Keeping your chain clean is the best way to keep your drivetrain shifting smooth and to prevent premature wear on your components. We suggest that you purchase a chain degreasing box (we use the one produced by Bebox) to speed your degreasing process. These sandwich your chain between brushes that clean with degreaser as you slowly turn the pedal of your bike backwards. The poor man’s solution is to by a spray on degreaser or use a rag and a toothbrush with degreaser.
While you are waiting for the chain to dry, take this oppurtunity to check your derailler pulleys, rear cassette, and front chainrings for caked up grease. Use an old toothbrush to scrub these parts clean, if necessary — keeping these clean will help keep your chain clean longer.
After drying the chain with a rag, reapply lubrication to your chain. Degreasing your chain frequently will make your bike shift better and its drivetrain last longer.
Every couple of months (for a cyclist riding 2-3 times a week — degrease more or less depending on your riding frequency and the amount of grime in your riding environment), we recommend that you remove the chain from your bike and soak it in degreaser. Degreasing machines like the BeBox do a great job of getting the majority of the dirt off of your chain, but soaking your chain in degreaser is the best way to get all of the dirt out. Use your trusty old toothbrush again to scrub away any remaining dirt stuck in the chain.
A little good can be overdone, however. Every time you rejoin a link in your chain, that link becomes a little less strong, so don’t remove your chain more frequently than you need to for cleaning.
Finally, under normal wear and tear, your chain will slowly stretch. If this stretch becomes pronounced, it will wear your chainring and cassette cogs in such a way that it will be necessary to replace all three if you ever need to replace your chain. To prevent this, measure your chain every so often. 12 links should equal 12 inches out of the bag. If it measures 12 1/8″ or longer, replace your chain with a new one.
Posted in Biking Information