HOWTO: Clean Your Chain and Pullys
Forum Discussion: HOWTO: Clean Your Chain and Pullys
Alright, here it is. How to clean your chain and pullys.
Required Tools:
Clean brush (an old toothbrush will work too, but not as good)
Chain scrubber
Degreaser
Wet or Dry Lube (i prefer dry lube, it keeps the components much cleaner imo, wet lube tends to make dirt/sand/crap stick to everything)
If you don't have any of these, I would suggest getting Pedro's Chain Machine Kit. Its totally awesome and has everything you will need.
Start off with the clean brush or toothbrush and clean off pullys, chainring, and cassette using some of the degreaser solution described below. I can't find my clean brush, so I used the old toothbrush I always have in my toolbox.
While pedaling the crank backwards, just start scrubbing away at stuff. With a toothbrush you can't really get too far into the chainring or cassette but you can clean the pullys very nicely:
Alright, so, now we're ready to scrub. Here's my scrubber. I have the Park CM-5 Chain Cleaner.
All chain scrubbers are basically the same, They have a reservoir for the cleaner, and a handfull of scrubbers that surround the chain.
The first thing you need to do is fill up the reservoir with a cleaning solution. I just grab whatever the generic or cheapest cleaner is at the bike shop. It's all basically the same shit - concentrated degreaser.
Mix your cleaning solution - usually it's a 10:1 mix with water, 10 parts water, 1 part degreaser - and fill the srubber up to the fill line that should be marked on the side.
Once you have that done, it's time to hook it on to the chain. Just hold the bottom half of the scrubber up under the bottom of the chain loop
Then clamp the top of the scrubber on so that the chain is enclosed within the scrubber.
To scrub the chain, just pedal the crank backwards (counter clockwise) for about a minute while doing your best to hold the scrubber in place so it doesn't scrape along the chain right or rear derailleur. Since you are pedaling backwards, the bike will not move, so if you don't have a workstand, you can just lean it up against a wall or have a friend steady it.
If you decide to use a web lube, you can add it now while the scrubber is still on. Most scrubbers will have two little holes on the top like so:
While continuing to pedal backwards, squeeze some wet lube into each of the two holes. The scrubber will work the lube into the chain for you after a few pedals.
Remove the scrubber from the chain.
If you decide to use a dry lube, you can lube the chain now. I use Finish Line Teflon lube
Shake the can vigorously then sprat the chain while pedaling the crank backwards. Be sure to note that lube will spray all over whatever is on the other side of the chain, so pick a smart place to spray or things could get messy. I usually spray along the chain as it passes over the cassette. Once you have lubed up the chain, it's a good idea to also lube up the pullies and any other moving parts that look like they need it - brake levers, cable housing, bottom bracket (where the crank connects to the frame), wheel berrings, etc.
I always make sure to spray the pullys since cleaning probably removed most of the old lube
That's it!
Tags: Bikes, chain, howto