Cleaning the chain.
Before starting cleaning, it is necessary to remove the chain from the bicycle; for this, a lock or a squeeze is provided in the chain design.
For cleaning, you must have:
- Thinner (White spirit, or any other), gasoline or kerosene. The solvent has a less pronounced odor and is easier to wash off your hands, therefore if you clean the chain in an apartment, use it better;
- A plastic bottle with a volume of 1 liter or more;
- Any detergent powder, preferably for automatic washing (less foam is formed);
- Hot water.
Cleaning process:
- Place the previously removed chain in a plastic bottle through the neck;
- Add about 50 grams of solvent to the same bottle (you don't need much, since the solvent is needed only to soften the old grease). We twist the bottle;
- Shake the bottle a little and drain the solvent;
- Fill the bottle with about 0.5 liters of hot water;
- Add about a tablespoon of washing powder to the water. We twist the bottle;
- Shake the bottle well several times and drain the water;
- If necessary, you can refill the water with washing powder, once again rinse the chain and drain the water;
- Add clean water to the bottle, rinse the chain and drain the water;
- We cut the bottle and take out a clean chain;
- Next, it is necessary to dry the chain in order to avoid the formation of rust. You can dry it on a warm battery, hair dryer or in the sun;
- We put the chain in place.
There is also a tool for cleaning the chain without removing it from the bike. This device can be purchased at almost any bike store. The device is a plastic container with cleaning brushes. A solvent is poured into this container, then it is put on the chain. As it rotates, the chain passes through the attachment and is cleaned. If the chain is heavily contaminated, you can re-clean it with clean solvent. Gasoline cannot be poured into such a device, since it corrodes the plastic from which the device body is made.
Chain lubrication.
Proper chain lubrication can significantly increase chain life. An overly lubricated chain very quickly adheres to dirt containing abrasive elements, which immediately fall on the working mechanisms of the chain, which leads to very rapid wear. In the worst case, after 100 km, the chain may become completely unusable.
To lubricate the chain, you must have:
- Oiler with a thin nose or a medical syringe;
- Pure liquid oil (such as automobile oil or sewing machine oil). You can also use a special two-component lubricant or bicycle chain spray, but they are much more expensive than regular oil, which is not always justified;
- A small piece of lint-free cloth.
Lubrication process:
- Lubrication is necessary only in the gaps between the chain rollers and side plates;
- For each roller, one drop of oil is sufficient, which must be completely absorbed into the gap between the roller and the plate. The less grease remains on the chain surface, the better;
- For convenience, you can mark the beginning of the lubrication on the chain with a marker, because re-lubrication in the same place will result in oil leakage;
- After lubricating all the rollers, it is necessary to rotate the bicycle pedals back for a couple of minutes in order for the oil to spread well over all the working surfaces of the chain;
- If oil remains on the outer surface, wipe it with a cloth;
- There is no need to lubricate the cassette gears.
