{"id":40763,"date":"2022-08-20T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-08-20T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bikeradar.com\/?p=284877"},"modified":"2022-08-25T17:47:14","modified_gmt":"2022-08-25T15:47:14","slug":"everything-you-ever-wanted-to-know-about-cleaning-your-bike-chain","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/rss_feed\/everything-you-ever-wanted-to-know-about-cleaning-your-bike-chain\/","title":{"rendered":"Everything you ever wanted to know about cleaning your bike chain"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Oscar Huckle\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Saturday, 20 August 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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Cleaning the chain on your bike is a key part of reducing wear, improving performance and showing love to your bike. This is the ultimate guide to cleaning bicycle chains, and likely contains more information than you bargained for.<\/p>\n

Your bicycle chain will wear for various reasons, but the key accelerant is grit within that grinds away the metal. While reducing wear through chain cleaning is certainly the factor that will save you money, you should also consider the efficiency that\u2019s lost through all that abrasive friction.<\/p>\n

Why should I clean my bicycle chain?<\/h2>\n
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Don\u2019t let your chain get this dirty, it will just wear out your other drivetrain components.<\/span><\/figcaption> Colin Levitch \/ Immediate Media<\/i><\/span><\/div><\/dt>\n<\/dl><\/div>\n

Jason Smith, of independent testing facility Friction Facts, confirms there\u2019s a measurable amount of efficiency lost from a dirty chain.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe numbers can vary based on the \u2018dirtiness\u2019 of the chain, but on average, testing shows a dirty road chain can decrease efficiency by about 3 to 5 watts (at 250-watt rider output) \u2013 about 1 to 2 per cent of power loss,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor example, say a properly cleaned and lubed chain consumes about 7 watts. The light road grit kicked up from a couple of \u2018clean\u2019 road rides can cost an additional 3 watts of frictional losses.\u201d<\/p>\n

Smith explains that number increases with the grit: \u201cRiding on several road rides without cleaning or relubing can cost about 5 watts of losses. In extreme cases (MTB or cyclocross for example), we\u2019ve seen a muddy chain add 12 watts of losses over baseline.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen a chain is not properly cleaned and lubed, friction levels increase at the sliding surfaces of each chain link. At 95rpm with a 53t front ring, 40,280 chain link articulations occur every minute [an articulation is a link bending into or out of a ring, cog, or pulley] as the chain snakes through the drivetrain. Because of the high number of links constantly articulating, it is crucial to make sure the friction is minimised within the links.\u201d<\/p>\n

Many riders make the mistake of not degreasing their chains, prior to lubrication. If you lube a dirty chain, it will only continue to attract more contaminants and not be of particular benefit. You also run the risk of having a \u2018chain tat\u2019 if your leg comes into contact with a dirty chain on a ride. However, it\u2019s better to lube a grease-covered chain prior to a ride than do nothing at all.<\/p>\n

Should I take my chain off my bike to clean it?<\/h2>\n
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Whether or not you need to split your chain depends on your drivetrain.<\/span><\/figcaption> Jonny Ashelford \/ Immediate Media<\/i><\/span><\/div><\/dt>\n<\/dl>

Everyone has a slightly different view on whether the chain should be on or off the bike for a thorough cleaning.<\/p>\n

Removing a chain from the bike and shaking it in a jar of degreaser used to be common practice, but not so much anymore. With chains becoming more precise as further gears are added to modern drivetrains, our techniques for cleaning have had to adapt.<\/p>\n

If your chain uses a joining pin to connect, rather than a quick-link, they are typically designed to go on once and then be removed only when worn out.<\/p>\n

Calvin Jones of Park Tool expands on this, saying that \u201cif the chain has a \u2018connection rivet\u2019, you invite creating a weak link every time you remove and install a new connection rivet. Even a master link is best left alone.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe better master links\u2026 \u2018click\u2019 into place, and taking it off and on and off and on removes this feature. Again, you are creating a weak link.\u201d<\/p>\n

If your chain uses a reusable quick-link to install, then you\u2019re welcome to remove your chain for cleaning and not worry about creating a potentially weaker link.<\/p>\n

For those with (officially) non-reusable links,\u00a0Shimano<\/a>, SRAM and Campagnolo all recommend using a brand-new quick-link every time a chain is installed.<\/p>\n

However, many riders re-use non-reusable quick-links with success, despite brands insisting against it. We have a detailed guide on quick-links that delves further into the topic.<\/p>\n