Bike Cleaners/Lubricants.... (merged threads)

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Significant other? yeah, she looked at me funny and then asked if i wanted to watch star wars :lol:
i'm only 15 ya know

My mother, on the other hand... yes, she has... but i get away with a lot of stuff because she knows that i'm the one that fixes shit when it breaks... and cheap oil changes and tune ups.


now, if our minds are in the gutter... thats between me and saige

 

Done!

 

I personally like to clean with a chain scrubber (Finish Line or Park) with a solvent (Simple Green, Finish Line, etc), rinse well , dry by hand (drag through a towel) and apply a good lube FOR THE RIDING CONDITIONS. I do like White Lightning and RocknRoad Gold types over wet oils and I'll tell you why. The suspended grease base in solvent (if applied correctly) gets in between the pins and rollers of the chain WHERE THE LUBE IS SUPPOSED TO BE. It also acts as a barrier to keep grit out. As SheDevil pointed out, it takes a lot to get this stuff off (see chain scrubber above), but while it's there, it really does protect the chain. Unless it's wet where I'm riding, I don't like wet lubes at all. They attract dirt, trap moisture, and unless it's got a good EP rating, does nothing for chain wear. It's just soap!!

 

i switched from white lightning to finish line (wet) this winter and i've had great results with it.

plus, the name makes me feel like a winner.

 

not once did you mention a toothbrush in this post.

 

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Do they still make 3-in one oil? Haha. Tri flow is one of my top picks along with a finish line chain cleaner with simple green makes any bike ready to race

 

Bumping this thread because I need to think about maintenance and lubing the bike (chain, pivot points, cleats/pedals, fork, ...ugh) before sending it to an early death...sounds like of all the posts listed, Chain-L is the way to go. That's for all the SAND-garbage then fine dirt then WATER crossing places at Whiting and such, right? Am I ok to switch to this as long as my chain is basically clean? Can I use it for the pivot points of my rear suspension?

Because of the 25 thousand different opinions on the subject, the whole bike maintenance thing has been an enigma to me.

 

You could use Tri Flo for just about everything on a bike, But it wont be optimal! Stick with a good chain lube, All purpose Grease, and a specialty grease/lube for suspension.

 

Manitou/Motorex grease for the suspension. Putting triflow etc on the pivots will only wreak havoc.

 

For all the dw link peeps what are you using to grease the pivots......

 

Not exactly on a Dw Link. but for my bike I use Park Tools HD water proof grease. It works well. and doesn't run out. I used Phil wood grease, Not the tenacious oil, And that was fine but when dust gets in it gets clumpy.... Parktools grease = once every few months, Phil wood= Maybe monthly, depends on how you feel about it.

 

I use Finishline products, like their dry lube, bike wash and chain cleaner. A few times a year I will tear down the bike and put all the drivetrain parts in a ultrasonic cleaner and really get the parts clean. I am pretty anal about the cleanliness of my bike. I am a firm believer in buying good parts and will take care of them so they last a while. As for fork lube, I use a food grade silicone and it works like butta. It works well on foosball tables as well to get that spinning action.

 

I like to use camping gas to clean chains and bearing surfaces. I soak the chain in a tub, put on the lid, and place it on top of my compressor while its filling up with air. Air dry for a few minutes and lube. Works good.

 

Which chain cleaner do y'all use?

Looking for something to service our 6 bikes so something of shop quality would be good.

Thanks for any recommendations!

 

Mason jar and bottle of the park tool citrus cleaner.

 

what I use for bike parts

http://www.harborfreight.com/25-liter-ultrasonic-cleaner-95563.html

 

Good idea. I'm guessing this Harbor Freight one works OK since you recommended it.

I use Simple Green. Take chain off and drop in a bowl full. Let sit for a while and swish chain vigorously. Amazing how much gunk comes off.

 

What all fits in that thing Ken??