cleaning the drivetrain with greased lighting



roadhouse

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Aug 2, 2009
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I bought some a few weeks ago and have yet to use it and so I thought I'd ask again, anything to worry about? Of course I do not have a chain breaker to take the chain completely off of the bike so I was gonna spin it backwards as when you apply oil to it and just spray it on but here in lies the problem, what will it do to the sprocket wheels on the deraileur, rear more specificaly? The springs? Anything to worry about and should I worry about washing all of it off or can I just get the majority of it off like say holding a rag on it firmly while spinning the chain backwards and then just lube the chain as is or will there be aftermath of the residue to worry of?

Thanks,

Preston.
 
Not familar with the product, but if it's similar to Simple Green, it may contain phosphates, making it alkali (high PH). These cleaners work great to remove grease, but they must be rinsed thoroughly as they can harm the anti-corrosion finishes.

As you mentioned, may not be easy to rinse everywhere that the spray cleaner has gotten into. Note the directions on the Shimano chain say to clean only with a neutral detergent. I use a "citrus-based" cleaner with the little chain brush machine on those rare times when cleaning is needed, eg, to remove grit after riding in the rain.

Believe avoiding spray lubes, and using a minimum amount of lube is the way to go. Normal maintenance for me is applying a drop of Prolink to each chain bushing, then wiping off the chain with a rag if it appears too oily.
 
cyberlegend1994 said:
Perhaps not many people have used the product you're asking about, and therefore can't comment on it... :rolleyes:

You just made moderator status.

Anywho, maybe you all could help me understand the metal the drives are made of and the plastics the chainwheels are made of as I'm trying to find out what is what. And will the rinsing of the greased lightning with water leave my chain and springs more apt to rust even after I've dried it and lubed it? I guess that could be relevant to whatever cleanser is used. And it is orange powered auto shop multipurpose super strength degreaser so I'm guessing it's citrus.

Here's a paragraph from their website:

Can I use Greased Lightning Multipurpose on metals?
Greased Lightning products are recommended for use on most metals except aluminum or an aluminum alloy. Greased Lightning will leave a cloudy appearance on aluminum. However, this does not apply to aluminum siding with a factory baked-on finish.

Thanks.
 
Your chain is hardened steel, and the cassette is either steel or a combination of steel and titanium. Front chainrings are aluminum, unless you have a low-end or old antique bike.

Just looked up the MSDS for the automotive versions of Greased Lightning spray, the "multipurpose" purple and the Orange "Super Heavy Duty". These are alkali cleaners, with ph of 11.5 for the orange and 12.7-13.5 for the purple....iaw, highly alkali. The sheets say they must be labeled "corrosive liquid" for air transport.

With this high of a ph, I'm sure they quickly turn grease into soap compounds that will rinse away. But I'd be afraid they could harm the anti-corrosion finish on aluminum and steel parts, or do damage getting between threaded connections (eg, bb) where they couldn't be thoroughly rinsed out. Remember that Shimano says to use "neutral" detergents on their chain.

So I wouldn't use them on my bike when citrus cleaners are available, but of course what you use is up to you. I rarely clean my drivetrain anyway with more than a rag since sparkling chains and cassettes aren't that important to me.
 
dhk2 said:
Your chain is hardened steel, and the cassette is either steel or a combination of steel and titanium. Front chainrings are aluminum, unless you have a low-end or old antique bike.

Just looked up the MSDS for the automotive versions of Greased Lightning spray, the "multipurpose" purple and the Orange "Super Heavy Duty". These are alkali cleaners, with ph of 11.5 for the orange and 12.7-13.5 for the purple....iaw, highly alkali. The sheets say they must be labeled "corrosive liquid" for air transport.

With this high of a ph, I'm sure they quickly turn grease into soap compounds that will rinse away. But I'd be afraid they could harm the anti-corrosion finish on aluminum and steel parts, or do damage getting between threaded connections (eg, bb) where they couldn't be thoroughly rinsed out. Remember that Shimano says to use "neutral" detergents on their chain.

So I wouldn't use them on my bike when citrus cleaners are available, but of course what you use is up to you. I rarely clean my drivetrain anyway with more than a rag since sparkling chains and cassettes aren't that important to me.

the drive is 105 so no titanium. what would you recommend as ''neutral' detergent? simple green? something i can pick up from wal-mart would be good. thanks.
 
Palmolive or Dove dishwashing liquid are two that have a neutral ph; probably other brands are out there as well. Not sure how well these will remove grease from the chain, but they should work better used with hot water. The citrus cleaners sold for chain cleaning are still my choice, used with the little clamp-on chain cleaner box full of brushes.

You could also use WD-40 as a cleaner: spray on the chain or on a rag then wipe down the chain. And of course there are still solvents available, like mineral spirits, kerosene or diesel fuel. They may be bad for the environment, but they certainly do work.
 
roadhouse said:
the drive is 105 so no titanium. what would you recommend as ''neutral' detergent? simple green? something i can pick up from wal-mart would be good. thanks.

Simple green is water based, can rust stuff. I'd say mineral spirits, WD-40, and a stencil brush.

Stencil Brushes - BLICK art materials

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ktTXjSqvJc[/ame]

Altho he's probably using diesel fuel.