Is this a good product?:
http://www.pedros.com/chainmachinekit.htm
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These types of chain cleaners are made by lots of companies. They seem to clean well. I bought a Park Tool one because they sell replacement brushes and parts for it, and it was on sale at the time. Pedro’s makes awesome products though, and has great customer support to back it up, so I wouldn’t hesitate buying from them if the price was right.
A couple of things to keep in mind. If you are using a water based cleaner, be sure not to leave parts soaking in it. I learned that the hard way. As soon as that stuff starts to evaporate rust moves in. Clean your parts with it, wash them off, and then use some good lube to protect them. As far as Pedro’s is concerned, if you are talking about the Oranj Peelz, take note that Pedro’s says it is NOT safe for all plastic and rubber parts. So if you are planning on using some type of chain scrubber, you might opt for Park Tool’s chain brite,which is rated safe for plastics.
I have a great chain cleaing tool, with replaceable brushes and it is awesome. It’s like other serpentine cleaner tools but has some plastic fingers to squeegie cleaner off the chain, followed by a piece of open cell foam that the chain goes through to remove and residual cleaner. Leaves the ground almost completely dry. It even has a magnet in the bottom of the cleaner resevoir to draw metal filings and powder away from where the chain passes through the resevoir. Works great and I love it. I got it as a gift and it doesn’t have a brand name on it, but it’s clear-ish green plastic and is fantastic. My wife bought it because it was the most expensive one in the store and she knows not to buy me crap!
I use mineral terpentine as a cleaner (after Jonathan Vaughters recommended it in a magazine article years ago). It’s cheap, fast, super effective and so on. I wait for the excess to evaporate (even evaprotates on rainy days when water based stuff takes ages to dry on rainy days) and then lube with Pedros MTB wet lube. Let sit over night and scrub the chain dry with one of the wife’s favourite towels reserved for guests! (Hey, if they are good enough for guests, they’re good enough for my Cervelo!) LOL
I use a dollar store tooth brush and some Simple Green. Seems to work well if you clean your chain frequently.
I like to keep it cheap and easy. A friend of mine runs the SRAM neutral support operation and has bike cleaning down to an art/science.
Start off with an axle mounted with a quick release lever or one of the numerous chain keeper devices out there. I like and use Pedros (http://www.pedroscatalog.com/productimage.aspx?productID=6400560).
Buy some of those kitchen sponges with the combination green scrubber/yellow sponge material - around $2.95 for a two pack. Mix up a combination of Dawn dish detergent and hot water in a bucket. Soak the sponge in the mixture and continuously run the chain through the sponge while clenching your hand around it. Repeat the process and change out sponges until the chain runs clean. You can start off with a hand held nail brush for really dirty chains and transition to the sponge. If you have an air gun go crazy and blow out all the remaining water and finish by running the chain through clean rags similar to how you used the sponge.
Don’t forget your cassette cogs - place your wheel on the bucket you filled with your Dawn and hot water mixture. Use a auto wheel brush with the large square head - agave bristles work best and are available through diycleaning.com. Tilt the wheel towards your body so allow excess water/soap to fall back into the bucket. Push/pull the soapy brush across the cogs getting all the grease and debris off. Fold your in half to make a tight edge and push/pull through the spaces to remove any remaining dirt or grease.
Mount your wheel back and the bike and lube up the chain. I like Pedro’s dry lube - it has a propellant that evaporates and leaves behind a slippery film on the chain. Spray it on the chain in 8-10 inch sections below the chain stay making sure to use a rag to catch any overspray. Do this 2x and run the chain through a dry rag to clean up any excess and you will be ready to rock and roll.
I used it tonight to clean up the chain for racing this weekend. Worked like a charm. Gets my approval.
no. it is needlessly expensive. not everything needs to be “park tool” or bicycle-specific, this is one great example.
buy a big jug of simple green or similar degreaser at your local hardware store for a tenth of the price. same product / results, just remember to lube the chain afterwards.
The Park Tool version is way better. But the best solution is probably a rag, one of those nice brushes from Park Tool, and some dishwashing detergent and water in a bucket.
If you must get the chain cleaner device, only get the Park Tool one.
The Park Tool version is way better. But the best solution is probably a rag, one of those nice brushes from Park Tool, and some dishwashing detergent and water in a bucket.
If you must get the chain cleaner device, only get the Park Tool one.
I have the Park Tool version, and I can’t say it does alot beside making a big mess. I buy a Connex/Powerlink now for all my chains and just remove the chain when cleaning.
What is your ultimate goal? If it’s a clean and lubed drivetrain, I just use Simple Green, Orange Power, or similar, a scrub brush, and water. Spray the cleaner on, let it soak for a few seconds, scrub, rinse, repeat once. Bounce the bike and spin the chain backwards to get excess water off, put in sun and air dry. When dry I lube with 3-in-1. Typically I’ll wait 12 hours to lube to make sure it’s dry. Works perfectly.
The problem with the park tool one is it breaks. They seem to last about a season for me before some piece of plastic cracks and I need a new one. What gives? It’s not like I’m putting huge stress on these things.
I use the park one with the Pedro’s citrus degreeser.
I’ve had it for about 5 years now
jaretj
Is this a good product?:
http://www.pedros.com/chainmachinekit.htm
Removal chain link and a cassette removal tool so I can get the chain and cassette completely off. Less mess and gets everything much cleaner.