Best way to clean a drive chain?

[bandsawman]

I've got my chain off at the moment and want to give it a spring clean while it's off.

Any advice on the best way to do this?

It's an O-ring chain, by the way.

[benny hedges]

bucket of parrafin m8, shake it off, hang it on the line then re-lube it

[alec]

Can i ask how do i know what type chain i have and whats the best lube for different types ?

[benny hedges]

once its on you wont know if its o ring or x ring unless its stamped on the links.
type of lube is up to you.
scottoiler oil, chainsaw oil, used engine oil, spray chain lube, dry ptfe spray, dry wax.... up to you.
scottoiler is the way to go for long chain life & minimal adjustment

[Wicky]

Like hair spray that you spray on hair - Essential male grooming chain cleaner cleans chains....

[bandsawman]

bucket of parrafin m8, shake it off, hang it on the line then re-lube it

For real?!
I'm worried about removing all lube from within the o-rings...

[benny hedges]

thats what i do... when the back wheel or chain is off anyway.
you wont wreck the chain by cleaning it, as long as you re-lube it properly.

i usually jetwash mine when i clean the bike then spray it up again.

[bandsawman]

Right I've done a lot of Googling on this too - most of the stuff I found was on American sites, and soaking in kerosene is very popular (I believe kerosene is the same as parafin?)

I was still a bit worried about it getting past the rings and diluting the grease inside the rollers, so I went for the spray-on chain cleaner. The one I got was Motorex - works very well. Spray it on, leave it to work for a bit, then wipe off with a cloth.

Then I went along the chain, link by link, and found a couple that were a bit stiff. A few more sprays and some wiggling on the stiff links got 'em sorted - but there was one link that was siezed solid! And I mean solid! I ended up having to hold the chain in a vice and use a hammer to get the link moving again (along with loads of cleaner spray and chain lube). This has likely happened while the bike has been laid up, as it broke down while covered in salt and road grime

Other than that, the chain seems to be in good condition, it rarely needs adjusting and none of the links are too slack. Looking at service records, it looks like the chain (Tsubaki X-Ring) was fitted at approximately 20k, it's now on 33k - so it's done 13k. Front sprocket was changed 1k ago and rear one is fine.

This has taught me that I need to remove the chain and service it more often and not just keep spraying with lube.

I'll keep a close eye on it from now on