Clean the bicycle chain of your racing bike thoroughly

Properly maintaining your bicycle chain is one of the best ways to save on replacing your parts. Because your bicycle chain and sprockets are clean, they wear out a lot less quickly than if they are dirty and covered in sand. In this blog we explain step by step how you can get the chain of your racing bike looking like new again. Please note: the cleaning frequencies and tips described are specific to the racing bike. Although the chain of gravel bikes and mountain bikes are cleaned the same, this will have to be done more often and more thoroughly.

First of all, how often should you clean the bicycle chain? We recommend thoroughly cleaning your chain at least every 10 rides. More often is not necessary, unless, for example, you have cycled through the rain or if there is suddenly a lot of dirt on it. You can recognize a dirty chain by the amount of black junk that sticks to it. A clean chain is almost silver in color and a dirty chain is often black. A good tip: can you no longer read the letters on the side of the chain? Then it's time for a thorough cleaning.

Before we start cleaning the chain, we have described some necessities. In our opinion, it is definitely worth getting these tools. This saves you money in the long term because maintenance is avoided.

In our instructions we remove the chain completely. We use a missing link, a kind of link that makes it easy to put the chain on and off. We recommend that you also install a missing link on your chain so that you can easily and quickly remove your bicycle chain (these are often under 5 euros). It is advisable to completely remove your chain while cleaning so that you can clean all parts better. Don't have the right tools at home to remove the chain? Then skip step 1 and read the italic text for extra tips on how to clean your bicycle chain without removing it.

• Chain tool (in case of a shear pin) or missing-link pliers (in case of a missing link).
• Decreaser / degreaser (preferably biodegradable)
• Empty bottle with wide cap
• Cloths that can get very dirty
• Spray nozzle (for example from an old bottle of all-purpose cleaner) (some degreasers come in a spray bottle)
• Water

Step 1: Removing the bicycle chain

Tip before you remove the bicycle chain: take a good look at how the chain fits around the sprockets and derailleur wheels, but if necessary take a photo of this, so you will know how to put the chain back on.

Chain punch
Use the chain tool to push out the shear pin (note: this takes quite a bit of force). After this you can easily remove the chain from the drivetrain.

Missing link
Use the special pliers to pull the missing link together. The chain will then come loose easily. 

Step 2: Cleaning the bicycle chain itself

Place the chain in the bottle and fill it halfway with decreaser. Screw the cap on tightly and shake well for a few minutes. Then leave the bottle and turn it occasionally while cleaning the gears (and you can always shake it occasionally).

Hint: For example, some people use gasoline to degrease their bicycle chain. We recommend that you mainly use degreasers that are specially made for bicycle chains. These degreasers are slightly less aggressive and therefore less likely to attack the metal of the chain. Especially in the case of slightly older chains, it is not advisable to use gasoline because it can damage the metal and this can lead to a break in your chain, for example.

When you leave the chain on
Spray the chain thoroughly with degreaser while turning it. Make sure there is plenty of degreaser on the entire chain. 

Step 3: Cleaning the cassette

Now that the chain is degreasing in its degreaser bath, we continue with the next step. Remove the rear wheel from the frame so that you can easily access it. Use the nozzle to evenly distribute decreaser over the cassette. Rotate the cassette gently so that the decreaser can spread properly. In the meantime, turn and shake the bottle with the chain again.

After you have let the decreaser soak briefly (max 1 minute), cleaning can begin. Grab a cloth (a brush is also allowed but not essential) and work systematically from the small gear to the large gear. Make sure you run the cloth well along the gears so that the sand and other dirt comes off. You may also place the cloth between the gears. By holding the wheel firmly with your feet, for example, you can clean the cassette nicely all around. It is quite a lot of work to brush off all the dirt, but if you do this regularly it will become less and less work (less dirt also means that less dirt can stick).

Step 4: The large front gears

After we have cleaned the cassette thoroughly, we shake the bottle well. We will also continue with the front sprockets. Spray it liberally with decreaser and let it absorb for a while. Then take a cloth and wipe off all the dirt. It is only clean when you can clearly see the silver color of the gears again. The inner gears are sometimes a bit difficult to reach. You can fold your cleaning cloth in half a few times and try to place it in between, this will make it a bit easier.

Step 5: Rinse

Now that everything is clean, unfortunately we are not done yet. In order for the drivetrain to run smoothly again, it is important that all the degreaser is completely removed. First we take the chain out of the bottle again. If there are still residues on this, you can remove them with a cloth or a brush. In the case of a biological degreaser, throw the remainder down the toilet or the like. If your degreaser is not biodegradable, you must dispose of it. Now rinse the chain well with water until you feel that there is no more degreaser on it (let the chain dry afterwards). Now also rinse your cassette and sprockets with water. Use a bucket of water or a garden hose for this. As long as all degreaser has been properly removed.

Step 6: Replacing the bicycle chain

Chain punch
Take a new shear pin, the old one is no longer usable. Position the chain correctly and push the shear pin into the correct position. Then take pliers and break off the remaining piece.

Missing link
Place the chain back in its original shape and push the missing link together. Then make sure that the missing link is at the top of the chain and just in front of the front sprockets. Now squeeze your front brake firmly and step on your pedal. This will cause the missing link to fix itself.

Step 7: Lubricating the bicycle chain

There are different types of grease/oil/lube to lubricate your chain. In the end it doesn't matter much, but if we have to give advice, we recommend that you use wet-lube. This is slightly more fluid than regular lube, but will attract less dirt during a dirty ride.

Place the lube on the sprockets and turn the pedal approximately 6 times (this is +- 3 full turns for the chain). This should be about enough to last the next three or four rides. After lubricating, run a cloth along the sides and bottom of the chain so that there is no unnecessary oil. This only attracts dirt and has no function. There really should only be oil on the links, the rest is not functional and only attracts dirt. Be sure not to use too much oil! This is really not necessary and attracts dirt, causing your chain to wear out faster. Six turns with your pedal is more than enough. Would you like to read more about how to properly lubricate your bicycle chain? Then read our blog about lubricating your bicycle chain.

Step 8: Get cycling!

Only clean the chain if it is dirty! Once every 10 times is just a guideline. This may sometimes be necessary more often and sometimes less often. What helps is to run a brush along your cassette and bicycle chain after cycling. This removes the sand, which prevents wear. Lubricate your chain once every five rides and check it occasionally to ensure it is not too dry.