Best degreaser?

[272BHP]

After changing my rear wheel I noticed the atrocious state of my entire drive train with it being clogged up with old grease that was like concrete - how on earth do I tackle a job like that? Can anyone recommend a really powerful degreaser and perhaps some plan of attack here?

And am I using the wrong lube? I use muc-off wet lube, I have the dry stuff as well but it tends to make my chain click.

[Barchettaman]

Bilt Hamber Surfex is unbelievable stuff.

[idiotgap]

Quite a lot of people seem to use this, I'm sure it got a mention on GCN's tech channel once too.

https://www.screwfix.com/p/no-nonsense-heavy-duty-...

[lufbramatt]

Barchettaman said:

Bilt Hamber Surfex is unbelievable stuff.

+1

[MarkJS]

Best to take your chain off for a proper clean. Get a bottle of Elbow Grease degreaser - £1 in most supermarkets. Muc-Off drivetrain cleaner is fairly good but I don’t really rate anything else that they do.

I’ve never found a wet-lube that doesn’t instantly attract crud - if it’s designed to stick to your chain, then it’s pretty certain that any other debris are going to stick to that in the process. TF2 has probably been the best of a bad lot and I’m currently using Boeshield T9 (developed by Boeing). Impressed so far but haven’t done a winter MTB season with it yet.

[p4cks]

lufbramatt said:

Barchettaman said:

Bilt Hamber Surfex is unbelievable stuff.

+1

I read the title and came here to post this. It's great stuff!

[Harpoon]

Virosol is good stuff and doubles up as alloy wheel cleaner

Around £6 for 5l - the manufacturer will usually give you a local stockist

http://www.cloverchem.co.uk/2013/uk/product_detail...

I'd recommend wearing disposable gloves as it'll do a fine job of making your hands go very dry and wrinkly.

[Your Dad]

Harpoon said:

Virosol is good stuff and doubles up as alloy wheel cleaner

Might be good for cleaning alloy wheels, but product page clearly states the following:

"Do not use on aluminium, Zinc or other alkali-sensitive surfaces."

[E65Ross]

Barchettaman said:

Bilt Hamber Surfex is unbelievable stuff.

This, although being water based is both a blessing and a not-so-good. For some jobs I prefer an evaporating degreaser, but for the most part BH Surfex HD is my "go-to". Has been for many years now!

[cbmotorsport]

Paraffin. Cheap as chips and a fantastic degreaser.

[Usget]

Crankalicious Gumchained Remedy for regular cleaning (does a great job and smells nice - and their single-use wipes are a great idea).

Gunk (engine degreaser) for when you're no longer saying please.

[Watchman]

Wynn's carburettor cleaner from Halfords. Just keep it off your paint and plastics.

[anonymous-user]

Petrol / diesel work well enough for me and I usually have some kicking about for the mower etc.

[funkyrobot]

MarkJS said:

Best to take your chain off for a proper clean. Get a bottle of Elbow Grease degreaser - £1 in most supermarkets. Muc-Off drivetrain cleaner is fairly good but I don’t really rate anything else that they do.

I’ve never found a wet-lube that doesn’t instantly attract crud - if it’s designed to stick to your chain, then it’s pretty certain that any other debris are going to stick to that in the process. TF2 has probably been the best of a bad lot and I’m currently using Boeshield T9 (developed by Boeing). Impressed so far but haven’t done a winter MTB season with it yet.

Good point about the wet lube. I've been using Muc Off wet lube and Muc Off dry lube. I've given up on the wet lube as it really makes a mess of things and attracts all sort of crud. Stick to the dry lube now which you have to apply more, but is much cleaner.

[E65Ross]

funkyrobot said:

MarkJS said:

Best to take your chain off for a proper clean. Get a bottle of Elbow Grease degreaser - £1 in most supermarkets. Muc-Off drivetrain cleaner is fairly good but I don’t really rate anything else that they do.

I’ve never found a wet-lube that doesn’t instantly attract crud - if it’s designed to stick to your chain, then it’s pretty certain that any other debris are going to stick to that in the process. TF2 has probably been the best of a bad lot and I’m currently using Boeshield T9 (developed by Boeing). Impressed so far but haven’t done a winter MTB season with it yet.

Good point about the wet lube. I've been using Muc Off wet lube and Muc Off dry lube. I've given up on the wet lube as it really makes a mess of things and attracts all sort of crud. Stick to the dry lube now which you have to apply more, but is much cleaner.

I've gone down the waxing route.....450g paraffin wax, 1g molybdenum sulphide, 5g teflon powder all mixed up in a crockpot. Hassle to start with, but once done, it's so bloody easy and the chain stays incredibly clean!! I tend to get around 250 miles per application, if not a bit more. Have 2 chains so I do the process once per 500 miles or so.

[dontlookdown]

For all their undoubted mechanical efficiency, open bike chains are unsatisfactory from a maintenance point of view. However careful you are to keep the chain clean, it wears at a pretty rapid rate especially if you ride in all weathers.

But those of us with bikes with conventional derailleur drivechains have not much choice, so what to do? Having tried various wet and dry lubes I have ended up using wet lube all year round and endeavouring to clean the chain pretty regularly - weekly in the winter if I can be bothered. The dry stuff is OK in the summer, but as soon as it rains I find the chain is squeaking and grinding within 10 miles or so, and the day after a wet ride the chain will be going rusty in places. Wet lube does attract the muck but keeps its lubricating and anti-rust qualities much longer, in my experience.

If you ride your bike any kind of distances, you will have to replace the chain every six months or so anyway. Not because it wears enough to stop it working but because a worn chain wears out the cassette and chain rings quickly. Chains are cheap so you can replace them often. My regime is roughly - new chain every 6 months, new cassette and chain annually and new chain, cassette and chain ring (the one you use most anyway) every 18months - 2yrs.

So if your chain is as grubby as you say it is, it may well need replacing - possibly some of the other bits too. In which case, clean everything properly - the screwfix degreaser mentioned already is pretty good value - and fit new. Then try and avoid letting it get so dirty again in future.

Or get a bike with hub gears - which are much more tolerant of chain wear because the chain doesn't have to move sideways between gears - or one of those carbon drive belt bikes. Although they probably have issues of their own, too.

tldr - even fairly clean bike drivechains wear surprisingly quickly if you ride a lot, so you probably need some new bits if it's been that dirty for a while.

[dontlookdown]

E65Ross said:

funkyrobot said:

MarkJS said:

Best to take your chain off for a proper clean. Get a bottle of Elbow Grease degreaser - £1 in most supermarkets. Muc-Off drivetrain cleaner is fairly good but I don’t really rate anything else that they do.

I’ve never found a wet-lube that doesn’t instantly attract crud - if it’s designed to stick to your chain, then it’s pretty certain that any other debris are going to stick to that in the process. TF2 has probably been the best of a bad lot and I’m currently using Boeshield T9 (developed by Boeing). Impressed so far but haven’t done a winter MTB season with it yet.

Good point about the wet lube. I've been using Muc Off wet lube and Muc Off dry lube. I've given up on the wet lube as it really makes a mess of things and attracts all sort of crud. Stick to the dry lube now which you have to apply more, but is much cleaner.

I've gone down the waxing route.....450g paraffin wax, 1g molybdenum sulphide, 5g teflon powder all mixed up in a crockpot. Hassle to start with, but once done, it's so bloody easy and the chain stays incredibly clean!! I tend to get around 250 miles per application, if not a bit more. Have 2 chains so I do the process once per 500 miles or so.

Thanks for the recipe - the legendary Sheldon Brown was apparently very keen on chain waxing, so perhaps I should have a go. How do your waxed chains stand up in wet weather?

[E65Ross]

dontlookdown said:

E65Ross said:

funkyrobot said:

MarkJS said:

Best to take your chain off for a proper clean. Get a bottle of Elbow Grease degreaser - £1 in most supermarkets. Muc-Off drivetrain cleaner is fairly good but I don’t really rate anything else that they do.

I’ve never found a wet-lube that doesn’t instantly attract crud - if it’s designed to stick to your chain, then it’s pretty certain that any other debris are going to stick to that in the process. TF2 has probably been the best of a bad lot and I’m currently using Boeshield T9 (developed by Boeing). Impressed so far but haven’t done a winter MTB season with it yet.

Good point about the wet lube. I've been using Muc Off wet lube and Muc Off dry lube. I've given up on the wet lube as it really makes a mess of things and attracts all sort of crud. Stick to the dry lube now which you have to apply more, but is much cleaner.

I've gone down the waxing route.....450g paraffin wax, 1g molybdenum sulphide, 5g teflon powder all mixed up in a crockpot. Hassle to start with, but once done, it's so bloody easy and the chain stays incredibly clean!! I tend to get around 250 miles per application, if not a bit more. Have 2 chains so I do the process once per 500 miles or so.

Thanks for the recipe - the legendary Sheldon Brown was apparently very keen on chain waxing, so perhaps I should have a go. How do your waxed chains stand up in wet weather?

Seems fine, although winter will test it more. The recipe was from FrictionFacts person (now with ceramic speed).

[AWG]

Barchettaman said:

Bilt Hamber Surfex is unbelievable stuff.

Currently have my cassette in bits sitting in BH. It really is great stuff.

[Gruffy]

Usget said:

Crankalicious Gumchained Remedy for regular cleaning (does a great job and smells nice - and their single-use wipes are a great idea).

Big fan of those wipes. Perfect for a lazy git who wants to spend more time riding than cleaning. Pack size also means I can take them on multi-day rides as they take up no room at all - because I am guaranteed to find foul weather, no matter which part of the world I'm in.