robracer wrote:Dave please do not use degreaser on your chain! The only cleaner you should use on your chain is Kero, the degreasers mentioned above have solvents that will penetrate past your O rings & could affect the internal lubrication. It is also good on the excess chain lube around your guard etc.
Yep he is right and sorry for the following long over explanation
o’ ring chains are pre-packed with grease in the rollers and don’t need to be re-lubricated for the life of the chain, that’s why the o’rings are there for, to keep the grease in and to keep contaminants out. Was a different story for regular chains before o’ ring chains became mainstream.
Use only KERO as Rob said & a small 1" paint brush never a wire brush, cut out some cardboard for around the back of the chain area protecting the tyre/wheel and frame and the floor, find some old tin baking trays or ice-cream containers to catch the drips underneath. Wipe off any residue. The aim of cleaning the chain, in a purely mechanical sense, is to remove the grit around the o’rings so they don’t wear so quickly.
Also don’t use wd40 or any penetrant for the same reason on your chain as this stuff is designed to penetrate and will break up the grease, if you don’t believe me go to a well known chain manufacturers website and read the faq’s for your self.
When you lube your chain what you are aiming for is to lubricating the o’rings not the rollers or anything else so you don’t need to have a chain glistening with lube and in fact that would attract more dirt than a dry chain. Some solvents can degrade the o’ring material as well and once that happens your chain will quickly become un-serviceable and need replacing.
When applying a good chain lube (wax) aim for the "o"rings both on the outside and underside of the chain as you rotate the wheel many times by hand, wipe off any excess and shine up those gold links if you have them and your good to go
Normally after a ride and my chain is still clean I would give a small quick squirt of lube, same on a long trip.
This method worked well for me on both my 1200cc bikes, I had 35k kms on the original 12R chain and it was still good when I sold it.
It is a tedious and dirty job but worth doing it IMO
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O-ring_chain
Mr Sheen is the ultimate bike cleaner too BTW and cheap
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