# Any suggestions for chain degreaser and lube?



## InvisibleRider

I am planning to wash my bike and lube it and was wondering what degreaser and lube I should buy? And is the chain cleaner necessary or just a rag will work?

Thanks in advance.


----------



## eplanajr

I am a fan of Dumonde Tech stuff. 

A rag and a brush should be all you need.


----------



## mcsqueak

I find those chain cleaners work well for getting all the crap out from between the links without the hassle of removing the chain or brushing between each individual link. I use it every few months. I'll take the rear wheel off and floss the cassette at the same time with a rag, or if I'm really feeling OCD I'll remove the cassette and clean the individual cogs. 

Otherwise I keep a small container of rags handy, and after wet rides I'll give the chain a quick wipe, and I'll use another rag (without chain grease all over it) to quickly wipe the bike down.


----------



## Argentius

+1 Dumonde Tech. The heavier, darker stuff for the rainy PacNW.

Wipe lots. 

No degreaser.

Your chain will look dirty, but work great.



eplanajr said:


> I am a fan of Dumonde Tech stuff.
> 
> A rag and a brush should be all you need.


----------



## moralleper

I use simple green to clean my chains if they are bad. But usually my home brew chain lube does the job just as well. Put it on, let it sit for a bit take a rag and wipe it off. Chain looks shiny and new.


----------



## Nicole Hamilton

InvisibleRider said:


> I am planning to wash my bike and lube it and was wondering what degreaser and lube I should buy? And is the chain cleaner necessary or just a rag will work?


A wipe with a rag and a quick relube will be sufficient a lot of the time. But you will need to clean your chain more thoroughly with degreaser when it gets really dirty.

Get the Finish Line chain cleaner. I got a couple recommendations from friends to buy this one and its feedback on Amazon is very good. All of them were right. This is an easy no-mess way to get a chain really clean. This is a good product, it works well and it's worth the money. As a degreaser, I tried the Pedros Oranj Peelz based on the feedback on Amazon. I've been very impressed; this stuff is a great degreaser. But you use it fast enough that next time, I'll buy the one-gallon refill.

Clamp the chain cleaner on the chain, pour in a little degreaser and run it around for a while. Rinse with the hose, then, if you need to, repeat or use a grunge brush and a toothbrush and a little more degreaser. One last rinse, then dry it and relube.

As a chain lube, I've been using the Finish Line Ceramic wet chain lube. It's a top-of-line product, gets the Amazon reviews you'd expect as such and, what I like about it is that the chain stays about as clean as it's going to with a wet lube.


----------



## Gnarly 928

I use air tool oil and a rag. It is inexpensive and comes in pint squeeze bottles at most hardware stores or Big Box building supply places. It has an agent to keep dirt from building in tools that are used 8hrs a day. It is sort of like Triflow, but about 371 times cheaper. Like just a few bucks per pint, which lasts me about a year.

Every few days I take the squeeze bottle and with the rear wheel up, I turn it backwards while dribbling oil onto the chain. Then I spin the cranks for a bit to saturate the chain. (I do this on my bike stand, you can also hang the bike if you have no work stand) With a bit of practice, this becomes quite simple...you find places to 'brace' the squeeze bottle and figure out how to regulate the flow onto the chain...

Then I take a soft rag like an old towel or T-shirt and again, turning the back wheel, I 'hold' the chain between the derailuer and the crank pulley. Change the grip of your rag to get fresh clean fabric on the chain... A couple of revolutions of the whole chain and soon enough, the rag will look clean as the chain goes through. 

If your cassette is grungy (which shouldn't be so, if you oil and wipe frequently) you may want to run through the gears as you do this and perhaps re-apply the oil a few times, till you see a clean wipe rag...

I do this almost every day, but you can go longer in clean dry areas. My chains stay bright and shiny. They shift and last well. I have an old Triflow bottle that I refill with air tool oil in my bike gear bag that goes with me to races..

Don Hanson


----------



## LC

Home brew is both my cleaner and oil. It is so cheap I do it after every ride so i have always have a nice clean chain. It is the only way to handle riding in the rain as your chain is going to get dirty regardless of how good your lube is.


----------



## marckap

rock & roll gold lube it cleans and lubes at the same time.


----------



## Nicole Hamilton

It's interesting how many folks go with home brew lubes. It's the same thing in the gun community, where a lot of shooters will swear by "Ed's Red", a popular home brew mix made of ATF, kerosene, turpentine and whatever else seems useful. For my firearms, I'll lube with CLP and call it good. I can't be bothered mixing stuff and I'm doubtful I'd outdo the best efforts the the engineers spending their (it would seem to me, drab) careers on developing these purpose-designed lubes.


----------



## bigbill

I use homebrew. One part synthetic motor oil to three parts odorless mineral spirits in the winter, 1:4 in the summer when it's drier. Shake it and squirt it on. The first application cleans the chain, the second application lubes the chain. The oil in the mineral spirit solution flows into the links, the mineral spirits evaporate and leave the oil behind. About $10 in supplies will last more than a year. 

Don's air tool oil sounds like a great idea.


----------



## LC

Any advantage to synthetic motor oil over regular motor oil?


----------



## eplanajr

LC said:


> Any advantage to synthetic motor oil over regular motor oil?


depends if you ride a trek or specialized...


----------



## InvisibleRider

I went and bought the white lightning degreaser and lube and it works pretty fine. I had lot of black stuff on my cassette and chain from my previous owner and I just sprayed it and used my old toothbrush and they are now shiny clean.


----------



## dlhillius

I'm a fan of keeping a bunch of rags handy and religious about cleaning. I like to use the Park Tool chain cleaner with simple soap and water to get the big stuff off if needed. Then use Finish Line degreaser on a rag and brush to get between the cassette cogs and derailleurs, etc. Wipe everything dry with clean towels then apply Chain-L. Prefer to apply it the night before a ride if I can.

Ya...tedious and not the least expensive way to do it but I'm anal about things and don't like the idea of spending money on a new part when all I had to do was take good care of the one I already have.


----------



## snosaw

I too use a homebrew on both mtb and road bikes. It works great as a cleaner and of course as a lube. I use synthetic oil only because that what I run in our autos. 
When I'm doing trail work, I make a special homebrew made of 1 part chainsaw bar oil and 5 parts oms. I do this because it makes me feel cool and is something to talk about while on the trail. (just kidding! about the bar oil)


----------



## Rot Weiss Essen

*lube?*

I try to keep it as straight forward as possible and just use Simple Green on the cassette and chain liberally with plenty of towels to wipe them down with and maybe a narrow brush for the cogs on the cassette. Once I got everything cleaned to the desired level then I bring out some Boeshield T-9 lube  this stuff is so light and dry that it is a pleasure to use and it has been working well for me over the years, it isn't that easy to find as not all lbs carry it, but to me it is worth the search.


----------



## Hiro11

I run the chain through a rag soaked with a little mineral spirits to clean everything off and then relube with Triflow. I'll run the chain through a Cyclone with mineral spirits every once in a while. I've tried a lot of different stff and Triflow is, IMO, still the best at keeping a drivetrain smooth and quiet. It does attract a bit of dirt, but I never ride in dusty conditions here in IL so it's not really a problem. Triflow also smells like bananas, it has a smell that makes my instantly think of cycling whenever I smell it. 

I replace my chain about once a season anyway. I figure that's probably the best way to ensure a smooth drivetrain and prevent wear to more expensive components. Chains don't cost very much if you amortize their cost over an entire year.


----------



## Oxtox

here's my rec...

start with a new chain, lube with Chain-L. 

wipe chain with rag every other ride or so.

re-apply Chain-L every 750-1,000 miles.

my driveline is like buttah...!


----------



## pret

For deep cleaning, I use Zep Industrial Degreaser ($10 or 12 for a gallon).

Like Rot Weiss Essen, the only lube that I put on my chains is Boeshield T-9.


----------



## bayAreaDude

Prolink and a rag. Degreases and lubes and lasts forever.


----------



## redlude97

Long time prolink user that recently switch to Chain-L. Going strong so far and seems to resist the rain pretty well


----------

