How to Clean and Maintain Your Bike Chain

How to clean and maintain your bike chain The bike chain is one of the fundamental parts of a bike, as it sends the power from your legs to the back wheel which gives you forward motion.

Chains are often overlooked and if left uncleaned and unloved they can become saturated in dirt, dust and debris which will make your cycling less efficient and even dangerous.

Cleaning Your Chain Cleaning

a chain is a fairly simple process that can be completed quickly. First it is best to remove as much of the excess dirt and dust as possible using a solvent soaked cloth or rag. Continue to rotate the chain backwards and continue cleaning until the entire length is complete.

It is also advisable to clean both sides of front chain rings thoroughly to avoid build up of oil and dirt.

Oiling a Chain

When oiling a chain we recommend that you move away from motor oil as this is too think and heavy for a bike and won’t fully penetrate each of the rollers. Standard ‘3 in 1’ oils that are also available on the market, or may be tempting as they are lurking in your garage are also a no-no as they can ‘gum up’ your chain, making it much less efficient.

Wax based lubricants may look good on the surface but be aware that they are difficult to apply correctly, and the performance usually isn’t as good as oil based lubricants.

The best lubricants on the market are those available from specialist bike stores. Specially designed bike chain lubricants will work well to fight corrosion and will also stick to the chain enough to ensure that it doesn’t wash away when it gets wet.