Chain cleaners and lights questions

Hi,

I am going to buy a new mountain bike and I would like to know peoples
opinions about which is the best type / brand of chain cleaner to
use ?

I am also interested to know what lights are generally liked,
brightness is obviously an issue here but I also need them to dismount
easily and it is an absolute must forme that they can run off of AA
size NiMH cells.

TIA,

David

On Mon, 5 Oct 2009, wrote:

I am going to buy a new mountain bike and I would like to know peoples
opinions about which is the best type / brand of chain cleaner to use ?

If by "chain cleaner" you mean "gizmo", then none. They aren't necessary.
If you mean "fluid", then Green Gunk, which i got from Halfords, which is
biodegradeable, non-toxic, and absolutely ruins all grease on contact.
Amazing stuff.

If anyone tells you to use white spirit, killfile them immediately.
Useless.

I am also interested to know what lights are generally liked, brightness
is obviously an issue here but I also need them to dismount easily and
it is an absolute must forme that they can run off of AA size NiMH
cells.

I've got this lad on the front:

http://www.jejamescycles.co.uk/smart...item97101.html

And her on the back:

http://www.parker-international.co.u...mpaign=pid4365

They're bright enough for urban safety, though not night navigation in the
wilds of the country, small, clip on and off easily, and run off AA and
AAA batteries, respectively. The fact that they take different kinds of
batteries is an annoyance, but it's not a big deal. The white one is solid
and waterproof; the red one is prone to the cover falling off when jolted
hard.

tom

--
Imagine that, the Battle of Seattle, the February Revolution, the Storming
of the Bastille, the Brixton uprising, the break-in party at Hackney
Town Hall and Wat Tyler's army ransacking the Tower, all at the same time.

On 5 Oct, 20:30, wrote:
Hi,

I am going to buy a new mountain bike and I would like to know peoples
opinions about which is the best type / brand of chain cleaner to
use ?

What are you going to use it for? If you're going to use it for
mountain biking it needs much more regular, much more thorough
cleaning than if you'e going to use it for urban commuting (yes, I
know no cyclist would use a real mountain bike for urban commuting,
but...)

Assuming real mountain biking, the only real technique is the Sheldon
Shake (google for it). You need to do a thorough clean after every wet
ride, or every three or four dry rides. Urban commuting, a thorough
clean roughly every 250 miles, but an 'on the bike' cleaning device
may be adequate. O greatly prefer white spirits - yes, I know people
talk about pollution, but you can reuse the same teacupful of white
spirit for four or five cleans if you filter it through kitchen paper
or similar in between.

A best bike used in the dry with wax lube probably only needs cleaned
once in the lifetime of the chain, at about 2500 miles.

I am also interested to know what lights are generally liked,
brightness is obviously an issue here but I also need them to dismount
easily and it is an absolute must forme that they can run off of AA
size NiMH cells.

A guy brought on of these:
http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/catego...ct/l121r-32413
to a time trial earlier this year (we have a club rule that you mus
have a rear light when time trialling) and I was so impressed I went
out and bought one the next day. It breaks several local arms
limitation treaties.

I've no particular recommendation for fronts - there are several one-
watt LEDs on the market now any of which is extremely good, my advice
would be get one with a metal body.

On 2009-10-05, wrote:
Hi,

I am going to buy a new mountain bike and I would like to know peoples
opinions about which is the best type / brand of chain cleaner to
use ?

White spirit, paraffin, or diesel. If anyone tells you to use those
proprietary "biodegradable" citric acid products killfile them
immediately.

They cost a fortune, and some of them have been implicated in causing
stress corrosion cracking of the chain sideplates where they're under
stress from the rivets.

As for being environmentally friendly, that's just bull****. Nothing
wrong with paraffin etc. if you don't tip it down the drain. Re-use
several times and then burn it.

Get the SRAM powerlink thing (for 8sp or 9sp) for 99p otherwise a
Wipperman link for 10sp (rather more than 99p) so you can take the whole
chain off and shake it around in a bottle. This is the process Simon
Brooke is referring to. Easier than an on-the-bike chain cleaning
machine and works better.

Tom Anderson wrote:

If anyone tells you to use white spirit, killfile them immediately.
Useless.


I use white spirit. Works a treat.

Tom Anderson wrote:

If anyone tells you to use white spirit, killfile them immediately.
Useless.


Is the wrong answer.

"Simon Brooke" wrote in message
...

Assuming real mountain biking, the only real technique is the Sheldon
Shake (google for it). You need to do a thorough clean after every wet
ride, or every three or four dry rides. Urban commuting, a thorough
clean roughly every 250 miles, but an 'on the bike' cleaning device
may be adequate.

Every 2.5 weeks? Not sure I clean my chain between replacements on my
'commuter', and it lasts over a year.

I'll swap the cost of the chain/cassette swap every year or two for the lack
of hassle.

On 2009-10-06, Clive George wrote:
"Simon Brooke" wrote in message
...

Assuming real mountain biking, the only real technique is the Sheldon
Shake (google for it). You need to do a thorough clean after every wet
ride, or every three or four dry rides. Urban commuting, a thorough
clean roughly every 250 miles, but an 'on the bike' cleaning device
may be adequate.

Every 2.5 weeks? Not sure I clean my chain between replacements on my
'commuter', and it lasts over a year.

I'll swap the cost of the chain/cassette swap every year or two for the lack
of hassle.

It's just nice to have a clean chain. Do you never wash your car? That's
also unnecessary.

On 6 Oct, 08:34, Ben C wrote:
On 2009-10-06, Clive George wrote:

"Simon Brooke" wrote in message
...

Assuming real mountain biking, the only real technique is the Sheldon
Shake (google for it). You need to do a thorough clean after every wet
ride, or every three or four dry rides. Urban commuting, a thorough
clean roughly every 250 miles, but an 'on the bike' cleaning device
may be adequate.

Every 2.5 weeks? Not sure I clean my chain between replacements on my
'commuter', and it lasts over a year.

I'll swap the cost of the chain/cassette swap every year or two for the lack
of hassle.

It's just nice to have a clean chain. Do you never wash your car? That's
also unnecessary.

It's not just 'nice' to have a clean chain. It works better, lasts
longer and causes less wear to more expensive components. But how
often it is necessary is very variable depending on use.

Adam Lea wrote:
Tom Anderson wrote:
If anyone tells you to use white spirit, killfile them immediately.
Useless.


Is the wrong answer.


As it the idea that 'gizmos' don't work.

Cheap plastic box that clamps round a section of chain
Fill reservoir with chain cleaner
Back pedal a bit
Take box off chain
Rinse off cleaner
Wait a bit
Spray lube on chain

Lazy and effective.
Doesn't screw the chain up unless the cleaner not washed out - but that
affects any cleaning process.

Alternative -- find person with warm solvent bath and dump the chain in ;-)

Some, no doubt, will forgo the cleaning and just bung another chain on


--

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