Easy & Effective On-The-Bike Chain Cleaning!

A clean bike chain means your bike will perform better and your drivetrain will last longer. Cleaning your chain thoroughly can be a lot of hassle, but it doesn’t need to be. Alex shows you what he has found to be the easiest and most effective method of giving your chain a deep clean without removing it from the bike.

0:00 Intro
0:19 What you need
1:07 Prepare your chain
1:59 Apply degreaser
3:25 Wash off degreaser
4:31 Check chain cleanliness
5:24 Dry your drivetrain
6:13 Lube chain
6:51 Summary

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What other maintenance advice would you like Alex to share? 🚲 Let us know in the comments below! 💬

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📸 Photos - © Velo Collection (TDW) / Getty Images & © Sprint Cycling Agency

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[gcntech]

What other maintenance advice would you like Alex to share? 🚲

[jpconstantineau]

Clean a clean chain. Works every time!

[GrenvilleMelonseedSkiff]

I use the Muc-Off chain cleaning tool (bath) … works well and it collects the contaminated degreaser for disposal. Great video … ta very much.

[cktrading]

Nice Maintenance, Mike. Thanks, Ride safe. From the Philippines

[RenAigu]

I feel a chain cleaner (the box with the spinning bristles in it) is easier, I get better results and is more economic on the degreaser. What I do is first a pass with regular dish soap in water (~30 revolutions of the cranks), then rinse the chain cleaner out, rinse the drivetrain with water, and do a chain cleaner pass with degreaser. Remove the chain cleaner, let it work in a bit, while I clean the rest of the bike/drive train. Rinse with plain water from a bidon (no hose needed). Another pass with soapy water. If the soapy water or its foam is still grey after than, another degreaser pass. Then a good final rinse of the drivetrain with plain water. Backpedal furiously to fling droplets, then a microfibre cloth to dry and then the lube as described.

[glen]

I used to use Q-Tips and alcohol swabs to clean my mountain bike chain and cassette. I also tried the WD-40 degreaser, it worked really good; but I also wasted a lot of it. I read online that some cyclists use Clorox wipes to clean their chains. I tried this and it does work quite well👍

[stevegeek]

From personal experience, I’d be careful spraying degreaser and water around the rear hub. If you manage to degrease the bearings you can easily destroy them.

[salzhaltigersalzhaufen]

For that stiff brush you can use your old toothbrush works well and is also very cheap and good for the environment

[juliocesarpereira]

Very helpful indeed. I'm glad to know that I've been lubing the chain correctly all these years.

[donlibes]

Do you do this after every ride? If not, how do you know when it is time?

[PedroStringhini]

I would suggest two adds for making the cleaning easier and more effective:
1: Using chain cleaner (those with internal brushes, Just put the degreaser and spin the cranks, easy peasy)
2: Use a plastic bag or neoprene protector for the discs, zero risk of contaminated Disc pads.

I've compared a few times cleaning my chains with the cheap chain cleaners and degreaser, and with ultrasound bath, and both get the same results. But Using the chain cleaner doesn't demands removing chain, and imo are a bit easier and faster...

[robertoalvarez]

Uploaded this refresher video just in time!! I'm going to clean the drivetrain on my Canyon tomorrow 😊

[wujekcientariposta]

1 If you have an air compressor you can blow the de-greaser with dirt right out, it helps to remove sand from difficult to cleans spaces <watch out for your disk brakes>
Putting some very thin oil with hydrophobic properties <used some king of silicone based electronics oil to great effect> on the exterior of your chain and sprockets gives you a bit more time to next cleaning.

[justinepanes]

I barely clean my bike for a month, but i use my old toothbrush and degrease sprYer, for cleaning it. And its very handy tbh and appky some lubricants afterwards

[rogersimmons]

I use a toothbruch to clean my chain and get into all those hard to reach places. Trouble is, it tastes horrible when i clean my teeth.

[colnago]

You showed the Silca Ultimate Brake And Drivetrain Cleaner bottle (aka Detox) but never used it in this video. It’s absolutely incredible stuff. Costs a lot, but for on the bike drivetrain cleaning there is NOTHING close to it on the market at the moment and it can be used on discs too with zero issues. I bit the bullet after reading reviews and I’m stunned by how amazing it is. It smells like eggs and goes red when it’s fighting the grime – but don’t let that put you off.

[jamesmoros]

Best to cover the Discs as it will splatter on the discs and you will have contaminated pads😊

[michaelgustav]

Cheers mate 👋😊,
Good one, the gravel bike you used for this showcase, what deepht is the carbon rims?... Cheers from Denmark and stay safe 👍🚲👋..

[chevchelios]

a question... can i use my motorcycle chain cleaning and lube products or i must use bicycle chain clean and lube kit?

[FreakShowScitchy]

I swapped to warm wax. Never going back to chain oil. No gunk, no noise, no degreasing needed. just dip the chain in the warm wax and done.