All right to use degreaser from Super Cheap Auto on chain?

[EJK]

Yeah, but the risk of finger amputation adds a bit of excitement to an otherwise dull task.

[Grubber]

With your statement that water on the chain is a bad idea what you are in effect saying is that riding your bike in the rain is also a bad idea. Risking a bit of rust is something many riders are forced to do when they ride so cleaning tthe bike/chain with water is hardly going to make the situation worse. I have read solvents can cause O ring damage but am not sure if kero is included also.

Really....i mean really???
HIGH PRESSURE DUDE NOT FRIGGIN RAIN WATER!

[Rhubarb]

My 2 cents worth .........

I've sold chain, sprockets, bearings etc for years for a living.
Chain manufacturers told me:

1. Take the chain off the bike
2. Completely submerge the chain in diesel overnight.
3. Dirt etc will 'fall out' and settle in the bottom of the tray.
4. You can give it a scrub with a hard toothbrush or parts wash brush as well to get out the tough crap.
5. You don't need to completely wash away the diesel afterwards. A blast with an air compressor or a fresh flush with diesel will do.
6. The diesel will not harm the o'rings if it's an o'ring chain.
- Almost all chain o'rings, regardless of brand or price, are generally made of Nitrile (acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber or Buna-N).
- Nitrile is completely compatible with diesel in both static and dynamic applications
7. The diesel will also act as a lubricant and will not be effected by, or effect, your chosen chain lubricant.
8. Dry off with a rag (so you don't drip diesel everywhere) before refitting to the bike.

I've done this on dirt bikes and road bikes for 20+ years. My chains have always lasted very well.
A chain that's in good condition will most certainly help with the longevity of the sprockets.

EDIT: I've never sold Supercheap degreaser but the other brands I've sold such as CRC, Chemz, Wynns etc are all compatible with Nitrile o'rings

[OddDuck]

The diesel is an idea I'll have to check out.

Just to add one more thing... one of the worst things that you can do is nothing. A mate did exactly that with his bike. The lubricant inside the O-rings eventually ran out, the O-rings themselves started to crack, and then one of the O-rings broke and dropped out. The chain then had a sideways offset between two links. This wore itself in and got worse. Pretty rapidly it got to the point where the chain was going to bind up around the sprocket and run off, or break. Or jam completely and lock the back wheel.

New chain, drive sprocket, wheel sprocket... it wasn't cheap!!

[SVboy]

Fuck you're a dork.

I'm retarded and even I can see that he's talking about high pressure washing.

you can have mint o rings, but if anything, even kero gets past them you can expect a shorter chain life. The purpose of the o rings is to keep the grease around the pins, chain lube doesnt get past them either.

I agree with this whole post except for the "I am retarded" bit!

[caspernz]

Cup of kero, brush and a rag. Apply kero sparingly, by the time you've done a full lap of the chain it'll be damn near done. Wipe off the cruddy stuff with rag. Repeat if necessary. Apply chain lube in modest fashion, wipe off excess.

To avoid anyone treating you like a noob, save the water blaster suggestion for the garden path. Water blasters and road bikes don't get on well...

[bogan]

Dork if you reread the actual post I responded to they did not mention high pressure water just water itself.

Arguably this is one of your better counterpoints. But alas, you still miss the actual point. A water wash off degreaser is what comes off, before the lube (see, for your information, its water repellent properties) goes on, see 'the order of the steps in the bloody post' for supplementary information previously overlooked.

It's like how it's a bad idea to ride your bike around halfway through a tyre change; fucking self explanatory I would have thought

[nodrog:Me]

[QUOTE=cassina;1130922511]

Fuck you're a dork.

I'm retarded and even I can see that he's talking about high pressure washing.

you can have mint o rings, but if anything, even kero gets past them you can expect a shorter chain life. The purpose of the o rings is to keep the grease around the pins, chain lube doesnt get past them either.[/QUOTE

Dork if you reread the actual post I responded to they did not mention high pressure water just water itself.

that sure told me.

[AllanB]

Clean Rag soaked in kero - clean (bike on stand, NOT running). Clean, dry with another clean rag. Oil with suitable shit. Job done.

[Grumph]

Clean Rag soaked in kero - clean (bike on stand, NOT running). Clean, dry with another clean rag. Oil with suitable shit. Job done.

Or as I've seen done by someone who shall remain nameless....back racebike up to fence around pits. Put it on the stand and fire it up. While idling in gear apply chain lube generously, avoiding losing a finger but watching the crowd gather outside the fence...Then rev the tits off it, in gear, spraying excess lube over the suddenly abusive crowd....Shit, does the back tyre grow when you do that.....

[AllanB]

A guy at high school munted several fingers lubing his chain with the bike on the main stand and in gear ........

[Moise]

Hey there, I'm wondering if it would be ok to use normal cheap degreaser from super cheap auto to clean my chain, after I degrease it I would of course water blast it off and put my proper chain lube on but I just want to know if it will be safe to use on the chain and not eat the orings or anything? I plan to just spray the chain, leave it for 2-3 minutes then spend about a good 5 minutes making sure I water blast all the residue off the chain with a water blaster then I got some decent chain spray lube from a bike shop I will put on it after.

To answer your original question, no it's not OK to use any degreaser on an O-ring chain. The solvents may damage the rubber - kero or diesel only.

If you don't like the advice you're getting here, then check out the chain manufacturers' websites.

[Laava]

I have found this thread to be informative, entertaining and very funny. 8/10

[pete376403]

The Supercheap degreaser that I have in the shed smells very like diesel anyway. And its not very good degreaser.

[Cheesy]

The Supercheap degreaser that I have in the shed smells very like diesel anyway. And its not very good degreaser.

It seemed to work quite well as a cutting fluid for aluminium when I ran out of kero as well.... and the price of the stuff it probably is just kero or diesel