the bike slowly to move the chain across the rag. It is made up of four parts: a cassette (collection of gears on your back wheel), a rear derailleur (metal arm on the back wheel), chain rings (big gears next to your pedals), and the chain.