What do you use to clean your chain?

Kali,

I tried exactly the same experiment you describe. After years of gunked up chains, I started using Rock&Roll when I had a new one fitted.
It was the best thing I ever did! Lovely clean chain and no degreasing (and no more sticky black glue wiping itself all over my bike kit).
The stuff I used was Rock N Roll Absolute Dry. You need to make sure you thoroughly wipe the lube off the chain with a dry cloth (and wipe and wipe again) - I would also give it a good scrub with a toothbrush (to get in between the pins) before applying more lube and wiping clean. Always came up a treat.
The downside is that it causes an unhealthy obsession with clean chains! But this is good!

I was living in NZ at the time though (no salt on roads), so to cope with the salt and crap on the roads here in the UK I'm about to try the same technique with Purple Extreme (which was originally used for lubricating oil rigs, so I'm hoping it'll cope with our salty roads!).

Snappy, I'm glad to hear about the results you got. I use the Rock'n'Roll Gold lube, at the recommendation of one of their customer service folks, and I usually wipe it until it leaves no residue when I swipe the chain with a finger (my version of the "white glove" test). I get my bike with it's new chain back from the shop this week, so I'm looking forward to seeing how this works out.

Please let us know what results you get from Purple Extreme. I heard about that brand right after I picked up my bottle of Rock'n'Roll and I've been curious about it ever since.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bad JuJu

I have one of those chain cleaners that attach to your chain and clean it while it's still on the bike

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I used one of those for years - then I found ProLink. This is a cleaner/lube all-in-one. Now I just use a rag, and apply this once - let sit, and reapply/wipe off. Your chain comes out clean and lubricated.

Every month or so, I remove the chain from the bike, and let it soak in a degreaser for a day. Then I reinstall, and lube. :)

What's the proper way to dispose of the degreaser/cleaner solutions?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by VeloChick

I used one of those for years - then I found ProLink. This is a cleaner/lube all-in-one. Now I just use a rag, and apply this once - let sit, and reapply/wipe off. Your chain comes out clean and lubricated.

Every month or so, I remove the chain from the bike, and let it soak in a degreaser for a day. Then I reinstall, and lube. :)

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I've been using the Rock'N'Roll Gold since i put on my current chain a couple of months ago. I've heard a few positive reports on ProLink and recently my LBS started stocking it. I was thinking of giving it a go when my current bottle of Rock'N'Roll is finished. Are these 2 products pretty much the same as each other? They both do the clean-and- lube-in-one thing, but is one better than the other?

I've thought about whether I should remove the chain and degease it occasionally, but the guy at the LBS says it shouldn't be necessary. But like some of you ladies, I'm almost obsessive about chain cleanliness.