Jason Smith is all for cleaning chains off the bike. “We recommend removing the chain to properly clean it. A quick link such as the Wippermann Connex Link facilitates easy removal. The most effective method of cleaning is by placing the chain in a simple and inexpensive ultrasonic machine.

“The ultrasonic agitation does a great job of removing dirt and grit from the internals of the links. If an ultrasonic cleaner is not available, the chain can be placed in a sealed container with cleaner and shaken vigorously,” Smith suggested.

In our experience, using Simple Green in combination with an ultrasonic cleaner has proven effective at getting the chain clean and, most importantly, getting the stubborn grit out of the rollers. However, doing this on a filthy chain takes a number of five-minute cycles (or longer) before the chain is spotless.

If you don’t have time for this, scrubbing down the chain will get almost the same results as the ultrasonic cleaner and you can have it back on the bike far quicker.

If you want to speed up the process of using the ultrasonic cleaner, scrub the chain with a stiff-bristled brush to bring back the exterior sparkle, then run it through the ultrasonic cleaner. Once done, rinse it with water and then air dry with compressed air. You will then have a truly sparkling fresh chain.

Whatever you do, don’t leave your chain to soak for an extended period of time (days). There are some horror stories out there about degreaser corroding metal and causing surface cracks.

Can a chain be too clean?

Some people believe that cleaning a chain too much removes hard-to-replace factory grease from within the rollers. While it is important to ensure a chain is correctly lubricated, there’s little risk of a chain being too clean.

“We don’t feel a chain can ever be too clean, as long as it’s properly lubed after cleaning,” reports Smith. “In fact, when Friction Facts was in the business of treating chains [the UltraFast Optimization process acquired by CeramicSpeed] we stripped the chain completely using heavy solvents. The goal was to achieve a bare metal surface, prior to the lubrication treatment.”

We asked Jones the same question, for which his reply was simply: “No, but at some point, you are cleaning just for the fun of it.”

Once the chain is clean, Smith warns not to wait too long after cleaning before applying lube: “This minimises oxidation of a dry chain.”

So what about the lube itself? Are factory-applied ones superior?

“We’ve debunked the claim that aftermarket lubes can’t get as deep into the chain as factory-applied lubes,” says Smith. “Based on the friction decay seen during testing, it takes one minute or less for a drip lube to fully penetrate the internals of a rotating chain.”

Smith says he’s done many tests on chains with factory lubes and aftermarket ones: “Some factory lubes are faster than other factory lubes, and we’ve even seen a 5-watt swing between the fastest and slowest aftermarket lubes. However, in no case have we ever seen a factory lube outperform the fastest aftermarket lubes.”

Alright, so it’s clean. Now what?

Simon von Bromley / Immediate Media

“Part of the total cleaning process is re-lubing. Choosing a high-efficiency chain lube is the easiest and least expensive way to decrease friction in a drivetrain,” says Smith.

According to Smith’s testing, there’s up to a 5-watt difference between the top-performing and lowest-performing drip lubes. “Some of the top-performing drip lubes we’ve tested are Squirt Lube, Lilly Lube, Rock-N-Roll Extreme and Morgan Blue Rolls Pro.

Simon Bromley / Immediate Media

“Paraffin wax blends (such as Molten Speed Wax) are generally faster than drip lubes, but the application is more complex. As an option, a few companies are now providing paraffin wax optimised chains, ready to go,” he says.

For more on how to lube your chain, check out our in-depth guide to the best chain lube.

Some products claim to be an all-in-one cleaner and lube, but we’ve found these to be too thin for proper lubrication over longer rides. However, the practice is the same with any lube – wipe off the excess.

Smith agrees with such practice, stating that it’s better to lube over a dirty chain than not lube at all.

“At a minimum, a rider should re-lube the chain prior to every ride, even if they are re-lubing over a dirty chain. For efficiency, it’s better to re-lube over a dirty chain than do nothing at all,” suggests Smith.

If you follow up this advice with running the chain through a clean rag, you’ll likely stay on top of many dirty chain woes.

Prevention is perhaps the best thing in order to be lazy. Jones suggests: “First, use less oil as you lubricate. Don’t soak a chain in lube. Use a drip lube and put a drop along each joint, each link across the roller. Hosing your chain with spray certainly gets lube there as well, but it also gets it all over side plates, making the chain a dirt collector.

“It takes more time to lube each and every rivet but it also lets you inspect each one, and that will help you catch that ‘weak link’ of a burred, bowed or bent side plate, a mis-pressed rivet and a tight link,” Jones adds.

The laziest way to clean a filthy chain is just to replace it. Here, Jones offers the simple advice to measure for chain wear before each cleaning – there’s no point wasting time on a worn chain.

Once a chain is showing signs of wear, we pull the old cassette and cranks off the bike and give them a proper cleaning in a parts washer. Doing this provides a nice welcome for a fresh chain.

Should I wax my chain?

Immersion chain waxing is another option for the most fastidious of riders. It involves fully submerging a chain in a pot of melted wax. A waxed chain does a great job of resisting wear-increasing contaminants and it also results in one of the most efficient solutions. However, there’s a fair amount of work involved in immersion waxing a chain.

Senior technical writer Simon von Bromley has curated a full step-by-step guide for the process.

---