Finish Line Pro Chain Cleaner Kit

I find the same with rock and roll gold, get new chain, put in white spirit to remove transit grease, lube with rnr gold, re apply every month or so and chain never really gets dirty, new lube cleans and lines in one. 

That Fastchain thing - Oh. My. God. 

It's hard to know where to begin with that horrorshow of environmentally terrible nonsense. 

See my link for article on chain prep. Adam knows his stuff. 

KiwiMike wrote:

It's hard to know where to begin with that horrorshow of environmentally terrible nonsense.

OK, so it's a piece of plastic. Beyond that?

The resources and chemicals required to needlessly create cans of WD40 et al must be off the charts. This is a really bad way to use a product like WD40. 

So your issue is with WD40 then, not the Fastchain. I would only be interested in using a degreaser, something like IPA. Rather than sloshing the chain around in a bath of the stuff (think of the environment), use an applicator that directs it straight to the point of need.

Like I said to begin with, I'm only wanting to clean and degrease the chain once - thereafter it's hot waxing and no more cleaning, ever.

The use of the word "must" really says that you don't know but because it supports your argument you will post that suspicion anyway. 

Well obviously. My regime *doesn't need WD40 at all*. So using a lube and then a device that necessitates needlessly using cans and cans and cans of the stuff over time will be terrible for the planet and your wallet. 

KiwiMike wrote:

Well obviously. My regime *doesn't need WD40 at all*. So using a lube and then a device that necessitates needlessly using cans and cans and cans of the stuff over time will be terrible for the planet and your wallet. 

you keep banging on about WD40. Maybe read my original question, and my follow up. No WD40. I'm asking about the Fastchain device, how good is it (if anybody has actually used one), in lieu of just sloshing your chain around in a pot of degreaser?

I said WD40 *et al*. Ie anything in a can. 
If you need a can of propelled stuff to clean a chain, you're wasting money and creating needless waste. 

I rate my Park tool one. Second iteration. Use with finish lines solvent degreaser.

But KMC chains on my Getting to Work bike and Ultimate Commuter, and I'm following their no degreasing advice. Makes my life simpler. Started using shoe brushes to get more filth out of the Ultimate Commuter's chain, single speed rohloff setup, so good tension. But never a truly shiny chain.

Now the good bike, I like that to have a shiny chain, at least once in a while, and they are all mountain bikes and I always use wet lubes, I prefer the silence, and even finish lines cross-country lube hasn't lasted all the way home from my commute, if the rain has been hard and the filth deep. Though they have surfaced the filthiest part of the canal and that was the truly chain killer part, I'm quite sure the lower jockey was dragging through the filth.

But back to the chain cleaning, always wipe, wipe and wipe some more, floss the cassette, wipe the jockeys and the chainrings, then wipe the chain some more. Chain on middle at front, small on rear. Attach the cleaner and pour in 60ml of degreaser . Pedals rotated 50-60 times, lots of newspaper under as it will get messy. Remove the scrubber, carefully. Dispose and rinse with a lot of hot water, the wiping sponge needs some washing up liquid to get anywhere near clean.

The chain at this point is still full of grindy filth, you can hear it with a little twist, and its the further washings that will get rid of this, but I can't afford multiple solvent goes, so...

Now I have a measuring cylinder for this. There will be a trace of degreaser left, small amount of hot water, squirt to washing up liquid, hot water topped up to 60ml, shake to mix, into the scrubber. 60-70 turns of the pedals.

Still filthy, so with a cleaned scrubber and clean hot water one or two rinses, depending on how dirty it becomes. 70-80 turns for this bit.

Wipe till dryish with a clean cloth, then allow to dry. Maybe remove the cassette, jockeys and chainset for the occasional deep clean, though I am avoiding removing the quick link too much these days. Lube twice.

It works as best as I can get.  I used others scrubbers before the park, and this is the second mark of the park.

During the dying and lubing bit there will be some slight grey on a white cloth, so not perfect, but then within a couple of miles it could be filthy again.

Some good stuff here ktache and very useful.  I shall make certain my lady reads and re-reads it 'cause I like my bikes clean and would hate her to miss something critical.

Ktache, have you tried other degreasers? I use a Park gadget like this and get the expected adequate results with a citrus degreaser marketed as suitable for chip shops, diluted 2:1. I think 5 litres was under £20, including delivery.

Tried a few different ones in the early days, just stuck with the finish line. They did some weak arse stuff for a while.