DIY Chain Cleaner

At this time of year it becomes increasingly important to make sure that your chain is clean, lubed and functioning properly.  With the damper conditions here in the North East, dirt, gunk and muck build up on the chain quickly.  Thankfully there's an extremely quick and effective way to get the chain shiny again with minimal time and effort.

For my DIY chain cleaner I used the following:

• Empty plastic bottle or container with wide opening
• Mineral spirits (available from any home improvement store)
• Dirty chain

I find KMC chain links easier to use and reuse making taking the chain off the bike a simple process

Once you have everything in place the process is pretty simple, pour a small amount of mineral spirits into the bottle, you don't need much and I only filled up to the bottom of the label.  Then drop in the chain and the powerlink.

With the mineral spirits and chain in the bottle, screw on the lid and shake for a couple of minutes.  You'll find the the liquid goes dark extremely quickly and starts to work right away.

After a couple of minutes, dispose of the liquid (I poured mine into a different container and reused to clean my cassette).

Once finished wipe everything down with a cloth and you'll have a sparkling chain ready to fit back on the bike.

Don't forget to lube up the chain again for your next ride!  I've picked up a bottle of Finish Line Ceramic Wet Chain Lube which I'll be using for the first time.  Check back in a few weeks and I'll post an update of its performance in the reviews section.