Ik it’s maybe overkill but could I use this to clean my bike chain / gear set?
Have it for my motorcycle obviously but probably won’t use it again for a while. Rather than buying all the little goodies to clean and re grease would this work? Saving money on cleaning supplies means more money for parts lol
Since motorcycle chains are o-ring chains, most of the cleaning systems designed for them are intended to clean the outside but not really penetrate into the rollers.
If you want to make cleaning the chain much, much easier and cheaper, the best thing you can buy is a quick-link so you can remove the chain from the bike entirely and drop it in a jar of a cheap but safe and not-too-volatile solvent (such as kerosene).
No method of cleaning the chain on the bike I have ever found is as effective or as cheap as this. None of those fancy brushes will ever get all the black crap out.
Additionally, cleaning the chain on the bike will always carry some risk of degreasers working their way into bearings and and sripping lubricant from where it needs to be.
J_B_T on
Regardless of the warning, motorcycle cleaning solvents probably won’t play nice with all the different plastics, alloys, coatings and paints found around a bicycle drivetrain. Probably because, and I may be wrong, there isn’t much delicate plastic, anodized aluminium, or paint around a motorcycle chain. I’ve had diluted stovetop cleaner make blemishes on my crankset.
Best-Ad6185 on
It will work fine just take the chain off to do it!
3 Comments
Since motorcycle chains are o-ring chains, most of the cleaning systems designed for them are intended to clean the outside but not really penetrate into the rollers.
If you want to make cleaning the chain much, much easier and cheaper, the best thing you can buy is a quick-link so you can remove the chain from the bike entirely and drop it in a jar of a cheap but safe and not-too-volatile solvent (such as kerosene).
No method of cleaning the chain on the bike I have ever found is as effective or as cheap as this. None of those fancy brushes will ever get all the black crap out.
Additionally, cleaning the chain on the bike will always carry some risk of degreasers working their way into bearings and and sripping lubricant from where it needs to be.
Regardless of the warning, motorcycle cleaning solvents probably won’t play nice with all the different plastics, alloys, coatings and paints found around a bicycle drivetrain. Probably because, and I may be wrong, there isn’t much delicate plastic, anodized aluminium, or paint around a motorcycle chain. I’ve had diluted stovetop cleaner make blemishes on my crankset.
It will work fine just take the chain off to do it!