What you need
- Degreasing liquid: Most degreasers on the market will do a fine job of stripping the grit and old oil from your chain. We’ve used Pedro’s Oranj Peelz for years because it also smells pleasantly like ... oranges.
- Plastic squeeze bottle: It’s easier to dispense degreaser from a plastic condiment bottle than it is to pour it straight from the original container.
- A few clean rags: Big squares cut from old T-shirts work nicely.
- Chain-cleaning device: When the chain is really grimy, we break out a chain cleaner such as Pedro’s Chain Pig II.
- A hose or a bucket of water and a sponge: These are forrinsing off the degreaser and any remaining gunk.
- Chain lube: One of the bike kingdom’s eternal questions is which bike lube is the best. Though there may not be one right answer, after 20 hours of research we think ProGold ProLink Chain Lube is the best lube for the average rider. It’s inexpensive, discussed widely online and positively reviewed, and should perform well in a wide range of conditions (including dry and moderately wet rides).
- Bike-repair stand: If you already own a stand (we like the Feedback Sports Sport Mechanic Repair Stand), it’ll come in handy, but it’s not necessary. The key thing is being able to spin your pedals backward without hitting a wall (or whatever you’re leaning your bike against).
- Olive oil soap: Again, this is not at all necessary, but senior editor Christine Ryan has noticed that nothing gets black bike grease off her hands like the old slab of Savon de Marseille soap she keeps by her kitchen sink.
- Nitrile gloves: If you really can’t stand getting gunk under your fingernails, invest in a box of disposable nitrile gloves (we usually get the Kirkland ones at Costco).
- A chain-wear gauge (optional): Pedro’s Chain Checker Plus II is our favorite.
How long will this take to clean?
Plan for 30 minutes; this includes letting your chain dry in between rinsing off the degreaser and applying the lube.
Clean the grit and old lube off your chain
As you pedal, your bike’s chain should remain almost silent. Squeaks and chirps are the sound of grit slowly destroying your chain and gears. Lubing the chain will help, but first you need to remove that grit.
Fill a little squeeze bottle with degreaser, and as you’re slowly spinning the pedals backward, dribble degreaser over the chain. Ideally, you should do this in a spot where you have access to a hose and a drain, like a garage or backyard.
Soak a clean rag with degreaser, and while you’re loosely holding the chain with the rag, continue to spin the pedals.
When your chain is truly filthy, grab Pedro’s Chain Pig II, fill its reservoir with degreaser, clamp the plastic body around the chain, and crank the links through the “pig’s” brushes and sponges a few times.
Unlike other chain cleaners we’ve tried, the Chain Pig’s brushes don’t shed their bristles (finding bits of plastic stuck in our chain’s links is a real dealbreaker).
Rinse and dry the chain
Now that the chain is clean, rinse off any remaining degreaser with clean water. You can use a hose (keep it on a gentle, wide-spray setting to avoid damaging any bearings) or a sponge and a bucket of water.
Let the chain dry in the sun for about 10 minutes. Then wipe it dry with another clean rag.
Apply fresh lube
If all is okay with your chain, lube it.
Unscrew the ProGold ProLink bottle’s cone-shaped tip just far enough so that you can squeeze a drop of oil through the tiny hole at the end.
Hold the bottle’s tip close to the chain (we usually do this right where the chain passes over one of the rear derailleur’s star-shaped jockey wheels), and drip the oil on the chain’s links as you spin the pedal closest to you backward. You’re aiming to get one drop of oil on each link. But don’t worry if you miss some links—just keep going until you’ve rotated the pedal about four times in all.
At this point, you should stop adding oil, but keep spinning your crank another four or five full turns so the oil penetrates the links. Finally, holding the chain loosely with a clean rag, turn the pedal yet another four or five times to wipe away any excess oil. Excess oil tends to pick up dirt and dust, so removing it should help keep your chain from getting quite so gunky.
Optional: Check your chain for wear
Cleaning and lubricating your bike chain also provides an ideal opportunity to check it for wear. A too-worn chain may start to skip (that is, suddenly give way for a split second when you pedal hard) or get stuck on a chainring, both of which are dangerous scenarios. Over time a too-worn chain could also wear down the gears of your bike, and they’re more expensive to replace than a chain.
Pedro’s three-pronged chain checker is the best we’ve tested. It allows you to get as much life out of your chain as possible (but not for so long that the chain damages the drivetrain).
After positioning the gauge correctly on your chain using Prong A (see the package for directions), insert Prong B of the tool into the middle of a link. Then let Prong C drop onto (or into) the chain. If it rests on top of a link, then the chain is still usable; if it falls into the space between two links (or into the middle of a link), your chain is worn out and needs to be replaced.
If you’ve never replaced a chain, make an appointment at your local bike shop and ask someone there to do it.
