Bike chain cleaning

If you have a bicycle, you, as a good master of your steel horse, should take care of it. One of the main maintenance procedures is to clean the bike chain. Under what circumstances and how to do it right, you will find out by reading this article.

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When to clean the bike chain?

In order for the chain to work properly, of course, you need to carry out preventive care for it. As a rule, if you have traveled 100-300 km, it is time to clean and lubricate it.

In other cases, such a need arises when sounds appear that are not intended by the manufacturer. The most prerequisite is visible pollution. If you went into the woods or rode off an asphalt road, cleaning the bike chain should be your mandatory return procedure.

Important! The main disastrous factor is clay mixed with sand and mud. Such substances clog inside the rollers between the links and the chain scrolls with problems. If you do not clean it regularly after detecting adhering clods, it will rust, all elements will jam - as a result, rapid wear and complete failure.

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How to clean the bike chain?

Before you clean the bike chain, decide how you will do it. There are three methods:

• right on the bike;
• removable - with the help of improvised means;
• removal of blockages of a special machine for cleaning the chain.

Before cleaning the bike chain, do this:

1. Move to open air, as some cleaning products have a strong odor.
2. Prepare cleaning agents and a plastic bottle.
3. Take care of personal hand protection - work with rubber gloves.
4. If the part of your vehicle is not very dirty or there are no special keys to remove it, clean it without removing it.
5. Turn the bicycle over and firmly install it - this is necessary for the convenience of performing work if you do not plan to disconnect the part.
6. To access the stars and the carriage with a multi-key, remove the Shimano suspension.
7. Knock out the inner core with a screwdriver and a hammer, but not completely, since it will need to be inserted back after the cleaning procedure.

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How to clean a bicycle chain?

Modern chemistry is replete with various kinds of cleaning agents that do a good job of this task. Special cleaning products for bicycles can be purchased at specialized stores, but this pleasure is not cheap. Modern bicycle enthusiasts prefer affordable solvents and other detergents, which you will probably find in your household.

So that cleaning the bicycle chain gives the desired result and does not take much time, you will need:

• a container of warm water;
• acetone;
• petrol;
• White Spirit;
• WD40;
• lubricator;
• oil for a sewing machine;
• bike chain cleaner;
• detergents for dishes or tiles;
• empty plastic bottle;
• multi-key;
• rags;
• hard brush or toothbrush.

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Methods for Cleaning a Bicycle Chain

Depending on your model of transport, the availability of available tools and personal experience, select the option that is best for you from the following. Follow the instructions and then for sure you will succeed.

Option 1

1. Rinse off dirt and dust with a hose using a spray nozzle.
2. For optimum access, set the front chain to maximum gear and the rear chain to minimum.
3. Make a soapy solution in hot water and brush each link with a brush.
4. Apply the product to each element to clean off any grease that has not been washed off with soapy water.
5. Dry thoroughly - wipe with a dry cloth or blow off with a hairdryer.
6. Lubricate generously with a lubricator, but do not overdo it; excess grease can become a dust collector.

Option 2

Use of solvent WD40. This tool is used not as a lubricant, but as a degreaser-cleansing. He qualitatively expels old layers from thin places, if you act like this:

1. Close the brake rotor with a rag to prevent the substance from spraying onto the brake surfaces.
2. Take the bottle with the product and blow each link abundantly while scrolling the pedals.
3. Brush the links so that there is no trace of sand, but they remain dry.
4. Add a few drops of engine oil or other lubricant to each link.

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The most convenient way to clean the bike chain

The bicycle chain is cleaned mechanically by the machine: the device cleans the links using brushes in the form of rollers, they bend the chain, passing it through the solvent. This is the most economical way, since it does not require frequent removal of the chain, which causes a risk of breaking, a relatively small amount of cleaning agent is used and, finally, a detailed cleaning of each part takes place.

Important! The appliance is sold with detergent, and subsequently other solvents can be used instead. Not only for this purpose is gasoline recommended - it can contribute to damage to the plastic body of the machine.

Detailed instructions for use are usually specified by the manufacturer. Additional nuances that are useful to you are as follows:

1. Install the device on the bottom of the chain.
2. The bike chain is cleaned as follows: turn the pedal back until the chain is clean.
3. To make the effect better, add a concentrated dishwashing detergent diluted in hot water to the machine and rinse off excess fat in the same way.
4. Before lubricating the chain after removing dirt, allow it to dry well.

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Cleaning the removed bicycle chain

If you yourself know how to disconnect and put in place this part of your transport, to remove adhered clods from it, proceed as follows:

1. Place the removed part in the solvent tray.
2. Chat thoroughly and leave to soak, and at this time clean the stars.
3. Pour oil or other cleaning agent into a plastic bottle, place the chain into it and stir with vigorous movements until the product turns black.
4. Change the cleaning agent as it becomes dirty.
5. When the chain is clean and the liquid turns a light color, drain, cut the bottle and remove the chain.
6. Connect the chain, bike and grease.
7. Wipe off excess grease with a rag.

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Stock footage

Now you know how to clean the bike chain. We hope that the above methods have helped you save time and money, and your recreational and exercise vehicles will help you to maintain good body shape for a long time.