How To Clean A Bike Chain

Yes – a clean bike chain is easy on the eye, but some cyclists (especially beginners) often forget that keeping a clean bike chain also helps your whole bike perform better and run more smoothly for longer.

Regularly cleaning your bike chain will also keep grease stains to a minimum – so while it can be a messy task, it’s worth your time and effort for many reasons.

But if you’re new to cycling or have just bought a new bike, cleaning its chain can be confusing if you’re doing it for the first time.

Read on for our simple, six-step guide on how to clean a bike chain.

Contents

1. Pick your cleaning product and scrubber
2. Start with the cassette
3. Clean the chainring
4. Clean the chain itself
5. Rinse off and leave to dry
6. Reapply chain lube

1. Pick your cleaning product and scrubber

Before you get into the nitty-gritty of cleaning your bike chain, the first step is to choose your cleaning product.

Bike chains can be cleaned using normal soap, such as washing up liquid, or your local bike shop will sell bike-specific degreaser.

Don’t worry too much about splashing out on fancy products because shop-bought washing up liquid works fine most of the time.

The same goes for your scrubber. While there are specially-made bike brushes on the market, something as simple as an old toothbrush will do the job.

2. Start with the cassette

If you didn’t already know, your bike’s cassette is the cluster of cogs found attached to the back tyre.

To clean the cassette, shift your gears appropriately so that the chain sits on one end. Then, apply your cleaning product or degreaser to your scrubber, and get to work on the cogs – except for the one holding the chain.

Once you’re happy, move your chain down to the other end of the cassette and scrub the remaining cogs until these are clean.

Related: How To Clean And Remove Bike Cassettes Easily

3. Clean the chainring

Now that the cassette is clean, it’s time to focus on your bike’s chainring.

To do this, you might find it easier to completely drop your chain off the ring to give you a better view.

As with step two, apply your cleaning product or degreaser to the scrubber and scrub around the perimeter of the ring until you’re satisfied.

It’s as simple as that.

Related: 3 Easy Ways To Clean Chainrings

4. Clean the chain itself

Next, you can move on to cleaning the chain itself.

If your bike has more than one chainring, you can put the chain onto the largest one for this step.

Apply a generous amount of your cleaning product or degreaser onto the scrubber and begin to scrub, using the chainring to bear down on.

With your bike upended, you can use one hand on the foot pedals to turn the wheels and thus the chain. Using your other hand, hold the brush still on the surface of the chain, allowing it to run through the bristles continuously.

For an even deeper clean, you can also fill a container with cleaning product, detach the chain completely from your bike, and soak it in the container. Then, give the container a shake and let it sit for up to 20 minutes before taking the chain back out and reattaching it to the chainring.

Related: Chain Cleaning: A Complete Guide From Lazy To Obsessive

5. Rinse off and leave to dry

Once everything has been thoroughly scrubbed, give the whole section of your bike a gentle rise with clean water, with the emphasis on gentle.

Avoid using high-pressure hoses or jet washers, as these can blast water into unwanted areas. You only need to rinse the areas you’ve just cleaned – if you’re not careful, unnecessary water elsewhere can lead to rusting.

After rinsing, you should let your chain dry off as much as possible before continuing. Storing your bike while wet is another common cause of rusting.

Related: How To Wash A Bicycle: 10 Bike Washing Don’ts and Do’s

6. Reapply chain lube

Now the chain is dry, it’s time for the final step – and it’s all about the lubricant.

Slowly back-pedal while applying a gentle, consistent stream of lube over the chain. You can do this either directly from the lube bottle or can or via your scrubber.