Cleaning the bike chain: get your bike ready for the coming season
Created: 01/10/2022, 10:57 AM
By: Janine Napirca
Get your bike ready for the coming season - and clean your bike chain.
© Imago
Before the cycling season starts again, you need to get your bike fit again.
Read here how to properly care for the bicycle chain.
If your bike is
unused
in the basement or garage during the cold winter months, you should definitely do a
spring check
on your bike before your next bike tour
.
Safety first!
This definitely includes
cleaning
and caring for the bike chain
.
You can find out what you need and how to do this here.
Cleaning the bike chain - turn your bike upside down
You don't have an assembly stand and don't want to buy one?
No problem!
To clean your bicycle chain, you can simply turn your bicycle upside down.
To protect the handlebars and saddle, place a large piece of cardboard or similar on the floor and place the bike upside down on it.
If necessary, remove the
chain guard
.
You have easy access to the bike chain and nothing stands in the way of cleaning.
Also read : When do you start spring cleaning?
*
Getting out of the woods: How to remove coarse dirt from the bicycle chain
To remove coarse dirt from your bicycle chain, you should
shift to the highest gear
so that the chain is on the smallest sprocket and the largest part is exposed.
Pick up a
cloth
and wipe any
coarse dirt
off the chain.
Then a
sprocket cleaner
(promotional link) is helpful to clean the spaces between the cassettes of the bicycle chain.
The more regularly you remove coarse dirt from your bicycle chain, the faster it will be cleaned.
Also
interesting
: cleaning the candle jar: You can reuse it as a decoration or for drinking.
How to clean the bicycle chain thoroughly
Soiling that cannot be easily wiped off can be loosened with warm water, sprayed with
bicycle
cleaner (promotional link) and cleaned with a
sponge
or
brush
.
With a jet of water or a bucket of water, you can then rinse off cleaning agents including dirt.
Finally, rub the bicycle chain dry with a cloth.
If no traces of black oil can be seen on the cloth, the bicycle chain is clean.
It is best
to let the bicycle chain dry completely overnight
before oiling it .
Also read
: Is it easy to clean records with water and washing-up liquid?
Oil the bicycle chain after cleaning
Drizzle
chain oil
(promotional link) onto your bike chain
while slowly
turning the bike's
pedals
. However, be careful not to injure yourself! If you hold the chain between two fingers, you can distribute the oil optimally on the bicycle chain. It is best to wear gloves. Then, on the one hand, there is less risk of injury and, on the other hand, you don't get your hands dirty. After you have oiled the entire chain, wait about a quarter of an hour. You can then remove excess oil with a dry cloth. If you are unsure about the
fitness
of your bike to ride after the winter break, it is definitely advisable to get the bike from one
Let experts
check
it out.
(jn) * Merkur.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA.
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