Anything when maintained well functions well and lasts longer. And the same is true when it comes to your favorite mountain bike.
If you are a passionate biker, you already know that your bike and its drivetrain deserve regular maintenance.
As your bike parts (especially the chain, gears, and cassette) get dirty over time, it may obstruct your performance in a sport. Also, the goals you desire to achieve in the race or in a mountain cycling competition may not be achieved if you neglect the maintenance of your bicycle.
The good thing is that, unlike other vehicles, your bicycle does not need expensive maintenance. You just need to set aside 30 minutes every weekend to get down the dirt settled on the chain and movable parts.
For overhauling, you will require a bit of patience and the right tools. But what are those tools? Let’s check them right below…
5 Best Bike Chain Cleaner Tools
*At no extra cost to you, Ultrasonic-Cleaners.org may earn compensation, if you make a purchase through links on this page.No matter whether you use your bike for leisure riding, daily commuting, or racing, you need to use the right cleaning tools to clean the parts and keep your bike in tip-top condition for a longer without getting wear and tear quickly.
Some of the best bicycle chain cleaner tools you can use for effective maintenance and cleaning are as below. These are not too expensive and can save a good deal of your time as well.
1. Ultrasonic Bike Parts Cleaner
A bike chain cleaning machine is hands down a superior way to get your chain and gears sparkling—far better than those old-school, elbow-grease-heavy methods where you require scrubbing your bike chain like a medieval blacksmith.
iSonic P4820 is a professional-grade ultrasonic cleaner (and my top favorite) as it quickly cleans off dirty chains, bearings, and other bike parts. If speed and efficiency had a love child, this would be it.
This genius gadget takes the drudgery out of deep cleaning, turning your rigorous scrubbing sessions into a hands-free affair. Equipped with features like a digital timer, solution heater, high-frequency sound waves, and degas function, it’s a powerhouse worth checking out.
Using it is a breeze—just pour in the cleaning solution, and drop in your greasy chain and gears. With a flick of a switch, the ultrasonic transducers generate tiny, mighty bubbles that blast away dirt from every nook and cranny, even the ones your toothbrush could never reach.
The best part? No guesswork is involved—just follow the step-by-step guide, sit back, and let technology do what it does best.
Besides the popular ultrasonic cleaners for bike parts, you may use a few other products that are effective. These include…
2- Finish Line Bike Chain Cleaner
Finish Line Bicycle Chain Cleaner Kit comes with EcoTech Cleaner, Chain Lube, and Degreaser Concentrate, all of which help clean your bike gears and parts efficiently like a real pro.
This heavy-duty bicycle chain cleaner kit includes a cleaner that clips directly to the chain for performing the cleaning task. This means you need not remove the chain from the bicycle to get involved in all the dirty and hassleful processes.
The three-brush rotating design and scrubber pads of this bicycle chain and gear cleaner help in cleaning the parts of the chain quickly. And just within a minute, you can find your chain cleaned.
Also, its 30-degree exit angle helps eliminate all the mess, and a powerful magnet at the bottom collects all the metal filings and various contaminants to make the chain completely clean.
3. Precision Bicycle Cleaning Brush and Scrubber
This 8-piece Precision Bicycle Cleaning Brush Tool set is a comprehensive cleaning kit designed to help cyclists maintain their bikes with ease. The set includes a variety of brushes, such as a professional bike chain scrubber, tire scrubber, tapered detail brush, sprocket scraper, and more.
The brushes in this kit are specifically designed to tackle different parts of the bike, ensuring efficient dirt removal from even the hardest-to-reach areas.
Also, the chain cleaning process is simple and effective. By attaching the chain scrubber to the bike chain, adding some degreaser, and turning the pedals counterclockwise, the tool works to clean the chain thoroughly.
This cleaning kit isn’t limited to just bicycles. It can be used for basic maintenance on household items as well, making it a versatile tool for various cleaning needs.
Why Use Ultrasonic Cleaner for Bike Chain?
The chain, cassette, and gears are the most used parts of your road bicycle. The dirt, grime, and grease get settled over there easily. You, therefore, need to take special care of these parts to enhance the overall performance of your bike.
When overhauled in the right way, you can keep your cycle running just like new for a longer period.
More often used in automotive, engineering, printing, and electronics industries, ultrasonic cleaning equipment can work very efficiently to clean almost any type of bike chain at home or in shops.
This means if you run a bike servicing business and need to clean various bike chains at a time, an efficient and versatile ultrasonic bicycle chain cleaner can save you enough time, energy, and money while cleaning the heavily smudged bike parts.
What liquid to use in an ultrasonic cleaner for bicycle chains?
The cleaning liquids used in most digital ultrasonic bike chain cleaners are eco-friendly and gentle, so you won’t have to lose sleep over their intensity.
If you need to choose the best liquid, a mild dish soap solution or a bike-specific water-based degreaser is your best bet. Wax-coated chains may need a specially formulated aqueous cleaner, not just any soapy mix. Dilute it properly while following the manufacturer’s guidelines; too strong, and you risk damage; too weak, and you’re just giving your chain a lukewarm bath.
However, a word of caution: your ultrasonic cleaner is not a fan of hardcore substances like degreasers, kerosene, or mineral spirits. Using them is like feeding junk food to a high-performance athlete—things will go south quickly.
How Often to Clean and Lube the Bike Chain/Gears?
The most common problem, which is the possible signs, that it’s time to clean and oil your bike is a tight link. These tight links do not bend as smoothly as they should. Most of the time it’s caused due to the accumulated dirt or corrosion in between the link plates. At other times it’s also due to improper pin installation or damage caused in the chain.
Typically it’s good to clean up and lube the bike’s gear and chain at least once a week (or once every 200 miles) to keep them in good working condition. Also, it’s good to spare some time and concentrate on the bike chain cleaning task as soon as you are back from a long trip.
For those extra-dirty chains, grab a brush tool and give it a deep cleanse in a chain solvent. By clearing out grime, rust, and stubborn links that refuse to bend smoothly it’ll emerge looking fresh, feeling smooth, and ready to roll.
When choosing a bike chain lubricant, do not go for low-quality products. Pick the specially formulated bicycle-chain lubricants designed for bike drivetrains. This should contain Teflon®, which is usually good at repelling dirt and water.
Finish Line DRY Teflon Bicycle Chain Lube (here on Amazon) is one of the best available on the market. You can choose it from a variety of different sizes according to your needs.
Remember that using motor oils or 3-in-1 oil to lubricate the chain of your bike is not a good idea. These oils tend to be heavy and will not penetrate deeply into the rollers. These lubricants may also gum up your chain, making things worse.
How to Maintain Your Drivetrain With Household Products?
When it’s time to clean your bike parts, cassette, drivetrain, and chain, the best inexpensive way is by using household items. An old toothbrush and some lubricant are the most viable ones to get started. To get your bike chain cleaned without removing it, you can quickly brush out and lubricate the links on the spot.
However, keep in mind that sometimes simply brushing or washing your bike with soap or water won’t remove the oils and grease on the drivetrain parts. This will only help in removing the settled dirt.
Using a degreaser (like kerosene or vinegar) to remove the old grease and oil is an important part of overhauling your bicycle. These can also work to dissolve any rust present on the chain.
If your bike chain, cables, and other pivot joints are heavily soiled, you can use degreasers like WD 40 or a 3D Orange Degreaser. Care that these should not be used to lubricate the parts. You may need other lubricants that are meant for oiling the bike parts.
Steps you may follow for getting your dirt bike parts cleaned and oiled in the most efficient and time-saving way are as follows:
Step 1. Set your vehicle at a place that is open. A lot of space may be needed to splash water on the vehicle after its complete cleaning.
Step 2. Use gear shifters to shift the chain to the outer rear cog to clean.
Step 3. Secure the bicycle on a bicycle stand and elevate the rear wheel. If required, flip the bike resting on the seat and handlebars as this is the right position to clean and grease the parts.
Step 4. Now give your bicycle an overall rinse (with soapy water) before using any cleaning products; a good rinse will let the debris and dirt get loose and make it easy to clean with pressure.
Step 5. Use a Degreaser or a bicycle chain cleaner on the chain, frames, gear, and cogs sinking for more than 5 minutes, based on which any settled shabby dirt or grease will be alleviated.
Step 6. It is essential to remove all the grime and tough dirt with a sharpened tool and brush, which are purposely designed to clean the bicycle gears and chain in an easy way. Use a chain stretcher which is a misnomer, and stretch the chain easily for further cleaning work.
Step 7. After all the cleaning, lubricate the chain and cassette using a good bike chain lube and wipe the excess lubricants with a rag. Be aware that too much of it will attract grime and dirt so use the lubricant wisely.
Although the above procedure may sound a bit technical, you can do it easily on your own with some practice and care.
If you want to clean your bike chain, cassette, gears, cables, and other pivot joints like a pro, we highly recommend using a bicycle chain cleaner such as an ultrasonic cleaning device. Add to your collection of garage tools to keep your bike perfectly clean and free from grunge.