Cleaning chain?

[1vanvan1]

Ive taken my chain off my bike and i remember a guy telling me to soak it is kerosine or petrol or somehitng but i cant remember what he said to soak it in.

Can any1 tell me something good to soak it in to clean it. Cheers

[merv]

Kero is good.

Pre o-ring chains sometimes we used to cook our chains in grease in an old frypan - don't think it achieved much though.

Now I never take them off the bike, just clean them with kero and then re-lube them until eventually they need replacing.

[1vanvan1]

Sweet as! Thanks

[Big Dave]

WD40 WD40 WD40. Leave it on the bike and just soak everything. Then run it through a rag.

It even burns off a back brake disk in three or four turns of the wheel.

[HenryDorsetCase]

WD40 WD40 WD40. Leave it on the bike and just soak everything. Then run it through a rag.

It even burns off a back brake disk in three or four turns of the wheel.

I'm going to try that. cheers

[crazybigal]

yeah that wd40 it good stuff! and it smells yummy!!!

[gunnyrob]

or get a shaft drive bike!!

[PRYDEE]

I used to burn my old XR chains in oil on a fire outside but yeah you dont want to do this to an o-ring chain.

[Danger]

Yeah and your not allowed to have fires in Dunedin anymore are ya?

[Coldrider]

If you are going to burn your chain you will need some carbon credits to offset it, plant trees etc.
On a more serious note if you use petrol or kero, do not wear synthetic clothing whereby you can cause a spark to ignite the fumes, burning yourself and the MB. This has happened to a friend using a petrol soaked rag to clean his truck under bonnet, not nice.

[A&R]

WD40 WD40 WD40. Leave it on the bike and just soak everything. Then run it through a rag.

It even burns off a back brake disk in three or four turns of the wheel.

i thought wd 40, crc and other stuff like this were too harsh, wd40 is a grease/oil remover, hence doesn't it de-lube your chain and remove all the oil that was lubricating it in the first place and damage the o-rings?. Or do you do this wait for it to dry then spray on some sticky lube from a can? so re oiling it? at present just clean mine with a toothbrush, on the bike, in kero/parrafin and then spray on sticky lube. Anybody care to say what they do at the "professional" bike shops?

[Danger]

WD40 does not damage the 0 rings and yes, it will remove the oily gunk, and all the stuff thats stuck to the oily gunk, thats the point. It will not remove the oil underneath the 0 rings. It leaves a residue that has a slight lubricating quality and prevents the 0 rings drying out that say petrol would do.
Its your choice whether or not you spray some sticky lube on your chain or not. I might if the ride is a wet muddy Riverhead ride, other wise WD 40 is the only lube I use on a sealed chain. For sand and dry conditions WD 40 works for me. I use a good quality RK X ring chain and replace it with the sprockets at the same time to get maximum life. And I get a long life out of them.
Who are the "professional" bike shops? Their opinions will be as diverse as ours. It depends on your riding conditions, and the chain you use.