Drivetrain Cleaning

CLEANING YOUR BICYCLE
Most Cleaning can be done with soap, water, and a brush. Soap and water are easier on you and the earth than strong solvents, which are generally only needed to clean the drivetrain, if at all.
Avoid using high-pressure car washes to clean your bike. The soap is corrosive, and the high pressure forces it into bearing and frame tubes, causing extensive damage over time. If for some reason you do use a pressure washer, never point it toward the side of the bike, which can blow the bearing seals inward; instead, always point it in the plane of the bike.
The best way to set up your bike for cleaning is to put it in a bike stand. In the absence of a stand, you can hang the bike from a garage ceiling with rope. Not good? Turn it upside down so it rests on the saddle and handlebar. Alternatively, you can remove the front wheel and stand the bike on the fork and handlebar, but you’ll need to lean it against something, or it will pivot around its headset.
1. The wheels can be cleaned on the bike. Remove the wheels to clean the frame, fork and components.

2. After you’ve removed the rear wheel, if the bike has a chain hanger (a little nub attached to the inner side of the right seatstay, a few centimeters above the dropout), hook the chain over it If not, pull the chain back over a dowel rod or old rear hub secured in the dropouts.
3. Fill a bucket with hot water and dish soap. With a stiff nylon bristle brush, scrub the entire bike and wheels. Wash the frame first, and leave the chain, cogs, chainrings, and derailleurs for last.
4. Rinse the bike with water from a hose (low pressure) wipe it with a wet rag. Avoid getting water in the bearing of the bottom bracket, headset, pedals, or hubs. Note that most metal frames and forks have tiny vent holes in the tubes; these were drilled at the factory to allow hot air to escape during welding. The holes are often open to the outside on the seatstays, fork legs, chainstays, and seatstay and chainstay bridges. Avoid getting water in these holes. A piece of tape over the vent holes is a good idea, and leaving the holes permanently taped to keep water out is even better.

CLEANING THE DRIVETRAIN
The drivetrain consists of an oil-covered chain running over gears and through derailleurs. Sounds messy, doesn’t it? Well, it is. In fact, because the whole affair is generally exposed to the elements, it inevitably picks up lots of dirt.
The drivetrain is what transfers your energy into a bike’s forward motion, which means that you should clean and lubricate it frequently to keep it rolling well and to extend the life of your bike.
Fortunately, the drivetrain rarely needs to be completely disassembled for intensive cleaning. Regular maintenance can be confined to wiping down the chain, derailleur pulleys, and chainrings with a dry rag.
1. To wipe the chain, turn the cranks while holding a rag in your hand and grabbing the chain.


2. Holding a rag, squeeze the teeth of the jockey wheels between your index finger and thumb as you turn the cranks. This procedure will remove grease and dirt that has built up on the jockey wheels.


3. Slip a rag between each pair of rear cogs and work it back and forth until each cog is clean.


4. Wipe down the derailleurs and the front chainrings with the rag.

The chain will last much longer if you perform this sort of quick cleaning regularly, followed by lubricating it lightly and wiping it down again with a s clean rag after that (to lubricate, drip one drop of chain oil onto each chain roller from a squeeze bottle). You will also be able to skip the heavy-duty solvent cleanings that become necessary when the chain and cogs get really grungy.
You can also remove packed-up road grit from derailleurs and cogs with the soapy water and scrub brush. Note, however, that the soap will not dissolve the dirty lubricant that is all over the drivetrain; instead, the brush will smear it all over the bike if you’re not careful. To avoid this, use a different brush than the one you use for cleaning the frame. Follow the drivetrain cleanup with a cloth and wipe down.

CLEANING THE CHAIN WITH SOLVENT
When a chain gets really dirty, it must be immersed in solvent – a nasty task you can avoid by performing the regular maintenance just described. In fact, if you are sparing with the chain lube – if you only drip it on the chain rollers where it is needed rather than spraying it all over the chain – you can minimize, if not avoid, the need for solvent cleaning with its associated disposal and toxicity problems.
If you cannot avoid using a solvent, work in a well-ventilated area, use as little solvent as necessary, and pick an environmentally friendly mixture. There are many citrus-based solvents on the market that will reduce the danger to your lungs and skin and pose less of a disposal problem. If you are using a lot of solvents, organic ones such as diesel fuel can be recycled, which may be preferable to using citrus solvents, as long as you protect yourself from the fumes with a respirator. All solvents suck the oils from your skin, so be sure to wear rubber gloves, even with green solvents.
A self-contained chain cleaner, which is a rectangular box with internal brushes and solvent bath, is a convenient way to clean a chain, but it may not clean well deep inside the rollers. A nylon brush or a toothbrush dipped in solvent is good for cleaning cogs, pulleys, and chainrings, and it can be used for a quick cleanup of the chain as well. To clean a chain thoroughly, though, you must remove it and soak it in a solvent bath. WARNING: Modern ten-speed and even nine-speed chains don’t allow this approach, because each chain rivet is so short that it can pop out of a hole enlarged by removal and reinstallation of the rivet. That said, chains with master links, which are available for all chains, can be removed for cleaning without being damaged.

1. Watch this video to remove a chain with a master link:


2. Put the chain in an old water bottle about one-quarter full of solvent
3. Shake the bottle vigorously to clean the chain. Hold the bottle close to the ground and away from your eyes, in case it leaks.


4. Hang the chain to dry completely, especially inside the rollers.
5. install the chain on the bike (with a master lock):


6. Drip chain lubricant into each of the chain’s links and rollers as you turn the cranks to move the chain past the drip bottle. Drip lube on the moving chain by gently squeezing the bottle with the tip on each top edge of the chain for a couple turns of the crank on each side.


7. Lightly wipe down the chain with a clean rag to remove excess lubricant on the outside, where it is not needed. Don't forget to do this step! If you do forget, your chain will accumulate dirt and debris really quick.
8. After this sorry episode is concluded, wipe the chain and lubricate it after every ride to avoid another visit to solvent city. Keep dish gloves by your bike so you can do it quickly on your return from a ride without having to scrub dirty oil off your hands later.
You can reuse much of the solvent by allowing it to stand in a container over a period of days or weeks. Decant and save the clear stuff and dispose of the settled sludge.


This article was taken from the following book:
Zinn, Lennard. Zinn & The Art of Triathlon Bikes Aerodynamics, Bike fit, speed tuning, and maintenance. © 2007