Chain cleaning box or clean by hand, what do you do ?

Rat

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I'm considering getting a chain cleaning box, but I wonder if they really do an effective job or not. I realise that if you are pedantic you can probably do a better job by hand. But I want to reduce my cleaning time and I hope a box would do a good enough job.

I suppose I then have to stuff about cleaning the chain cleaning box after every use ? hmmm.

So what are your experiences ?

What box have you used ?

Are you happy with the result ?

Is it easy to use and clean ?

What degreaser do you use in it ?

Do you then fill it with water and run the chain through it again before you re-lube ?

Where did you buy it and how much ?

Did I miss any questions out ?

Cheers :D
 

anthonyma

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I often use a chain cleaner. I do a quick scrub of chain, chainring, and cassette nby hand with degreaser, a quick rinse, then fill the cleaner with degreaser and run the chain through there.

After that I empty the cleaner, scrub the chainrings and cassette by hand, rinse everything, then fill the cleaner with water and run the chain through again. However, I have found this step to be most ineffective on its own, so I trickle water into the cleaner as I run the chain through on the rinse cycle, and continue this for about 30 seconds. This means I am rinsing the chain with fresh water, rather than the dirty water that comes out of the chain after the first clean.

Doing it this way I don't bother cleaning the chain cleaner after every use as it ends up pretty clean anyway. I am happy with the result, and it is pretty quick. I just use a generic degreaser. I make sure I let the chain dry completely before re-lubing. It should also be noted that I only use a dry lube, and previous experience leads me to believe that this regime wouldn't be so great if you are using a wet lube.
 

AaronJ

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Its one of those things where the more often you do it, the easier it is to do each time.

Firstly, I’ll admit I am a bit pedantic about bike cleaning……

I simply wipe down the chain and cassette with a cloth every 1-2 rides and then re-lube.

The every month or so I take the chain off and give it a heavier clean.

Only takes a few minutes, there's no risk of splashing anything on your brakes, the chain always runs perfectly and it looks like new.

AJ

Edit - About the chain cleaning boxes. I have one (no idea of brand) and I personally hate it. No matter how gently I move the chain through it cleaning fluid gets everywhere. Just do it by hand but more often and its quick and easy.
 
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