MikeDeason

No matter how much I wipe the chain the rag always streaks black.

1) Rinse with hose

2) run chain through Park Tool chain cleaner once with Palmolive/water and once with straight water. 30 cranks each time.

3) wipe chain

No matter how much I wipe the chain leaves a black streak, I give up the lube chain and wipe excess oil.

Polaris OBark

wax

Iride01 

There is a lot of the chain that you can't get too, but will seep out to get on your rag. All that stuff hides between the overlaps of your side plates and inside the rollers.

So just be happy when your chain looks clean on the outside. And not worry if your rag keeps getting dirty.

Wax probably can help with that.. But for me that's a lot of work. I'm okay if my chains are filthy. So you are unlikely to see my chain and cassette perfectly clean except for once every other year.

ScottCommutes

My rags look like yours. Its OK. You don't have to eat off of your chain. I suppose you could look into ultrasonic cleaners if this really bothers you. As Iride01 said, there is a lot of the stuff that hides.

MikeDeason

I watched a vid on YT and the guys rags were spotless after running through the Park tool.

guess he was FOS

do you toss these rags in washing machine ?

indyfabz

Fwp

Shadco 

Nope,

.

themp

I use this to clean my rags. Bucket of hot water, add the Lestoil, and agitate with a poker. Let sit for about 30 minutes. Will not remove all the stain completely but good enough to reuse the rag again for chain cleaning.

https://www.everydaycheapskate.com/1...-know-lestoil/

I use this chain cleaner with Odorless Mineral Spirits(OMS). The OMS does not effect the plastic or rollers. I added a Neodymium magnet to the bottom outside.

https://www.performancebike.com/spin...sd-clm/p914517

When I am done with the 30 revolutions, I used a rag for a few revolutions of the chain and then use a blow gun on my air compressor to blow out each link. I back the chain with the same rag above to catch the black stuff coming out from the blow gun. When done I hardly get any more black from the chain using the rag.

DeadGrandpa

I use the blue paper shop towels from Walmart or Harbor Freight. I use them until I have no clean-ish places on either side of the towel and throw them away. I also use vinyl or nitrile gloves. And don't worry about consuming the paper products. Trees to make paper products are a crop. If you want to reduce the oily grime coming out of the links, here's an idea: After using soap and water and wiping dry and clean on the outside, carefully spray WD 40 on the chain as you rotate the crank. You'll get moisture out of the chain and more grime will come with it. Be sure to protect the rear brake rotor and caliper with a cardboard shield, assuming you have disc brakes. If you have rim brakes you should be extra careful to avoid getting the spray on the rim or brake pads.

But really, your problem is the oil you use. Grit sticks to the oil and works into the chain moving parts: the rollers and pins, the plates, and becomes a fine grinding paste that wears out the chain. I think I read that somewhere. For this reason, you should consider another lube that is not oil, such as the wax suggested above. You can also try the wax based aerosol Chain Saver from DuPont, which works pretty well. If you can avoid over application and over spraying the problem areas I mentioned, it does a decent job. I've moved on from that, though, to a Silicone spray called Blaster, and I like it the best. Very little sticks to it. It appears to foam into the links. My chain and cassette have never been cleaner and they stay that way. Of course I wipe it off before spraying it again and some grime will come off, but it's nothing like the goo from an oil lubed chain. If I
​​​accidentally get my hand or leg dirty touching the chain, it wipes off easily with a paper towel, much easier than oil grime. I know this goes against conventional maintenance dogma, but the only other way to keep the chain clean is the wax dip method. I've read that once you get the multi chain rotation and waxing habit, it's not too time consuming. But my Silicone lube is easy and quick. Not sure if it's going to improve my chain life, but that's not my main priority.

Kai Winters

it's normal...
go wax...

rosefarts

I work in the operating room. Sometimes, we discard brand new disposables, due to cancellations etc. In almost every case, that means a pack of blue rags.

Ive got a pile of them. I never realized how good they were until I bought a pack of red rags from the auto parts store.

The blue ones wipe better, absorb more, wash off better, are tougher, and don’t leave lint behind.

Anyway, that’s what I use.

50PlusCycling

Depends on the oil you use. I use a brand of gun oil/conditioner, which lubricates well, and cleans up more easily than other kinds. Every other week or so I run my chain through a Park Chain Gang cleaner with automotive Simple Green (which is stronger than the normal stuff). I change the cleaning solution 3 times as I clean the chain, rinse well, and then dry with a towel. The black isn’t from the oil, it’s from the metal worn off your chain and gears, and dirt picked up on the road. By the time my chain is clean, I find it leaves grey marks on the towel, not black. I have tried wax, and used it for about a year, but found that my bike shifts more smoothly with oil, and my chain lasts longer.

Garthr

I think trying to get a used chain squeaky clean is futile. That "clean" state lasts how long before it's "dirty" again ? Be it from outside elements or inside motion. I think keeping the chain lubed with whatever you choose and wiping it and the cogs and rings off after each ride is far more practical than trying to get "one big clean" that takes so much effort and time only to disappoint you rather quickly. This is for dry conditions, if your chain is getting covered in mud or sand, well then wax of some sort would be better, be it from a bottle or dipped. Decades ago I would scoffed at the very thought of me writing this, but after trying so many lubes and methods and seeing how quickly they end up the same, I had to ask myself what's the point in heroic chain cleaning ? It doesn't give me any better mileage out the parts, but it's good for the cleansing product manufacturers though !

wheelreason

Only if the divorce was imminent anyway...

easyupbug 

I understand Park Tool suggests dish soap if you don't use their cleaner product but your gonna use a lot if you don't want a black streaked chain. The above recommendations might help you out but if you want a clean rag you will need a ultrasonic cleaner for chain cleaning. Arthritis has me have to ride a recumbent trike some days with a triple length chain that is a pain to remove and replace so I use a park tool on that chain with OMS as themp said above, works pretty well.

t2p

^^^^
this

ride in nasty conditions and the chain will retain nasty stuff - at least some

some lubricants are better than others - but even the best synthetic lubricants and waxed chains will show dirt / contaminants on a rag after rides in certain conditions

dry / dusty crushed limestone paths are among the worst - all chains will show contaminants after significant riding in those conditions

Steel Charlie

So I'm a fan of silicone but never thought of it as a chain lube. Tell me about chain life, shifting, whatever if you would?
Thanks

drlogik 

If you use any kind of an oil-based product you will have a black chain. I still use an oil-based product on a couple of my bikes here in the South East but I'm going to convert them to wax also. Granted a waxed chain in the South needs to be reapplied more often than out West but the cleanliness and lubricity factor of wax cannot be ignored any more.

FWIW, I first waxed a chain back in the mid-1970's, got away from it for 30 years and have gone back to wax.

Yan 

Hell no...

​​​​​​Thrift stores are the best source for rags. Or you can buy the packs of rags at Home Depot which are actually just cut up recycled clothing.

big john

I don't mind a little oil on the chain. I just wipe it off before I lube it,, then a final wipe after. Same rag for months, I toss it in the trash if it gets too nasty. Been doing that for 40ish years. I've ridden with guys who are obsessed with the cleanliness of their bikes, they aren't necessarily faster than others. I've also ridden with fast riders who don't care if the chain is messy. To each their own.

alcjphil

It appears that you are using terrycloth rags to clean your chain. These are much better than plain cotton because the nap of the terrycloth gets down between the chain links. even better if you don't just pedal backwards. instead, pedal backwards a bit and then scrub backwards an forwards on each section of chain. That way you clean both sides of each chain roller. You will end up with a chain as clean as if you took it off and dunked it into a solvent bath

zandoval 

Get More Rags!

I use ATF as my lubricant and cleaner. I liberally apply it and then wipe it off. Usually by the third time its clean. Not spotless, but clean enough. I ride allot of dusty, dirty, ravel so I have to do this often. No Biggy...

smd4

If you know what you’re doing, you can have a clean chain using oil. People who have black chains often don’t know what they’re doing.

I’m experimenting with wax now, but if I see any corrosion starting, I may switch back to Tri Flow.

rsbob 

Abomination! Heresy!! Abhorrence!!! The execration!!!! Positively demonic!!! May 🐕‍🦺 have mercy on their unwashed souls. 👹

big john

There is a BF member who I have ridden with in the past. He's a cat 3 on the road and a cat 2 on the track. Good rider everywhere and he rides the same road bike in the dirt and mud as he rides on club/group rides. Nice man but the dirtiest road bike out there.